Back when Governor Christie decided to cancel the Access to the Region’s Core tunnels there was discussion in the newspapers of moving the Port Authority Bus Terminal to Secaucus next to the train station.
As I recall all of the discussion was about extending the No. 7 train to the new terminal. And the big reason for doing it was that almost all of the buses out of the PABT now run to various New Jersey Locations. And the Port Authority could make a lot of money by using the terminal in some other way.
Whether or not the PA would want a smaller terminal in Manhattan I don’t know. I think moving the terminal to New Jersey makes a lot of sense but I don’t really expect it to happen in my lifetime.
I took a NJ Transit bus from N Bergen to Port Authrity and I can say its a mess…If the tunnels were bus only that might help along with some traffic control. Having 30 seconds to get out of the bus and grab your luggage under the bus and a bike was not fun. SUSQ commuter service would help here
Again, the 14th Street line makes more sense than the No. 7 because it can easily handle the added riders, has more capacity, less problems in tunneling since it is facing in the right direction. Also., if it ever desired to extend the popular European concept of tramtrain, introduced in Karlsbruh, and no different really than the old interubans (the North Shore sharing tracks with streetcars in Milwaukee and Waukegan, and with L-trains in Chicago, the 14th Street line B-division equipment is more compatible with railroading than the A-division-type No. 7 trains. (The B&O’s Staten Island RT had essentially BMT-compatable equipment. Under the Transit Authority, it still does. But for a time LIRR equipment was used as a stopgap.) The L train on 14th has direct free transfer to all north-south subway lines. The 7 does also, now, but with block-long walks in two cases.
If bus terminal was located somewhere in NJ then dedicated HrSR trains from there to NY could be run. Either by NJ Transit or the Port Authority. Once Gateway tunnels finished there might be room thru them for long trains upping capacity ?
ALL west[of-hudson rail (plus a good portion of the bus) commuters presently have access to all PATH Manhattan stations via connection at Hoboken or at Newark and no money need be spent on exapanding PATH’s route structure to better these connections. Sacaucus has no advantage over Hoboken or Newark., except for a minority of commuters I have been yellling for some time to expand PATH’s capacity by extending platforms for eight-car trains, for using hostlers at Newark to double headways and allow through uptown service, and for installing a modern signal system that will permit 90 second headways. (Remember that I did sound consulting work for PATH in 1995, know the system, and have been writing them about these issues since.)
The 7 now turns south and ends south of the Javitts Center. There are real compllications in engineering another curve with coordination with the existing Penn Station tubes, and you are still limited by A Division sized cars, with zero compatibility with regular East-Coast railroading. The 14th Street line is headed in the right direction and future compatibility with regular railroading can be based on passed experience. The cars are the right width and longer and each carries 40% more passengers than cars on the 7 line.
I cannot argue with either your logic or your grasp of the facts when you say extending the L train makes more sense than extending the 7 train. But what I recall reading in the Star-Ledger is that extending the 7 train was proposed and the L train was not. Frankly, though, it was a while ago and I may not remember everything.
You are correct. Lots of illogical and expensive schemes are proposed for New York. A good case is direct Kennedy Airport service. The infrastructure is almost entirely in place, but no one has considered my idea: Chambers Street Station used now by the J and Z has the capacity for a Manhattan airline terminal, there is curb unloading and loading for taxis and buses above, it is close to the Financail area and the new Fulton Street transit complex, and there is available capacity on the Wiliiamsburg Bridge, J. Z. and M line route for he addtional trains. Add an elevated connection between the J and Z tracks on East Fulton and the A line on Liberty Avenue, and a flyoever connection to the JFK airtrain, with special new Multi-articulated cars designed to run on both airtrain and the subway system (but not linear motor, conventional ac wheel geared motors), and the direct service is eonomically feasible. Door spacing on the neo-multis would match that of the presenet two-car JFK trains, and a five-unit neo-multi train would have each unit dedicated to a specific air terminal with doors opening at that terminal only.
Similarly the rebuilding of Shell interlocking. The straightforward Amtrak design with flyovers at the actual junction takes a lot of land, house destruction, road closings, and a blight on an upscale neighborhood. My proposal is to put the flyovers east of the station, where there is plenty of land left over from when the New Haven had an engine temrinal and coach yard at the site, efficient use of the old Harlem Shuttle fifth (south or east) track through the station, high speed crossvers and switches, computer dispatching, and basically the present eastbound platfrorm becomes the platform for all passenger trains to and from Penn Station, as well as eastbound locals as at present. (Freights running at night would continiiue to use the center non-platform tracks and not use the flyoevers.) Another single-track flyover so
I worked for the Federal Government for over 40 years so I am not anti government. Every single society known to us has had government; we are not going to do without it. But the Federal Government does things is own way and is very resistant to change, especially to suggestions from outsiders.
For example I did a lot of work with checks issued by the United States Treasury. Lost checks, stolen checks and even raised checks. I don’t suppose there are a lot of raised checks when you consider all of the Treasury checks that are issued but even a few can cause big problems. But the United States Treasury does now use the same format for their checks that you use and I use and any bank uses. We write the amount in numbers and also in letters. We write $100.00 and One Hundred Dollars and no cents. The US Treasury uses only numbers and small numbers at that. It makes checks a lot easier to raise.
Central Union Bus Terminal, Located a Block From Times Square, New York City, Is Most Modern Union Depot in Manhattan.
The only union bus depot in New York City to provide indoor loading is the new central terminal in the Dixie hotel building located at 241 West 42nd street, through to 43rd street between 7th and 8th avenues. This depot is but a short block from Times Square and two express subway stations. When the new 8th avenue municipal subway is completed and placed in operation, a third express subway station will be just around the corner.
The Central Union bus terminal has been designed to afford the utmost comfort and convenience. All requirements of the traveler are provided for, either in the terminal itself, or in the Dixie hotel. The main waiting room, directly adjacent to the loading platform, is provided with comfortable seats for waiting passengers, a smoking room, wash room, baggage and parcel rooms, news stand, information bureau, and telephone booths.
A lunchroom under the management of Loft, Inc., the chain restaurant and confectionery store interests, will provide a necessary terminal facility. Elevator service is provided to the terminal waiting room, connecting with all floors of the hotel.
Unique design of the loading area in this terminal permits the location of a transportation facility in this area of high real
Excerpt from DECISIONS AND ORDERS OF THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD (1935)
“The Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines, Inc., incorporated in Delaware in 1930, is one of the corporations affiliated with the Greyhound Corporation. Fifty per cent of its common stock is owned by the Greyhound Corporation and the other fifty per cent, together with all of the preferred stock, by the American Contract & Trust Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines, Inc. owns the entire stock of the Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines of Indiana, Inc.; Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines of Illinois, Inc.; Montgomery Bus Co., Inc.; Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines of Virginia, Inc.; Peoples’ Rapid Transit Co., Inc. and the Pennsylvania Greyhound Transit Co., bus operating companies and terminal companies. The Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines, Inc. and its wholly owned operating companies form what is known as the Pennsylvania Greyhound System. In operates an interstate bus transportation system of nearly 5,000 miles in length, extending from New York, Philadelphia and Atlantic City to Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis, and transporting for hire persons, baggage, mail, and freight. The operating revenues for this System for the year 1934 were about $7,000,000.”
