There is somewhat of a controversy regarding the second Jerusalem Light Rail Line with regard to a particular neighborhood where residents (quite rightly, I think) are objecting to destroying important parts of the neighborhood’s fabric. I would like to help by presenting some out-of-the-box alternatives that do not seem to have been considered, and also show how the new line can also benefit more distant suburbs.
The dream is that with the cooperation of the two relevant museums, the two Electronliners will be completely overhauled and loaned to Israel for trial “tram-train” operaton, and returned to the USA after approval of the commuters is as whole-hearted as I expect it to be, and then a number or serioal-produced copies will be built and used regularly. That is a dream, but meanwhile there is a practical problem to solve. Wanted are:
Photo of modern South Shore equipment on a double-track street-running section in Michigan City. If a freight and/or traffic light is also in the picture, even better.
An Electroliner on a double-track street-running section in Milwaukee.
A two-car current (not PCC or Boeing) Boston E-line train between Brigham Circle and Heath Street (again double-track street running).
Any of the modern streetcar, not light rail, lines on a double-track poriton of the line, if such exists, Portland, Dallas, etc.
They can be posted on this thread for me to copy or sent as an attachment to daveklepper@yahoo, with all the information needed for credit.
They will be incorporated into an English Language article for the Jerusalem Post. and/or a report to Citypass and the Municipality.
Also, the Seattle “Bus Tunnel” with lihgt rail train and bus, or separate photos of train and of bus at the same station. Calgary 7th Street, same idea, and Pittsburgh Mt. Washington Tunnel and Overbrook line, same idea.
Yes, in answer to your question. If you have a photo of Hudson and Bergen County Light Rail on the street-running portion in Essex Street, please send or post. Thanks!
The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) announced today that it received approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation to enter Project Development for its long anticipated project to double track the South Shore Line from Tennessee Street in Gary, Indiana, to the Michigan Blvd. in Michigan City, Indiana, a distance of approximately 25 miles.
The estimated $210 million project is expected to add 5,000 - 8,000 daily riders to the South Shore Line, increase train frequency by 30%, and improve on-time performance. In addition, double tracking the South Shore Line will allow the railroad to significantly reduce travel times along the line especially at station locations farther away from Chicago.
In March of this year, the NICTD Board of Trustees approved a $4M contract for HDR Engineering to lead the preliminary engineering and environmental studies necessary to request a federal rating of the double tracking project next year. The approval to enter Project Development by the FTA represents their validation of the importance of the project, and also puts the project into the federal pipeline for a 50% matching grant under their Capital Investment Grant program. The Northwest Indiana RDA has committed $1.6M, and Northern Indiana RDA has pledged $800,000 towards the HDR contract.
The South Shore’s double track street running section was in East Chicago, IN on Chicago Avenue. It was actually three tracks until about 1940, as the Hammond Whiting and East Chicago had a third track (bidirectional) on the street.
My letter apparently has been accepted for publication in this Friday’s Jerusalem section, photos were requested, and one on Essex Street with the LRV and the Electroliner in Milwaukee have been submitted, along with an old and well-published pix of a South Shore traini loading at the Michigan City station.
Didn’t score. Instead they printed a letter from a resident of the neighbornhood that pointed out that the original plan was shared use of the exclusive bus lanes, and that the neighborhood really wants electric buses. So I have quickly put toether a report to send to the Mayor, Egged bus cooiperative, Citipass light rail, establishments in the neighborhood that have web addrsses, perhaps the police, and here is the text of this half-a-day effort report:
BLUE LINE LIGHT RAIL
Existing Plans have Problems
The plans discussed in Jerusalem Post 15 July articles should be scrapped because of two major faults, first the discussed damage to either Hamisela Park or the fabric of Rehov Emek Refaim and the soul of the German Colony; secoond and important the fact that only a single-track line is planned. It will simply be impossible to provide the level of service required and the reliability of service required with the single track the length of either of these streets. I can speak from experience of serving as acting dispatcher for a single-track museum trolley operation wi
Despite the Jerusalem Post knowing that I sent the full report to the parties involved, Community Council, Mayor’s transportation and city planning chiefs, Egged bus cooperative, Citypass Light Rail, Emeritus Heb. U. Music Dept. Head whose wife is active in the Council, and will send to Israel Ry., they agreed to print the letter this Friday. It lacks the part about Beit Shemesh. No word about what pix they will use, and that will probably be a last-minute decision on space and make-up needs. Thanks again to Schlimmm and Overmod.
they did indeed run the letter along with the CSS&SB Michigan Citiy station photo. They did not use Essex St. or the Electroliner, but htose photos were very important for the report. No reaction yet to the report. There were comments from the City’s project manager as why Emek HaRefaim St, and oinly that street will be considered.
This morning I sent another letter:
With reference to Peggy Cidor’s continuation of the Blue Line Light Rail discussion this past Friday, I think the basic problem is that people with good plans often wish to see them realized and complete as soon as possible, when a slower are more careful approach can create less disruption and unhappiness during construction and greater benefits overall. This appears true in New York as well as Jerusalem.
One of the objections to the current Emek HaRefaim plan noted in my letter last week seems to have removed. The illustration on page 13 above my letter clearly shows a double-track line, and the stated goal of a train every 7-1/2 minutes clearly indicates a double-track line. To address the some of the more important of the residents’ objections, I now offer the following suggestions:
The work on Emek HaRefaim should be implemented one or two blocks at a time, with each section completed as quickly as possible. Equipment, machinery, and people can be shifted between Emek HaRefaim and other portions of the new Blue Line to make this possible without workmen, equipment, and machinery sitting idle,
Instead of the widely-spaced tracks shown in the illustration, each track be centered in the existing roadway of the particular direction, essentially leaving sidewalks at existing width and allowing overall design as a future pedestrian mall/light-rail corridor in the manners of Jaffa Road.
Initially, the light rail trains would be streetcars, sharing their lanes with &ldquo
Today, the letter was printed with some minor deletions and without the pictures as follows:
With reference to Peggy Cidor’s continuation of the Blue Line Light Rail discussion this past Friday, ׂ(The Blue Line will save Emek Harifaim from falling into obloivion) I think the basic problem is that people with good plans often wish to see them realized and complete as soon as possible, when a slower ar\d more careful approach can create less disruption and unhappiness during construction and greater benefits overall. This appears true in New York as well as Jerusalem.
I proposed four alternative solution in a letter published last week, but to <
