💾 Archived View for gemini.spam.works › mirrors › textfiles › magazines › DELAWARERAIL › dvrp9503.tx… captured on 2022-06-12 at 11:23:45.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger March 1995 Vol. XIII, No. 3 ISSN 1073-6859 Published by the Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers in the interest of continued, improved, and expanded rail service for the present and potential railroad and rail transit passengers of southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and nearby areas. For more information about DVARP and good rail service, please contact us: P.O. Box 7505, Philadelphia, PA 19101 215-222-3373 contents: page 2 Schedule change alert: All Amtrak and area commuter rail schedules change April 2. SEPTA Suburban Transit schedules change April 2. New Bills in Congress Threaten Amtrak Fox a Co-Sponsor of One by John A. Dawson At least three bills recently introduced in the House of Representatives, and now wending their way through the committee system, would pose trouble for Amtrak if enacted into law. They are designed to deny funding or otherwise make it easier to shut down parts or all of the system. Taking them in numerical order, the first, H.R. 259, has been sponsored by Joel Hefley (R-CO) and seeks to eliminate all Federal funding for Amtrak over a five-year period. Mr. Hefley argues that there is no reason to support Amtrak, as people no longer want to ride trains. This belies the experience of would-be passengers who have been unable to buy space on sold out trains. The problem is less one of too few riders than of too few trains. In effect, this bill abolishes all intercity rail service. It has twelve cosponsors; none from this area. Currently, labor protection rules provide one of the major impediments to route abandonments. H.R. 832 would limit severance benefits to six months and allow Amtrak to reassign employees to other parts of the system. These provisions are not entirely unreasonable, but would do nothing to reduce Amtrak?s costs. Their sole purpose is to make it easier to eliminate routes. The bill is sponsored by Joe Barton (R-TX) and has 16 cosponsors; none from this area. The last, H.R. 841, establishes a route closure commission, whose job will be to rank Amtrak?s routes on the basis of long-term economic loss and identify those which are candidates for closure or realignment. The package would then be presented to the full House for an up or down vote. Members would not be allowed to select which routes they wanted to eliminate and which they wanted to keep. continued on page 8 NJT Considers Halting Atlantic City Train The Board of New Jersey Transit was told at its meeting last month that commuter rail service to Atlantic City may have to be eliminated as a result of Amtrak?s intention to shut down intercity service on the Atlantic City line. If NJT has to bear all the cost of maintaining and dispatching the rail line reopened just six years ago instead of sharing the cost with Amtrak, it may not be feasible to continue service. DVARP?s South Jersey Committee is investigating the situation will chart a course for keeping the trains running and not wasting the public?s investment. Hopes focus on Amtrak?s Richmond-Atlantic City service, the most successful of the Amtrak trains. Inside: States Making Deals to Save Their Trains see page 3 From the Editor's Seat: Settle the Contract By the time you get this in the mail, either there will have been a contract settlement between the Transportation Workers Union and SEPTA, or there will be a City Transit Division strike. If it comes to a strike, it will be largely because of the intransigence of TWU. Union leadership knows that its product is priced more than the market is willing to bear. There?s no better proof than the agreement TWU made with SEPTA in order to capture the Philly Flash contract. That contract, with a long-dormant SEPTA subsidiary, offered reduced wages and less restrictive work rules than TWU?s City Transit contract. With the lower total cost of labor, SEPTA won the contract, and TWU won more jobs for its members. Despite this acknowledgment of market realities, TWU is demanding big increases in wages and rejecting work rule changes out of hand. SEPTA?s line employees work hard, but so do most of the people who ride SEPTA. And many of those riders would be happy to be making as much as the people who operate and maintain SEPTA vehicles. Maybe sensing the weakness of their economic case, TWU leadership went nuclear; distributing an ugly flyer making personal attacks on SEPTA?s negotiating team. That kind of behavior cost TWU my respect. Other SEPTA unions have had plenty of disagreements with management too, but do not resort to such tactics. These parties are capable of making a deal that benefits both sides. There?s the Phlash contract, and the deal two contracts ago which reformed the attendance provisions, giving employees more flexibility in getting days off in exchange for incentives yielding more reliable attendance. If TWU yields on work rules, SEPTA can raise wages and preserve union jobs.--MDM From the Editor?s Seat: No More ?No-Bid? I?d really like to think that when the SEPTA Board meets in executive session prior to its public meetings, it is hashing out important transportation issues like adapting the SEPTA system to meet the travel demand created by King of Prussia and other ?edge cities? or how to best serve the needs of disabled persons. But I?ve read and listened to the words of too many Board members and politicians to hold that rosy view. All too often, the main interest elected officials, and by extension their representatives on the Board have, is in making sure that their friends are at the head of the line when SEPTA spends our money. An inordinate number of the controversies we find out about have to do with the awarding of contracts. The Market-Frankford car order (subject of a blitz of legislators adamant on delivering the $300 million deal to a multinational company headquartered in Pittsburgh) was just the biggest. Smaller pies attract almost as much interest from the pork barrelers. Take the complicated arrangement for ?bond-running? ?please! Days, if not weeks, of backroom brokering resulted in a deal dividing this white- collar patronage among firms backed by all the various political factions. If the new leadership in Harrisburg is really as concerned about saving taxpayers money as it says it is, then it ought to pass a law banning no-bid contracts. continued on page 6 Inside The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger? 1-3 House working on anti-Amtrak bills; States, Clinton Administration work to keep trains. 4 On the Railroad Lines: Houstoun, Wooten join Ridge admin.; Overbrook Shop opens 5 Transit News Update: CTD snow plan; El service guaranteed. 5-6 South Jersey News: DVARP committee gets passengers working for Gloucester Co. rail. 7 Direct rail service will improve Moorestown?s quality of life. 9 Fox explains his support for H.R. 841.; Special Feature: History of the Clockers 10-11 Up and Down the Corridor, Dates of Interest, DVARP Directory, Membership Renewal DVARP President: Donald Nigro Newsletter Editor: Matthew D. Mitchell for other officers and committee chairs, see page 11 entire contents copyright ? 1995 DVARP, except photos ? 1995 credited photographers Opinions expressed in The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger are not necessarily those of DVARP or its members. We welcome your comments: call 215-222-3373 Clinton Budget Keeps Amtrak Funding Here is a summary of the Clinton Administration?s proposed fiscal 1996 budget for Amtrak: (amounts in millions). Operating subsidy $ 300 Systemwide capital improvements $ 230 Northeast Corridor upgrading $ 235 Restructuring costs $ 100 Penn Station, New York $ 50 Mandatory payments (taxes) $ 120 Total $1,035 Clinton and Transportation Secretary Frederico Pena propose to incorporate the Amtrak funds into a ?Unified Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program? which will also include the following rail programs: (dollar amounts in millions). Railroad safety $ 51 (enforcement of Federal regulations--paid for by user fees) Next Generation High-Speed Rail $ 68 (research and development--no maglev prototypes or funds for specific corridors) Railroad research and development $ 48 Airport and transit system construction $1,143 (combined for the first time) Transit operating assistance $ 500 (reduced from $710 in FY 95) Information on subsidies for other modes was not available at press time. States Making Deals to Prevent Amtrak Cuts Amtrak?s announcement of dramatic service cuts is having what was apparently the desired effect: to shake down the states for new funding. A number of states have reached agreement with the nation?s passenger railroad to retain services scheduled to be eliminated next month. Pennsylvania and New Jersey have not yet reached deals. The loudest outrage over the service cuts came from Wisconsin, where the Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha Service was to be eliminated. Four of the seven daily round-trips will be kept, and fares will increase substantially. The results may look like those of the Keystone service after Amtrak cut service and SEPTA started serving Parkesburg with much cheaper fares. Anticipating just such an occurrence, Wisconsin is seeking alternative operators (most notably Metra) to replace Amtrak if Amtrak can not run a cost-effective service. Several states? objections to the service cuts revolved around the accounting procedures Amtrak used to allocate its costs among various services. Governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin (a former member of Amtrak?s Board) reportedly won a concession from Amtrak President Downs that Amtrak?s figures were in error. Sources say New Jersey?s negotiations with Amtrak also center on the Atlantic City line?s cost figures. External consultants developed the controversial accounting, which Amtrak has not released to the public. California has paid $846,000 to keep the Capitols running until Sept. 30. State officials there are especially mad because their state spent millions of dollars San Jose-Sacramento corridor into operation. A deal in Missouri to retain Kansas City-St. Louis service is imminent. Alabama is ready to pay more to keep the Gulf Breeze, but Amtrak?s demand for more money for existing service is putting the train?s extension to New Orleans into jeopardy. Vermont will put up $580,000 for continued operation of its portion of the Montrealer. The state will watch performance of the train closely, and has demanded that Amtrak turn any surplus resulting after the increased fares and subsidy back to the state. With the service targeted to Vermont residents, the train will run by day rather than overnight. A VIA Rail Canada spokesman said his company has no plans to support continuation of the train to Montreal. However, Government officials in Canada are considering it. DVARP has asked Governor Ridge and PennDOT to move forward with restructuring the Keystone Corridor, so better service can be provided at less cost, as outlined in DVARP?s Harrisburg report. The letter and the report are both available online from DVARP (see Feb. DVRP), or by sending a SASE (for the letter) or $2.00 (for the report) to DVARP.--MDM On the Railroad Lines? ?Will Call? Will Save Time SEPTA has followed the lead of other commuter railroads and set up a special drop-box and express pick-up window to speed up monthly pass orders and make more efficient use of both your time and their clerk?s time. The box is located on the ticket office side wall, to the right of the Amtrak windows. Pick up an envelope, fill out your name, zone and check, or credit card info. Drop it off by 9:30 am, and your pass will be ready for pick-up between 3:30 and 6:30. U. City Deadline Missed Opening of the University City/Civic Center RRD station continues to be delayed. Sources say that an elevator required for wheelchair access is holding back the opening. When the initial January opening date passed, SEPTA officials hoped that the station would be ready for the annual surge of ridership for the Philadelphia Flower Show. R5 Doylestown Trains Back With the first phase of the track replacement project done, SEPTA issued a revised midday Lansdale-Doylestown schedule last month. The bus shuttle operation from Gwynedd Valley to Doylestown is no longer necessary, but the temporary cutback in service between Gwynedd Valley and Lansdale continues. R7 An inbound Trenton train struck a trespasser at Morrisville Feb. 22. CTD City, SEPTA Develop Snow Plan Responding to a DVARP suggestion, SEPTA?s City Transit Division has worked with the Managing Director?s office of the City of Philadelphia to make sure transit really does come first when snow or ice strikes. A city-wide network of key routes has been established; City road-clearing efforts will focus on those streets, so buses and trolleys can get through. The object is to keep transit service running on those routes with maximum reliability, while still putting safety first. The plan has three levels: level one does not affect service, but serves as a warning to all involved that bad weather is coming. At level two, route detours may go into effect; and buses will stay on major arterials rather than local streets. Level three is for severe storms. In a level three snow emergency, SEPTA will concentrate service on the subway-elevated and subway-surface lines, trackless trolleys 29, 59, 66, 75, and 79, and on bus routes 6, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 33, 47, 52, 56, 59, 60, C, and R. Experience tells us that the rail routes are best by far when the weather is very bad. In a level three storm, the following bus routes are likely to not run at all: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 19, 25, 35, 39, 40, 43, 48, 53, 57, 61, 73, 76, 84, 88, 89, 90, G, and X. Service on the remaining routes will be sporadic, but SEPTA will try to keep them running. Announcements of snow plans will be made through radio stations and other news media; they will be in effect for specific periods beginning at 6:00 am, 10:00 am, 6:30 pm, and 10:00 pm. This way, riders will know in advance whether their route is on diversion. In recommending the fixed snow plans, DVARP?s Transit Committee cited Maryland MTA?s successful ?Snow Motion? program. Each MTA schedule lists the changes which take effect if ?Snow Motion Blue? or ?Snow Motion Red? is declared. While those details are not yet in the schedules, Philadelphia did do Baltimore one better by coordinating its snow-removal plans with transit plans. The City is getting serious about its snow emergency plan. Parked cars which are not moved from designated streets will be towed so City trucks can plow from curb to curb. Though City Transit was the focus of last month?s announcement, SEPTA reiterated its winter weather procedures for its other divisions. On Suburban Transit, service priorities will be the Norristown and Media- Sharon Hill light rail lines and the 104 bus. SEPTA?s Regional Rail storm plan has to be coordinated with Amtrak (Amtrak has an excellent record for keeping its trains running), so a fixed plan could not be issued. SEPTA did say that on its own lines, the railroad trunk from Center City to Lansdale (R5) would be the highest priority. Taken in conjunction with the R2 Wilmington, R5 Paoli, and R7 Trenton services using Amtrak rails, they form a reasonable skeleton network crews can try to keep open.--MDM CTD Service Guarantee on Market-Frankford SEPTA has extended its ?on-time or free? promise to weekday service on the Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated. If your train is delayed 15 minutes or more by a cause that was SEPTA?s fault, you can get either a free token or a voucher good for a discount off your next SEPTA pass. Broad Street has been covered since 1992. If you ride the subway or el, be sure to pick up a couple of the postage-paid cards from a SEPTA sales office or Center City train station. Get a current schedule, too, so you?ll know how long your train is expected to take. Then if you get delayed, fill in the date and time on the card, along with your name and address, and drop it in the mail. El Station Work Scheduled SEPTA has announced the schedule for completing station renovations. Stop off at Girard or Margaret-Orthodox to get a preview of what your station will look like when the work is done. Each of the projects is expected to take about two years. York-Dauphin, Somerset, and Tioga will be worked on this year and in 1996; Allegheny (K&A) and Erie- Torresdale, 1996-97; and Berks, Huntingdon, and Church will be rebuilt in 1997-99. The design process is underway for Frankford Transportation Center; DVARP will be taking part in the public meetings where SEPTA will unveil its proposals and listen to comments from riders and neighbors. Three years of construction is expected to be complete in 2001. STD Interstate Service Here As mentioned here last month, SEPTA and DelDOT?s privatized Route 202 West Chester-Wilmington bus service is underway. Chester County has contributed a free park-and-ride lot at the Government Services Center near U.S. 202 and Westtown Road: the bus starts there. Service runs every half-hour during the morning and evening rush, with an extra trip at mid-day. Now you relax, catch up on your reading, or get a head start on work instead of fighting traffic and sun-glare on highway 202. Schedules for the 202 bus include a feature liked by DART riders: letters marking key points on the route map and linking them to time columns on the schedule. STD New schedules went into effect on the Norristown High-Speed Line February 6. Two-car express trains are now operating in the peak hours, along with a pair of reverse-peak non-stop ?limited? trips which make the 69th Street-Radnor trip in only 15 minutes. Committee Campaigns for Direct South Jersey Trains Public officials in South Jersey have questioned the need for the proposed Burlington/Gloucester corridors to have a one-seat ride into Philadelphia. In Gloucester County, the Freeholder Board voted to support light rail prior to the public release of the Burlington/Gloucester Corridor Assessment in May, 1993. More recently, Freeholder Francis McDevitt commented that the choice of any technology other than light rail may decrease the possibility of rail transit ever being built. With this in mind, the DVARP South Jersey Committee initiated a leafleting effort in support of a one-seat ride from Gloucester county to Philadelphia. Members of the South Jersey Committee, along with other interested individuals, went to Ferry Ave. PATCO station January 26. Approximately 700 flyers were distributed. It is interesting to note that many people driving to the station identified themselves as residents of Cumberland and Salem counties. Each county is now served by two Philadelphia- oriented NJ Transit bus routes, yet they drive to a train station instead. The South Jersey Committee also made contact with a resident of Woodbury, author of an editorial which supported the one-seat ride concept. She agreed to distribute the flyers on the various NJ Transit bus routes traveling through Woodbury. This effort resulted in flyer requests from the Woodbury Merchants Association, the Woodbury Old City Restoration Committee, and various church groups. All organizations were given flyers to distribute. As of March 1, approximately 850 flyers were in circulation. The Gloucester County Planning Board reports that 122 postcards have been received from people reading the flyer. The officials there have been surprised by the number of responses. A companion effort is occurring at the PATCO Woodcrest station March 2.--BR, DN SJTA Plans Roads, Airports Only The South Jersey Transportation Authority recently presented plans for expansion of the facilities it operates to the Gloucester County Board of Freeholders. The capacity of Atlantic City International Airport will be increased. The Atlantic City Expressway through the back bay area west of Atlantic City will be expanded one additional lane in each direction. This at the same time Amtrak is eliminating service on the Atlantic City Rail Line. The Atlantic City International Airport improvements include the following: terminal expansion, longer runways, taxiway expansion, relocation of Tilton Rd., road sign improvements, parking improvements, and construction of a dedicated access road from the Atlantic City Expressway. Total cost of the three phases of the project is estimated at $154.5 million. Demand is projected to increase from 902,600 passengers in 1992 to 2.6 million in the year 2013. SJTA wants to convince a major airline to locate a hub operation at Atlantic City Airport. The hope is to change the airport, now primarily used as a destination, to one at which many passengers would originate travel to other areas of the country. SJTA officials cited potential future overload in both Philadelphia and Newark airports in their presentation. They claimed that 21% of Philadelphia International Airport passengers from the Delaware Valley reside in South Jersey. When asked by Freeholder Salvatore if they expected people from areas adjacent to Philadelphia to drive to A.C., they replied that the service area covered all of South Jersey, including Burlington and upper Ocean counties. A new terminal site on the opposite side of the airport, with a connecting station to the Atlantic City rail line was evaluated. Wetland mitigation efforts would have been too costly; therefore the existing terminal site was retained. If a terminal is ever built on the auxiliary development area, a rail station may be built. SJTA does not own, operate, or fund any aspect of any rail transportation. The DVARP South Jersey Committee is opposed to this project. We believe that the money could be better spent providing rail access to Philadelphia?s airport via 30th St. Station or, even better, improving and marketing the existing Amtrak/NJ Transit service. We find the projected airport passenger increase to be questionable. Wake up folks; there are better ways to spend $154.5 million!--BR Woodbury Station Preserved The City of Woodbury will purchase the old PRSL Woodbury rail station [on the Glassboro line], now owned by Conrail, for $150,000. The station will be leased by the Woodbury Old City Restoration Committee for $1 a year. WORC hopes to obtain a $60,000 grant from New Jersey Historic Trust Fund to renovate the station. Plans for the station include conversion to a community center. News compiled by Matthew Mitchell and correspondents: John Hay, Don Nigro, Bill Ritzler, Sharon Shneyer. Additional news from BITNET, USENET, Mobilizing the Region, Philadelphia Inquirer. Your news tips are always welcome! Phone 215-222-3373, message box 3 or mail them to dvarp@libertynet.org The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger is a member of RailWire and Railnews Online Editorial continued from page 2 There aren?t any good reasons left not to switch the gravy train into a siding forever. It?s impossible to create an objective standard to measure bids with? What standards are the Board using to evaluate proposals today? Ending the no-bid system will prevent minority contractors from getting their fair share? Getting rid of the subjective element in awarding these contracts makes discriminating against qualified minorities harder. And if politicians don?t know what to do with their time once there?s no more patronage to fight over, they could start by riding the system for a day and finding our what the riders they are supposed to serve think.- -MDM Ride in Luxury The American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners has a new directory of cars available for charter trips: call 202-547-5696. AAPRCO?s annual convention will be Labor Day weekend in Nelson, BC. Moorestown NIMBYs Could Derail Train by Donald Nigro The following is an expanded version of an op-ed piece published in the Burlington County Times. Many opinions have been expressed regarding the routing of potential passenger rail service for Burlington County. Some have offered highly focused insight; others divert attention from an effective and fundable solution. Regardless of the personal preferences, the available data indicates that the existing railroad right-of-way from Mount Holly through Mount Laurel, Moorestown, Maple Shade and Pennsauken is the quickest, most effective and direct, and by far the least expensive of all of the available routing options. The other alternatives are slower, circuitous and, most critically, far less efficient, with poor ridership/expense ratios. All alignments under consideration would have a station in Mount Laurel near Routes 295/38. The real debate is which route should be used. Moorestown officials, in response to the emotional NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitudes of some who live along the right-of-way, at one time or another have argued for all the options but the one that would make the most sense. Earlier this year, Moorestown Mayor Walter Maahs even forwarded the idea to create a bus line that would offer feeder service to existing stations. That bus exists already, and isn?t attractive enough. Now, Moorestown officials are advocating the use of the median of Route 295 to a link with the existing Lindenwold Line. This routing from Mount Laurel is four miles longer and would require greater travel time, even compared to a direct train with 40 mph. speed restrictions in Moorestown and slower speeds along Third Street. Furthermore, because of the travel time similarity with driving to the existing Woodcrest Station, the Route 295 alignment would draw far fewer commuters than the considered existing right-of-way which would offer service to or near many densely populated communities. For funding from the state and, more importantly, the Federal Transit Administration, a proposed project must compete with many other projects. The poor performance of a 295 option would significantly decrease the chances of the project being awarded the necessary funds for construction (as many taxpayers would probably agree it should). With clean air, automobile congestion mitigation, and economic development as incentives, it is difficult to justify spending for a project that would draw many thousands of fewer daily riders and cost more than a rejected alternative. The railroad opponents along the existing (and active) railroad right- of-way in Moorestown have tried to make grade crossings the defining and sole issue in the debate about the best route. NIMBYs cite the dozen grade crossings on the four mile right-of-way in Moorestown. Ignoring all other facts, they claim that this is the reason why passenger rail service should not return to Moorestown. The fact of matter is that grade crossings are the norm and not the exception with passenger rail service. They are present on virtually all passenger rail lines. In fact, the 16 miles between Bay Head and Long Branch of NJ Transit?s North Jersey Coast Line has 62 of them. 14 are in a 1.5 mile section between Asbury Park and Allenhurst. With modern protection devices, safety is ensured. The unsafe alternative is relying on roads instead of rails. The railroad opponents also cite the traffic delays that would be caused by crossing gates. Unlike the freight trains that go through Moorestown, passenger rail vehicles would close the crossing gates for only about 30 seconds (the length of most traffic lights). Depending on the rail vehicle technology chosen, as few as three trains (one every 20 minutes) would travel each direction during the peak hour and as few as one train per hour would travel each direction during the off-peak hours. NIMBYs have also claimed that passenger rail service would degrade the town?s character. This could not be further from the truth. In its September 1993 issue, Philadelphia magazine rated the Delaware Valley?s most desirable communities in which to live. Passenger rail service is present in six of the seven communities that Moorestown did not outrank. It thrives in such exclusive communities as Bryn Mawr, Jenkintown, Princeton and Swarthmore. Service for Moorestown and Burlington County would not be something new but something old, yet improved. Dozens of passenger trains used to come through Moorestown from as far away as Pemberton and Toms River. The town grew around the rail line and prospered because of it. Riders on the steam engine-pulled trains were taken into Camden. To get to Philadelphia, they were required to take the Bridge Line, predecessor to PATCO. With expansion of highways, train ridership declined, and service eventually failed in 1969 because it did not offer a one-seat ride to the city. In the near future, travelers could have both a one-seat ride to Philadelphia and effective intra-county travel on a clean, electric rail vehicle. Effective passenger rail service adds value to the properties in the corridor. Such service has been shown to increase values on an average of 6.4% according to a 1991 study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. A 10% increase is shown for the Lindenwold Line. In anticipation of passenger rail service for Gloucester County, numerous properties are now indicating an increase of 10% in value in Woodbury. Gloucester County is moving ahead with their intended use of an existing right-of-way--a right-of-way not unlike the one in Burlington County. Burlington County should not languish or else it may miss the train and its destination of varied and enormous opportunities. Amtrak Bills in House continued from page 1 This Commission is patterned after the one established earlier for closing surplus military bases. The concept is based on the assumption that Amtrak?s network contains numerous inefficient routes that are there as a result of political pull and if pruned away would leave a healthy core that could be operated within available resources. This may have been true in the 1970s, but such routes (remember the Potomac Special and the Hilltopper?) have already been pruned. What is proposed here is more akin to amputation. Especially scary is some of the language contained in the bill, such as: ?The system which remains after closure and realignment of routes shall not be required to be a national, interconnected system.? It also postulates that, ?Federal operating subsidies shall be assumed to decline over the 5-year period beginning on the date of enactment ? possibly to the point of zero Federal operating subsidy.? The bill has been sponsored by Frank Wolf (R-VA) and has five cosponsors, including Jon Fox (R-PA) who represents the 13th District in Montgomery County. Enactment of these bills would greatly complicate the job of preserving a viable network. We could end easily up with no system at all, or at best with the Northeast Corridor, supplemented by a handful of corridors elsewhere. As a tradeoff for states assuming greater responsibility for corridor service, we should insist that the Federal government retain responsibility for operating a sound connected national system. Amtrak does have supporters in Congress, including most of the Representatives and Senators from our area; but Congress is now in a feeding frenzy with powerful forces seeking to reduce Federal discretionary spending. We need to make sure our elected officials understand that Amtrak is an essential part of our national transportation system and must be preserved. Fox Explains Support for H.R. 841 Representative Jon Fox (R-Montgomery Co) co-sponsored the house bill which would set up a Federal commission to determine which Amtrak routes should be eliminated. In response to a DVARP telephone call asking why he is supporting the bill, Fox replied: ?I?m a very much pro-rail congressman who uses the rails every week to get to and from work. I?m on 841 so that we can make sure Amtrak is saved and I will do anything and everything to make sure we maintain our subsidies as well. And from my point of view if we have enough public input about the importance of keeping the rails and expanding the rails, then any kind of commission that is established to study the rails will not decrease our subsidies nor decrease the number of lines. I got on the bill to save Amtrak and that?s what I?ll do unless you feel there is a problem with the bill that I need to know about.? Be Heard! Richard Donnelly, VP of Marketing for Amtrak?s new Northeast Business Unit, wants to hear from his customers. You can phone his office at 215-349-1602. History of the Clockers by Charles Anderson special to The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger The term ?clocker? is an old one and is derived from the competitive traditions established by the Pennsylvania and Reading railroads. They competed quite vigorously for passenger traffic in two ?corridors?: Philadelphia/Camden to Atlantic City and other south Jersey resorts and Philadelphia to New York/Jersey City. The competition really started in the last quarter of the 19th century, during and after the Centennial Exposition held here in 1876. During that year both the Pennsy and Reading operated numerous excursions to the fairgrounds located in Fairmount Park. After the centennial there were substantial improvements to both track and equipment on both railroads: remember the famous Camelback locomotives of the Reading and high stepping Atlantics of the Pennsy? Emphasis was placed on garnering vacation traffic to the shore and drawing the businessmen to the New York Division. Both groups of passengers demanded speed and comfort, along with cheap fares of course. The public got it all during those years. The services on both lines thrived well into the 1920s and began their slow decline during the depression years. It was never the same after that time. The PRR and Reading combined their seashore services in 1932 to form the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, Though many of the trains were essentially commuter services, they generated considerable publicity in the press. Of course the railroads capitalized upon this. The Reading led in flashy advertisements and catchy names. Perhaps the two which are most firmly in the mind of the public are: Boardwalk Flyer and Clocker. The names the Pennsy coined stuck in the mind of the public of the time, but did not become legendary: how often did you hear about the Nellie Bly? (the Pennsylvania?s premier train to the shore) During the 1920?s the Reading established its Clocker series trains to Jersey City with ferry connections to both upper and lower Manhattan. Advertisements of the day heralded ?Trains To New York--Every Hour On The Hour In Two Hours?. One of the premier trains was the ?7 O?Clocker?: a favorite of businessman who were whisked to their lower Manhattan offices, with New York arrival at 9:00 am. One of the busiest stops on the run was Jenkintown. For those wishing to travel to New York from this point the Reading saved additional time compared to the twenty-minute trip into the city plus a brisk five-minute walk to the PRR?s Broad Street Station. Reading New York/Jersey City service dwindled until the last trains, the RDC-equipped Wall Street and Crusader, ended in the early 1980s. Although the Pennsy?s direct route into the Big Apple fared better, traffic was never the same until the introduction of Metroliner service in 1968. After the 1950s, the term ?Clocker? became a general term used by the public for any commuter train originating in Philly and going to New York, whether it be Reading, Pennsy or B&O! Amtrak picked up on this concept during its early days, so that any 600-series train originating in Philly and terminating at Penn Station was called ?Clocker?. You can attribute passage of the term to Amtrak to Charlie Bertrand, an early Amtrak VP--he was the Reading?s last President before its conveyance to Conrail! Today?s Clockers use anything sitting around Penn Coach Yard. Some riders like to call these trains ?junkers? since the older Heritage equipment is assigned such runs. Amfleet equipment occasionally finds its way into the Clocker trains, and once in a blue moon, a metroliner coach slips in. With Amtrak in its present financial state, previous plans may be moot; however, there was a plan to refurbish a number of E- 60 locomotives and Heritage coaches to give the daily commuters (realize that these are regular Amtrak patrons paying premium fares) a better service. Conservatives Air Pro-Rail Program National Empowerment Television (NET), the cable/satellite network set up by Paul Weyrich (see ?People of the Year,? January DVRP), has added a new program about Amtrak. America on Track airs Thursdays at 10:00 pm, with rebroadcasts Fridays at 3:00 pm and Sundays at 5:00 am and 11:00 pm. The first program was introduced by Tom Downs. Guests were authors Steven Goddard (Getting There) and Frank Wilner (The Amtrak Story), and Betsy Reveal, Amtrak?s Chief Financial Officer. Up and Down the Corridor News of other Northeastern commuter rail and rail transit services TA Riders Face Service Cuts Bus service in all five New York City boroughs will be trimmed under an MTA budget-cutting plan. Some routes will be shortened, others will be operated fewer hours per day, and some express routes will be eliminated altogether. On the subways, a few branches will lose night-owl service. Dean St.(Franklin Ave. Shuttle, Brooklyn), is to be closed. With a combination of low ridership and a high fare-evasion rate, it is the least-productive station on the system. Mayor Rudolph Guliani made it clear that service was to be cut; he does not want to be blamed for a fare increase. Hartford Wants Rail Business owners in Hartford are so convinced that light rail will improve their city, that they will give transit benefits to employees and stop subsidizing parking if the Griffin Line is built. New Haven-Old Saybrook Jeopardized Shore Line East commuter service in Connecticut is under fire. Newly elected Governor John Rowland(R) wants to zero-out funding for the trains and kill the service. New Haven municipal officials and businesses see the trains as a way of solving traffic problems on I-95 without spending millions and millions of dollars widening the road. Right of Way Protected The Freeholders of Union County approved a resolution taking an active role in restoring rail freight service to two rail branches which could later be part of an expanded light rail system for North Jersey. The tracks were purchased by NJDOT following the 1989 railbanking bond issue. The affirmative action makes it clear to present and future residents that the tracks are a transportation facility, and will not be converted to other uses or given away to landowners. Dates of Interest DVARP Commuter Rail Committee: Wed., Mar. 15, 5:30, location to be announced: call John Pawson, 215-659-7736, between 6:00 and 9:00 pm for location and other information. SEPTA RRD riders welcome. DVARP Amtrak Committee: Thurs., Mar. 16, 5:00 at Food Court in lower level of The Gallery: 10th and Market Sts., Philadelphia. Call John Dawson, 215-222-3373, message box 4, for more information. SEPTA hearing on Route 18 curtailment: Mar. 17, 1:00 at Cedarbrook Plaza, Cheltenham Av. and Easton Rd. DVARP South Jersey Committee: Sat., Mar. 18, 11:00, at 104 Edison Ave., Collingswood NJ. DVARP General Meeting: Sat., Mar. 18, 1:00 to 4:00 at Temple University Center City, 1616 Walnut St.,. SEPTA Board Meeting: Thu., Mar. 23, 3:00 pm at SEPTA Board Room, 714 Market St. NJ Transit Board Meeting, Tues., Mar. 28, 10:00 am, NJT Headquarters, Newark. Deadline for April newsletter material: Tues., Mar. 28, to Matthew Mitchell or in DVARP mailbox. Amtrak schedules change and service cuts take effect April 2. SEPTA and NJ Transit commuter rail schedules change April 2. SEPTA suburban transit schedules change April 2. TransAction Conference: Tues.-Thurs. April 4-6, Trump Plaza, Atlantic City. For more information, call 908-903-1122. Delmarva Rail Passenger Association: Thu., Apr. 6. Call Ken Berg, 410- 648-5961, for more information. DVARP Transit Committee: Wed., Apr. 12, 5:30 to 6:30 at 30th Street Station, south concourse exit opposite Post Office. Call Bill Mulloy, 215-222-3373, message box 1, for more information. IEEE Vehicular Technology Society: Wed. March 8, 6:30 pm at Lebow Engineering Center, Drexel University, 31st & Market Sts. Guest: Joseph Noffsinger, Conrail. Topic: Positive Train Separation. DVARP Commuter Rail Committee: Wed., Apr. 12, 5:30, location to be announced: call John Pawson, 215-659-7736, between 6:00 and 9:00 pm for location and other information. SEPTA RRD riders welcome. DVARP South Jersey Committee: Sat., Apr. 15, 11:00, at 104 Edison Ave., Collingswood NJ. DVARP General Meeting: Sat., April. 15, 1:00 to 4:00 at Temple University Center City, 1616 Walnut St. NJ-ARP Meeting: Wed., April 19, 6:30 pm at Towne House Restaurant, Rahway. For more information, call James Ciacciarelli, 908-727-3173. Philadelphia Trolley Coalition: Meeting to be announced. Call Chuck Bode, 215-222-3955 for information. Listings based on information provided to DVARP. Contact sponsor to confirm time & place. Call 215-222-3373, message box 3, to add your event to this calendar. DVARP Membership Coupon Yes, I want to support improved passenger train service in our region! Here are my DVARP membership dues for 1995! 3/95 Name Address City, State, Zip Please choose a membership category below, enclose check and mail to: DVARP, PO Box 7505, Philadelphia, PA 19101 ( ) Regular: $16.00 ( ) Family: $20.00 ( ) Supporting: $25.00 ( ) Sustaining: $50.00 ( ) Patron: $75.00 ( ) Benefactor: $100.00 ( ) under 21 or over 65: $7.50 South Jersey Notes