Do any of the ‘agencies’ keep statistics on reverse commuters? I know there are a lot of them in the NYC Metro area (eg.: NYG-White Plains or Stamford, etc.). How 'bout “shorts” (New Haven, etc.-Stamford)? Interesting, and “found money”.
Hays
You bet they do! The increase in the number of reverse moves during peak hours and mid days is a good indication. Of course the til shows the “shorts” at the end of the day. I have been aboard all NYC area commuter roads at all various hours of the day and days of the week. I have never been on an empty train no matter what the day, the time, the direction! There is always a good size group of “shorts” no matter where you go. Surpising the number from say White Plaines to Wassaic, from Stamford to Danbury, Hicksville to Ronkonkoma, Middletown to Suffern, and Morristown to Dover, just to name a few observations. As I have always said, when you stop thinking about running trains and start thinking about running a service, it will work.
Miami’s Tri-Rail probable has one of the highest. They have not announced anything lately but some months the traffic was almost equal both ways and the last I saw was over 80%.
Another factor in the NY area especially is staggared work hours. Many people will go in earlier in the morning and go home earlier while others will do the opposite not getting into work until after 9am and working through through the afternoon peak…Then there are industrial and business parks in the suburbs where some companies will give credit to those who take mass transit and even provide a shuttle between station and work. Many things have change in the communting game over the past 10 to 20 years alone.
Increasingly true here in London (UK) and the wider South East as well as office space becomes more spread out instead of being concentrated in the centre of London. In a sense this has been going on for longer than we think, but instead of office workers being decentralised it was originally factory workers who moved away from the centre of town to new factories built on green-field sites.
The thing is with the factories is that the workers did still tend to live relatively close to their employment, and their means of transport to work was often the local bus service, as opposed to a train.
In recent years I’ve read where the Peninsula commuter service between San Jose and San Francisco carries a lot of “reverse commuters.”
The Kenosha Subdivision between Chicago and Waukegan, Ill. also carries a significant number of reverse commuters out of the Windy City weekdays.
VRE tracks reverse commuting very closely. They’re out of storage space and are loathe to deadhead for reasons that I’m not qualified enough to understand. They see reverse commuting as a partial solution but as of now this kind of service is severely lacking.
MARC on the other hand deadheads regularly and try to use reverse commuting to reduce deadheading.
As for the subway, the Silver Line to Dulles Airport is probably going to be packed in both directions both morning and evening rush.
If VRE doesn’t own the tracks it runs on, the cost of deadheading a train would be an impractable exercise. Making such a move a regular passenger run could recoup some or all of the movement costs. There is also the extra milage and hours that would be incurred by crews which would make deadhead moves costly.
ConnDOT started with the “Shore Line East” service between New Haven and New London. It was so successful the service has been expanded to serve Stamford to New London. New stations and re-built stations abound. Capacity ??? Four tracks from New York to Bridgeport, three Bridgeport to New Haven, and two tracks east of New Haven? Re-install the fourth track Bridgeport to New Haven? Re-install the second track New Haven to Hartford and Springfield? A very short sighted Government 35 years ago.
My definition of a “Reverse Commuter” (RC) is one who regularly travel from a major transportation hub to a smaller community. NYG to White Plains qualifies, as does White Plains to Wassaic, NYG to STM, and NHV to NLC also. NLC-NHV would be regular commuters. NHV-STM would qualify as a “Short”, if the train was going on to NYG or NYP. Lots of possibilities. Someone going from Mount Vernon West, NY to Bronxville, NY (+/- 2 miles), on a daily basis, would meet the requirement, but not the spirit of the definition. Those who live in the old potato fields of Long Island, and commute to LIC are “Shorts”, as they don’t go into NYP. NHV to HFD: RC. Lots of permutations…
Hays
That’s the point. Metro North Railroad runs Commuter Rail from New Haven to Bridgeport (CT’s largest city) to Stamford and into New York City every few minutes during morning rush hour with lots of intermediate stops. The reverse in the evening. Connecticut found that lots of commuters wanted to go east to there jobs, not west into “The City”. Remember, Commuter Rail is highly subsidised by the Region and thus much cheeper than Amtrak. ConnDOT is trying to fill that gap.
Reverse commute is simply commuting in the opposite direction of peak hour traffic. Thus morning commutes away from the city and evening commutes into the city during peak or rush hour times are reverse commutes. It is more the direction opposite the normal rather than full end to end.
It’s a little more obvious on the Southwest Service but on Metra, a lot of equipment moves are now in the public timetable as de facto reverse commuter runs. The equipment has to be re-positioned for the next move anyway so why not pick up any passengers that might use the train.
Metra offers limited reverse-commute service in the Chicago area. Some services are more intense than others; and a number are limited for various reasons.
BNSF runs limited stop reverse-commute zone-expresses for quicker flips for a second peak trip.
Electric District reverse-main running prevents some reverse-peak service; but jobs are not plentiful.
UP service is not systematic; and mostly by opportunities for turn-backs for second trips.
The Sunrise Express on the North Line was the most purposeful addition recently, occasioning a much earlier trip into the City before returning to Waukegan by 6:49 am for another run (not allowing much time to reach employment destinations in Lake County). Reverse peak service is roughly hourly which limits attractiveness. Three North Line trains turn a Winnetka and two at Highland Park.
A relatively recent early train originating in Chicago to McHenry was added on the Northwest Line, departing at 5:55 am and returning to Chicago at 8:52 am. This allowed a third train without another track at McHenry. Again service seems somewhat subordinate to operations; and offers roughly forty minute headways only as far as Barrington in the morning.
Perhaps MARC can afford deadheading more since they serve both Baltimore and Washington DC and have many reverse-commuters?
I really believe it is more complicated that affording reverse moves. A bit of history.
1. The PRR and suscessors eliminated much trackage including parking for REX, mail, pullmans, other cars over the years. Also I have heard that the parking tracks at Ivy City yard were reduced?
2. Station tracks at WAS US lengths on upper level were shortened by 2 - 1/2 car lengths by PRR?
3. Amtrak will not allow any more MARC or VRE trains ( actually it may be total number of cars on their storage tracks). How additional Amtrak rolling stock will be handled is a very important question.
4. VRE is now proposing to park 2 - 10 (?) car trains at the new L’Efant passing/storage siding completed last year. Their proposal is to terminate 1 each Fredricksburg and Mannasas train at L’Efant instead of going on to WAS. Through passengers will have to transfer to next train 5 minutes behind (requires very good time keeping.
5. I sent an emails to both MARC and VRE about building more storage tracks at WAS or Ivy city but the short answer was “no money”
6. If Amtrak has any long range plans to add or sponsor additional track space either internally or some kind of ARRA plan I cannot find any reference.
7. Forgot to mention that WAS US lost several tracks to the WAMATA station construction.
Very interesting. I thought it was room, not just money.
As for L’Enfant Plaza it is a major destination for VRE passengers (being the home of the DOT among other large agencies). I am certain that through passengers are not expected to ride the trains terminating at L’Enfant.
I have been told by a Metrolink staffer that there are more commuters from LA County (Union Station and Norwalk-Santa Fe Springs) to Irvine in Orange County then the reverse. Irvine has some big employers and LA has its own bedroom communities.
Jack
SEPTA"s Paoli Line used to be a classic two-way case. Trains took high end employees to Philly and the workers who cleaned their homes and provided other services rode the return trip. At the end of the day it reversed. Have not kept track of it lately but expect it’s still true.