Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Delaware Valley Rail Passenger Vol 10 No 10
1972 - 1992 DVARP Twentieth Anniversary
1892 - 1992 Philadelphia Electric Streetcar Centennial
The
Delaware Valley
Rail Passenger
October 5, 1992
Vol. X, No. 10
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
President: Chuck Bode for other officers and committee chairs, see page 11
Inside The Delaware Valley Rail PassengerÉ
2 Railroad Reopens! Flash ridership statistics.
Analysis of new schedules and operating plans.
3 Counties, SEPTA Board save most weekend train service.
Krambles report accepts SEPTA position, no questions asked.
4 Behind the Fox Chase victory: PILCOP
On the Railroad Lines: R3 station imbroglio continues
Jenkintown riders: seven schedules or one?
City and suburban transit updates.
6 RailWorks Roundup: Construction phase I on time and under budget
Ridership rebuilding to begin.
Cross-County Metro: where we stand.
8 Reorganize SEPTA: DVARP hearing testimony.
9 SEPTA commuter rail ridership statistics.
Gambaccini to be APTA head.
10 Twentieth Anniversary Special: DVARPÕs history, part II.
11 Up and Down the Corridor: Special light rail report from Baltimore.
Meetings of Interest.
Service Advisory: Shutdown Ends, Schedule Changes
New schedules with major cuts in weekend service on some SEPTA lines took effect yesterday. Because management had not anticipated that the Board would vote down proposed service eliminations (see page 3), separate timetables were issued for weekday and weekend service. R5 Parkesburg service was saved; a separate schedule flyer shows the two remaining peak-hour round trips. R1 Airport service now extends to Glenside; passengers using stations between there and Center City should obtain DVARPÕs Combined Timetable for all lines.
Standard time will resume this month. Watch for schedule changes on all commuter and intercity rail service, including Amtrak, NJ Transit, and SEPTA. SEPTA suburban transit schedules on both Red Arrow and Frontier Divisions will also change on that date. SEPTA Regional Rail schedules are expected to change again sometime this month, as the new schedules are fine-tuned.
Through Service Resumes after RailWorks¨ First Stage
by John Pawson/Tom Borawski
Compared to the October 1991 RRD train schedules, slight or significant service reductions are in effect nearly everywhere on SEPTAÕs commuter rail lines. There is one exception, the Airport Line, which seems to lead a charmed existence: service has been extended north and linked to the R2 Warminster line. Outside recommendations have been split between this kind of through service to the suburbs and terminating trains at Suburban Station to cut costs.
Most notable amongst the changes is the truncation of Sunday Fox Chase service to Wayne Jct. and Warminster service to Jenkintown. The recent public hearings concerning weekend cutbacks had a SEPTA official complaining that RailWorks¨ was forcing SEPTA to operate Òtwo railroads instead of one,Ó costing a premium of 6 or 7 million dollars. Now the rails are in place, but SEPTA chooses to continue operating as Òtwo railroads.Ó
The merger of the Airport and Warminster lines means that schedules on the latter are altered to match existing Airport Line times, which may not be optimum for persons travelling to or from center city, the dominant market. However, the through-train convenience will attract some new traffic.
Most southward trains run six minutes earlier from Warminster and meet northward trains at the siding just north of Willow Grove. This slows service in one direction and may prove to be an Òinstability factor.Ó One important train with a meet (the 8:11 at Sub. Stn.) averages only 22 mph over its route.
Evidently, all R2, R3 and R5 trains stop at Fern Rock Transportation Center in addition to their traditional stops between Market East and the city line. One minute has been added to the schedules of most West Trenton trains to accommodate the new Fern Rock stop. All but one express on this line (the 8:03 AM Penn Center arrival) have been eliminated.
Sunday R3 West Trenton service has been severely cut, to the last inbound at 4:33 PM and the last outbound at 5:13 PM. Saturday R3 West Trenton service has been trimmed back to the last inbound at 6:13 PM and the last outbound at 6:51 PM. Clearly this is as close to abandonment as you can get without a hearing examinerÕs prescription. On the R5, most off-peak service between Paoli and Downingtown is gone. On both ends of the route, expresses which run late in the peak periods have been merged with other trains.
All midday and evening Cynwyd service was eliminated. The former afternoon-only Norristown Limited is combined with a local. Some evening service is dropped. On R7 and R8, peak hour service is thinned out, now being mostly on a half-hour basis. At best, this change more closely matches typical downtown job starting and quitting times.
As this newsletter is published, SEPTA is about to unleash a publicity blitz for the lines which were impacted by the first stage of RailWorks¨. The next few months will show whether all RailWorks¨ refugees return from their cars to the trains. The Warminster lineÕs meets and slow-or-slower-than-ever running times are not encouraging. We were under the impression that the acceptance tests the RailWorks¨ contractors would have to pass included operation at some of the higher speeds promised. Publicity is not enough to restore and increase ridership: whatÕs needed is a complete re-design and speed-up of the peak schedules for faster and more reliable service.
Flash! Ridership Results
DVARP has been informed by John McGee of SEPTA that about 60 percent of ridership lost by SEPTA during RailWorks has come back to the railroad. This is consistent with observations of more crowded trains starting last Thursday the 1st. Details and analysis in next monthÕs Delaware Valley Rail Passenger.
Passengers Win Again by Tom Borawski
Board decision catches management with pants down
The major newspapers reported that the four suburban counties agreed to bail out the Authority by allowing it to keep the excess paid into the SEPTA treasury for state matching funds which never showed up. What was not reported was the story of this OctoberÕs crew assignment list (pick list) and the waters that it stirred.
Weekend service cut plans were announced in April, when the operating budget was released. It seems to be standard management practice to wait until the last moment to spring such a decision on the Board when, for technical reasons, management can have its way. As we will see, the county govern-ments saved the Board from the managerial fait accompli shoe going down the BoardÕs trachea: The Board already knows from the TWU contract debacle that alligator skin tastes terrible.
The October pick list had two versions, with an Option A (ÒA PickÓ) and an Option B (ÒB PickÓ). Ostensibly, the ÒA PickÓ would be the schedule adopted if the Board went along with the weekend cuts and the ÒB PickÓ would retain the service. Unfortunately, this list was a deck of cards with all the aces missing: Neither the ÒA PickÓ or the ÒB PickÓ included Saturday service to Doylestown or Downingtown nor Sunday service to Doylestown. Neither included weekday service to Parkesburg.or full weekday service on the Cynwyd Line.
The service saved by the counties and now running is the product of hard work by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in overcoming this pick list stacked deck. BLE promised to waive various rules and cooperate fully with management to schedule crew runs and get schedules to the passengers.
As DVRP readers know, the hearings were held on August 31st, September 1st & 2nd. The only mention of the severe cuts to take place on weekend evenings and weekdays was a single statement: Òand generally, to consolidate certain peak period express and local trains on other lines, and to adjust service intervals accordingly.Ó The difference between that bland statement and the last inbound Sunday West Trenton train departing at 4:33 PM is the difference between brushing your teeth and having a lobotomy. At the same time these hearings were taking place, the pick list was being finalized. The footers on the run list have Ò9/1/92" and Ò9/2/92" dates. The picking began September 3rd. We find it hard to believe that this schedule leaped out of the sky after the hearings were over. In summary, the whole process stinks.
Sleep Well Mr. Krambles by Tom Borawski
Last December, during the RailWorks¨ public hearing, DVARP cited the example of the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin, an electric interurban railroad which served the Chicago. During a 1951 highway construction program, through service on the CA&E was shut off, forcing passengers to transfer to the ÒL.Ó The arrangement was unsuccessful, the railroad never recovered and the property was scrapped in 1961. DVARP learned of the Chicago, Aurora and ElginÕs story through a bulletin of the Central Electric Railfans Association.
DVARP cited the RailWorks-like example of the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin as a textbook case in the disastrous results of valuing physical infrastructure over human infrastructure: the passengers. The editor of that bulletin was George Krambles, the hearing examiner for SEPTAÕs service cut proposal.
But Krambles accepted SEPTA managementÕs decision without question, and ignored most of the testimony of the hundreds of individuals and groups who said that the cuts would make SEPTAÕs ridership and budget woes even worse. Although these people proposed many money-saving alternatives, but Krambles dismissed their suggestions out of hand. Krambles even noted that SEPTA did not provide any evidence to support their case! His report concludes that not only does management know best, the people know nothing, and their evidence counts for nothing in his idea of the decision-making process.
DVARP fought against the weekend service cuts hard because that is traditionally the first step in the destruction of a railroad. LetÕs imagine that the weekend cuts went through. Coupled with the non-tariff cuts, it would mean that the circle of victimization of RailWorks¨ lines was complete. All RailWorks¨ lines would have Sunday service deleted with the exception of R5 to Lansdale only segment and the R3 West Trenton bankers hours service.
The threat of permanent cuts on railroads under reconstruction resembles a watchmaker getting slapped in the face just as he is installing a mainspring. We thank Mr. Krambles for informing the world of the CA&E story. We hope the actions of our county commissioners will keep history from repeating itself, at least this year. Sleep well, Mr. Krambles.
PILCOP: The Power Behind the Diesel by Tom Borawski
The story of DVARPÕs struggle to get SEPTA to see the reasonableness of RailWorks¨ direct diesel service is quite familiar to the readers of DVRP. Also familiar is that a few weeks after the RailWorks¨ public hearing (back in December of Ô91) top SEPTA management, including Mr. Gambaccini, met with DVARP to discuss the diesel option.
The result of the meeting was an exchange of ÒbulletÓ charts outlining each otherÕs positions. We told them they were making a mistake. They told us we were Òmilitant.Ó
DVARP member Zeke Bodan formed a company to operate direct diesel service, lined up the necessary rolling stock and presented his plan to SEPTA Officials on March 25th. The meeting can best be summarized as a ÒdonÕt-callus-weÕll-call-youÓ exercise.
RailWorks¨ rolled in like a lion on April 5th. April passed with no DVARP-SEPTA meeting regarding direct diesel service. May passed with no DVARP-SEPTA meeting regarding direct diesel service.
June 30th: DVARP meets with SEPTA RRD officials. DVARP presents an agenda and it is discussed. The meeting is to be the first of a series of meetings.
What happened? PILCOP happened.
PILCOP stands for the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia. Mr. Jerome Balter of PILCOP arranged for the meetings. Because of his presence, DVARP plans were seriously considered instead of being summarily dismissed. Without PILCOP, R8 Fox Chase direct diesel service, based on part of the DVARP plan, would have never happened.
The talks PILCOP arranged are continuing. In the language of diplomats they are Òfrank and constructive.Ó If SEPTA adopts the DVARP plan for RailWorks¨ direct diesel service, you can thank Mr. Jerome Balter and PILCOP for helping them see the light.
On the Railroad LinesÉ
R1
SevenÊSchedulesÊforÊJenkintown!
Again, SEPTA published no Combined Timetable for the local stations between Center City and Glenside, forcing riders to consult multiple line timetables to find out when the next train will leave. With the R1 extension and the separate weekday and weekend timetables, this means that trunk passengers need up to seven schedules to show all service to and from their station, instead of one. If this is SEPTAÕs idea of an economy move, itÕs clear why they are in dire straits.
DVARP came to the rescue by compiling and publishing the combined timetable, and distributing it to the passengers. Commuters were visibly thrilled to see the more-convenient schedule folder; the first printing was snapped up before the Monday morning rush hour was through. A second printing of the weekday edition, and a weekend edition designed to slip into the weekday schedule are now in press. If you canÕt find one at your station, send DVARP a self-addressed stamped envelope for your copy.
news from the ex-Reading trunk to Glenside will now appear monthly in this space
R3
SEPTAÊContinuesÊtoÊMakeÊEnemiesÊatÊMoylan
The summer-long fight between neighbors of the Rose Valley-Moylan station and SEPTA has escalated. SEPTA wants to expand parking at the station while neighbors want to save trees there from being cut down. DVARP member Andrew Saul reports that SEPTA did an end-run around the neighbors and found a ÒNether Providence Tree CommitteeÓ to support its plans. Communications have clearly been fouled up. A letter to Louis Gambaccini states: ÒSince I havenÕt heard from you, I assume that the SEPTA bulldozers and 30-foot light standards are still on their wayÉ If they arrive, IÕll be history at the station. Why should I help out an organization that seems to have the mentality of the 60Õs Ñ that throwing money at a project produces good results? É Finally, I have been told that you have been quite successful in obtaining government funding from Harrisburg and Washington. However, if this small project in my neighborhood is a fair example, it appears that you donÕt know how to use what you have hustled for. Maybe itÕs time you moved on to a job Ñ wherever that might be Ñ that needs a great fundraiser, but the enterprise never has to repair or build anything.ÑMDM
R7
BoardÊBalksÊatÊStationÊClosings
Frankford Junction and Andalusia stations won a reprieve as the SEPTA Board delayed managementÕs plan to abandon service to these stations. Frankford Jct. remains closed for the time being, as SEPTA is still hoping that the station will be abandoned, and has not repaired the tunnel.
MFSE
StationÊPartialÊClosings
As part of the service economy program, selected station entrances have been closed during the evening, requiring passengers to enter the system on the opposite side and cross under or over to their desired platform. All stations and platforms remain accessible.ÑMDM
BSS
Broad-RidgeÊBackÊMonday
The Broad Ridge Spur resumes service Monday the 12th after a four-month outage caused by signal failure. The signals have not been repaired, so peak-hour Ridge trains will deadhead from Erie to Olney, turning there instead of on the upper deck at Erie. Service on the main part of the subway returned to pre-RailWorks levels yesterday, meaning a reduction in service frequency for subway riders who had both more frequent service and extra crowding.
Transit Notes: SEPTA will hold a public hearing (see page 11 for time and place) on elimination of portions of bus route 68. SEPTA plans to eliminate route 68 service to the Food Distribution Center and the Airport.
SEPTA will also hold hearings on several bus route changes and abandonments in Wynnefield. Route 85 will be abandoned, with part of the route covered by the 40; and the Route 38 zoo and Conshohocken Rd. routings will be abandoned.
SEPTA is now allowing round-trips on the Historic Trolley Loop in Chestnut Hill, so long as passengers stay on board the car.
RailWorks¨ Roundup
RailWorks¨ Ridership Reconstruction Begins
SEPTA radio spots and newspaper ads are heralding the end of construction and the resumption of normal service on the commuter rail lines. WeÕre glad to see them. Billboards will follow next month with the message: ÒRide a car that doesnÕt get stuck in traffic.Ó
Passenger appreciation and community relations have been a major part of the multi-million dollar RailWorks¨ PR effort. Rider appreciation days were held this week, both on the commuter lines and on the Broad St. Subway. Because the PR element was paid for with RailWorks¨ capital funding, not operating dollars, it was loaded up like a Christmas tree with less-necessary projects, just like the construction element. Subway riders and North Philadelphia residents were targeted for much of the PR attention, including a poster contest sponsored by Concerned Black Men, and buying safety booklets, pencils and other items to distribute to schoolchildren.ÑMDM
DVARP is starting work on our effort to help SEPTA bring the riders back. We are starting with the lines worst hit by Railworks: R8 Fox Chase and R6 Norristown. If you can distribute literature in these areas, please let us know by calling 552Ð8873. If you can help us along any of the other RailWorks¨ lines please call the same number. Because, a line is a terrible thing to waste.ÑTB
RailWorks¨¨ is a registered trademark of SEPTA
Cross County Metro: 3 Markets Need 3 Distinct Services
In its recent SEPTA Capital Budget hearing testimony, DVARP presented a more passenger and taxpayer-oriented approach to solving north suburban transportation problems. We believe that the construction interests inside and outside SEPTA which are pressing for a costly Òheavy railÓ solution need to be tamed by responsible citizen action. Currently, DVARP is detailing costs and schedules for our concept as proposed to SEPTA:
SEPTAÕs peers advise DVARP that in its present concept, this project is not economically viable. It is likely to create a turmoil when, as they expect, its costly completion fails to shift large numbers of travellers from their cars to the rapid transit line which SEPTA envisions.
In echoing this warning, DVARP suggests that the main problem is the failure to recognize the existence of three distinctly different travel markets. These three markets, their needs, and the indicated solutions are as follows:
a) Short-haul traffic from points east and west to jobs located within the Allendale Rd-County Line Rd-Route 202 triangle of Upper Merion, which is vaguely being called ÒKing of Prussia.Ó This is not a central business district by any stretch of the imagin-ation. Public transportÕs segment of travel to this area is bound to be low but finite.
The success of Schuylkill Expressway bus routes 124 and 125 joined with park-and-ride techniques not yet used significantly by SEPTA is applicable. Park-and-ride lots would form the residential ends of proposed bus routes. The Turnpike and Blue Route would form the trunk parts of the routes. It may be justifiable to build bus-only links between these express highways and local arterials, such as where route 202 crosses the Turnpike. The business end of the routes would (like routes 124 and 125) thread the business complexes in the King of Prussia triangle. This concept permits marketable one-seat rides over a considerable distance from the park-and-ride lots to the businesses, something that is not possible with other concepts.
In the capital budget and program, this should be a separate project under ÒBus Transit.Ó The service would be operated or sponsored by the Suburban Transit Division. An initial cost of about $1 million is suggested.
b) Intermediate-haul traffic between residential areas of eastern Delaware County and adjoining areas and the King of Prussia triangle. A spur of SEPTA Suburban Transit DivisionÕs route 100 (ÒNorristown High Speed LineÓ) is extended to enter this complex. Final distribution is by feeder bus or van.
Light rapid transit route 100 has experienced a ridership decline of about one-half over the past generation to about 5000. Such a spur, observers believe, will restore ridership to a 7500 level, which appears to be the figure used to justify long-term operation of the route.
Unfortunately, staff has created in-house a plan to generate a high-cost spur of route 100. This three-mile plan, besides its high cost, would pre-empt the right of way of ConrailÕs Trenton Cutoff (now known in the area as Dale Running Track). Furthermore, the plan would not enter the triangle but would terminate on the railroad right of way at Gulph Road.
DVARP suggests a return to the original 1960-era low cost proposal to use the now-derelict Chester Valley Track (located parallel to and just north of the Dale Running Track) in such a way as not to impinge upon the Dale track. A low-cost surface extension would bring the spur to a terminus within the triangle instead of stopping well short of it.
This separate project should be listed under ÒRail Transit.Ó The service would be operate by Suburban Transit as part of route 100. A construction cost estimate for the route using the Chester Valley track is approximately $30 million. No additional rolling stock is needed.
c) Long-distance commuter service using the Conrail Dale Track, its eastward extension, the Morrisville Line (commonly known as the Trenton Cutoff) and AmtrakÕs Northeast Corridor to New York City. Travel, which now uses the Turnpike, is predominantly oriented toward jobs in the New York City area. Limited-stop, diesel-powered commuter trains would serve this market initially, and later also serve markets in Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester Counties. Station-to-station traffic would be served as a byproduct of the New York orientation.
The initial service would run from Downingtown, PA to Hoboken, NJ, taking the place of New Jersey TransitÕs ÒDiesel ExpressesÓ which currently run only east of Trenton. Trains would be serviced on-line at SEPTAÕs Frazer Shop, with minimal deadheading cost compared to NJ TransitÕs current arrangement. A dozen simple, but attractive, park-and-ride and business-adjacent stations would be provided between Downingtown and Trenton. The stations would be optimally located to serve the market, not necessarily located where existing rail lines cross.
In the capital budget and program, this should be listed as a separate project under ÒRegional Rail.Ó Service would be operated or sponsored by the Railroad Division, in conjunction with NJ Transit. Full construction cost is estimated at about $40 million. Only about $10 million is needed to begin the basic service.
SEPTA should heed the advice of its peers. If the three projects are crafted to fit their respective markets, SEPTA will be successful. Moreover, DVARP believes that the three coordinated projects will result in more passenger miles at less total cost than the $100-million-plus figure often associated with the Òone size fits allÓ Cross County Metro.
Newsletter Mailing Update
Some members have reported delays in receiving newsletters last month, as we changed over to presorted permit mailing. Part of the delay was caused by the newsletters being delivered to the Post Office on Monday instead of the usual Thursday or Friday. Still, there were further delays; if you received last monthÕs issue more than three or four days later than usual, please contact us, so we can work with the Post Office to resolve any problems.
We expect that this newsletter will be delivered to the Post Office on Friday, October 9. Thank you for bearing with us during the transition.
SEPTA Needs Reorganization
an excerpt from DVARPÕs statement on SEPTAÕs Operating Budget
The Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers recommends that SEPTA undertake a fundamental reorganization. The present SEPTA organization is not best suited for todayÕs transportation and general business environment. It is outdated compared to organizational changes made in recent decades by private industry responding to greater competition and the need Òto do more with less.Ó
Nonetheless, SEPTA still is organized along traditional functional lines with eleven vertical functions reporting directly to the General Manager and his deputy. Until changes were made two years ago, all operating functions were centralized in a huge unit. Today, all non-operating functions continue to be centralized.
SEPTA carries fewer passengers today while utilizing more employees than it did ten years ago. This dramatic fact alone demands major changes in SEPTA.
SEPTA offers three distinct product lines: urban mass-transit, suburban transit, and regional rail (often regarded as only commuter rail). In their daily use, most of SEPTAÕs customers make substantial use of only one of these services. Each product must meet distinct customer needs and expectations as well as having distinctive operating characteristics (traffic volumes, trip length, etc.). Although SEPTA needs to remain integrated and intermodal trips need to be made relatively seamless for the customers, it is appropriate that SEPTA be reorganized so that each line of service:
a)Êbe a relatively self-sufficient and autonomous division within SEPTA;
b)Êbe managed by a top level staff officer, who has full authority and responsibility for the division; and
c)Êhave its own marketing/planning, engineering, and capital-project functions.
By placing responsibility and authority for economic performance within the same division level, as operating performance, we can expect a more cost-effective service that better meets the customersÕ needs.
SEPTAÕs current emphasis on production (i.e. operations) has led to some economically questionable policies. Among them is a practice of extended massive ÒshutdownsÓ of some of the railroad for infrastructure repairs, and a Òone city, one fare zoneÓ transit tradition. We expect that a strong marketing function within each division will head off such destructive notions before they become policy or alter them where they are already in effect.
The Òfree capitalÓ notion which produces excessively elaborate equipment and construction programs to the detriment of overall cost-effectiveness will tend to disappear when a single manager for each product-line division is made responsible for economically balancing the operating and capital dollar inputs and for optimizing the service outputs to the customers.
Relatively autonomous, modally-specific public transportation is the normal practice in the industryÑNew York, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, etc.
The nature of suburban transit and regional railroad service areas, their demographics, politics, car ownership, etc., differ greatly from those of urban mass-transit. Different quality expectations, longer hauls, and lower traffic densities prevail. With autonomous divisions, the plant and product, as determined by their own marketing/planning and engineering efforts, will better reflect those differences.
The current status in the Suburban Transit and Regional Rail Divisions in having many functions intertwined with urban mass-transit makes for a bureaucratic thicket. Because the City Transit Division generates the bulk of SEPTAÕs revenues and contains the majority of its employees, the thinking of the urban mass-transit function tends to permeate the other divisions. More autonomous Suburban Transit and Regional Rail divisions will make it easier for these divisions to work effectively and to attract qualified personnel from educational institutions and other organizations.
Wholly responsible and empowered product-line divisions can be expected to produce great improvement in the efficiency, discipline, and morale of their present employees.
SEPTAÕs present public image in nearby metropolitan areas is essentially that of an urban mass-transit operation beset with a large variety of problems. This situation makes it unlikely that these areas will look to SEPTA to provide extended commuter rail service. Thus, a relatively autonomous Regional Rail Division will be better capable of dealing with the present system and of extending it into other areas.
Once reorganized, management and staff can work effectively in implementing Board policy. The three autonomous product-line divisions will report to the General Manager.
Besides responsibility for operations, as now, the divisional manager will have facilities engineering and construction, capital projects, service planning and scheduling, marketing and planning, safety, and training functions to coordinate to best advantage. This is an important point: by giving division managers the control of all major relevant activities, there no longer will be any opportunity for distraction from the mission of providing effective passenger services.
The remaining vertical functions still directly reporting to the General Manager will be those best left centralized: the specialized functions and those functions which relate to government and other outside entities.
The General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, who reports to the Board of Directors, will set and monitor economic and other goals for each division; this will assure the overall effectiveness of the organization.
SEPTA Ridership Update
Ridership continues to slip on all SEPTAÕs commuter rail lines. The following figures are from SEPTA Revenue and Passenger Analysis:
Weekday Ridership
RRD LINE June Õ91 June Õ92 DIFF. %
-------------------------------------------
R1 AIRPORT 2,329 2,119 Ð9.0%
R2 WARMINSTER 5,307 3,035 Ð42.8%
R2 WILMINGTON 7,068 6,165 Ð12.8%
R3 W. TRENTON 6,844 3,969 Ð42.0%
R3 MEDIA-ELWY 8,333 7,839 Ð5.9%
R5 DOYLESTOWN 10,520 6,498 Ð38.2%
R5 PAOLI 20,715 19,818 Ð4.3%
R6 NORRISTOWN 3,611 0 -100.0%
R6 IVY RIDGE 464 403 -13.1%
R7 TRENTON 8,214 8,383 +2.4%
R8 FOX CHASE 4,279 0 -100%
R7/R8 CH. HILL 8,827 7,760 120.5%
INDICATES RAILWORKS IMPACTED LINE
Weekend ridership
RRD LINE June Õ91 June Õ92 DIFF %.
----------------------------------------
R1 AIRPORT 2,726 2,573 Ð5.6%
R2 WARMINSTER 1,779 638 Ð64.1%
R2 WILMINGTON 2,418 2,114 Ð12.6%
R3 W. TRENTON 2,019 799 Ð60.4%
R3 MEDIA-ELWY 2,176 1,799 Ð17.3%
R5 DOYLESTOWN 4,681 2,106 Ð55.0%
R5 PAOLI 8,015 6,792 Ð15.3%
R6 NORRISTOWN 1,497 0 Ð100.0%
R6 IVY RIDGE 0 0 0
R7 TRENTON 6,633 6,795 +2.4%
R8 FOX CHASE 1,011 0 Ð100.0%
R7/R8 CH. HILL 3,549 3,462 -2.4%
New Positions for SEPTA Brass
SEPTA General Manager Louis Gambaccini has been nominated to be Chairman of APTA, the American Public Transit Association. His election is expected next month. Gambaccini has been Vice-Chairman of APTA during the past year, during which time he has been active in extending the coalition-building process nationwide. While GambacciniÕs post raises SEPTAÕs visibility in Washington, it will cut into the time our General Manager has to spend on the numerous problems SEPTA has.
SEPTA Engineering and Development Director John Tucker will become the executive director of MVRTA in Dayton. Tucker had been in charge of SEPTAÕs commuter rail lines. The previous transit management had been embroiled in a controversy over DaytonÕs trackless trolley system. A management plan to scrap the electric buses and replace them with diesel buses was stopped by the public and elected officials.ÑMDM
DVARP History: Part 2ÑAnalysis and Education
by Dave Cundiff and Matthew Mitchell
Throughout its history, DVARP has had a reputation for through analysis of transportation policy alternatives. This was epitomized by the document titled Year 2000 Rail Transportation System for the Delaware Valley: Based on an Energy-Short Scenario. Prepared at the time when the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission was revising its transportation master plan, this book-length work was a DVARP response to planning scenarios which put unrealistic emphasis on the private car.
A committee led by James Farny worked for nearly a year to develop and edit the ÒYear 2000 Report.Ó John Pawson and Ernest Cohen did much of the work, surveying specific routes for rail service expansion and mapping the plan for expansion.
Another important planning document was published in 1986, as DVARP responded to SEPTAÕs proposed elimination of several trolley routes with a report to the Urban Mass Transit Agency detailing the flaws in SEPTAÕs anti-rail program. That report laid the foundation for DVARP efforts to save light rail service in the City of Philadelphia, efforts which continue today.
Dave Cundiff was secretary of DVARP for several important years in the 80Õs. Now moved to Arizona, he shares his recollections with us:
I joined DVARP soon after I returned to Philadelphia in late 1982. I was probably attracted by the DVARP/NARP kiosk at 30th Street Station. I admired John PawsonÕs analytical and writing skills from the beginning.
Around 1984, I got deeply involved in DVARP work. This was one of AmtrakÕs toughest budget years, with the Reagan AdministrationÕs repeated efforts to kill Amtrak. We knew the survival of the national rail system was at stake.
I was appalled that DVARP, the regionÕs strongest pro-rail voice, had only 121 members at the time. I volunteered to become DVARPÕs secretary, and supplied what I believe was DVARPÕs first computer. We found an inexpensive, reliable printer in Powelton Village, and began printing timely alerts for rail passengers.
These leaflets werenÕt fancy. Most of them had minimal or no graphics. They did have lots of information and some action suggestions. We learned to put a coupon on the bottom, to make it easy for riders to join DVARP.
Most SEPTA passengers werenÕt aware of their stake in AmtrakÕs infrastructure, or of DVARPÕs work on their behalf with both railroads. We stressed those connections, recruiting members whose primary interests were in local rail. Sometimes these were re-recruitments; We were glad to attract Chuck Bode back into DVARP, with his passion for PhiladelphiaÕs light rail. We adapted DVARPÕs structure and policy to give many people a voice through the newsletter and through DVARPÕs policy mechanisms. That made us stronger.
We needed rapid processing of checks and rapid updating of our growing mailing list. Art Malestein and I consolidated his treasurerÕs office with the secretaryÕs work, in order to speed member services. First the mailing labels, then parts of the newsletter, were computerized. We made thousands of copies of our introductory brochure, mailing it to NARP members and others. We systematized our outreach to past members.
And we grew! DVARP membership nearly quadrupled in two years, because of higher visibility, diverse voices, a committee structure, and an action orientation. Even after Steve von Bonin and others formed a separate Delmarva Peninsula group, DVARP membership has stayed strong.
I remember others too: Sharon ShneyerÕs willingness to work hard wherever needed. Bob MachlerÕs consistent optimism. Alfreda Worrell-SwepsonÕs amazing moral support, and her sponsorship of 30th Street mailing parties. Lots of people who came to meetings, made commitments, and followed through. I salute you all, and remember our comradeship.
I donÕt think DVARP has achieved its potential yet. A new vision will emerge, of a fully effective advocacy group. This will require enhancement of DVARPÕs size, structure, funding, and communications. I think DVARPÕs friends and adversaries will both be amazed by the organizationÕs future.
Up and Down the Corridor
News of other Northeastern commuter rail and rail transit services
Baltimore Light Rail Extension
Another segment of the Central Light Rail Line in Baltimore has been opened. The three-stop extension continues south from Camden Yards (MARC B&O Line terminal) over the Patapsco River Trestle. The lineÕs two branches will eventually reach BWI Airport and Glen Burnie, in the congested Baltimore-Annapolis corridor. Marketing of the whole light rail service began immediately. Highway signs directing traffic to Oriole Park all carry the tag line: ÒHave you considered park and ride?Ó
Dates of Interest
IEEE Vehicular Technology Society: Wed., Oct. 14, 7:30 pm at Holiday Inn, 1305 Walnut, Philadelphia. ÒATC for SEPTAÕs Subway-Elevated Division.Ó info: 569-1795
DVARP General Meeting: Sat, Oct. 17, 12:30 to 3:30 pm at Lansdale Public Library.
SEPTA on Site (Suburban Tran.): Wed., Oct. 21, 7:30 to 9:30 am at 69th St. & Norristown.
SEPTA Board Meeting: Thu., Oct. 29, 3:00, 714 Market St., Philadelphia.
SEPTA Public Hearing on Route 85 abandonment, Route 40 extension, Route 38 revisions: Thu., Oct. 29, 6:00 pm at Adams Mark Hotel, City Av. and Monument Rd., Philadelphia.
Election Day: Tues., Nov. 3
SEPTA Public Hearing on Route 68 Cut: Thu. Nov. 5, 6:00 pm, Guest Quarters Hotel, 4101 Island Av., Philadelphia
Delmarva Rail Passenger Association: Thurs., Nov. 5, 6:30 at State Capitol, Dover. info: Doug Andrews, 302-995-6419.
DVARP General Meeting: Sat., Nov. 21, 1:00 to 4:00 at Temple Univ. Center City, 1616 Walnut St., Philadelphia.
Listings based on information provided to DVARP. Contact sponsor to confirm time & place.
Clarification: Last monthÕs report on CTD service changes incorrectly reported that all Route 46 service to Darby would be eliminated. The service is now being operated as a shuttle from 58th & Baltimore on weekdays, as it had been on weekends.
Opinions expressed in The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger are not necessarily
those of DVARP or its members. We welcome your comments.
