Re: (erielack) Environmental study clears way Pocono commuter rail

["Jim Guthrie" <jguthrie_@_pipeline.com>]

> It will happen but the crux of the matter is money. Yes, it appears that
> Stimulus Package money is available but the pols from the three states 
> have to
> capitalize on this quickly. The other thing that needs to happen is that
> taxpayers in the three states have to cover their respective shares.

NJ Transit committed to a lengthy "engineering study" of how they might 
re-lay track on the Cut-off as far as Andover, so it will take another two 
years before any work can be done -- so much for "stimulous" money for that 
project.
>
> For example, we here in NY cover the cost of NJT operating service to Port
> Jervis and Passack Valley NY. NJ taxpayers will have to cover the cost of
> the line across Northwest NJ to the NJ/PA border. PA taxpayers will have 
> to

Why would NJ want to pay beyond Andover? I think that's the crux of the 
matter, as their political leaders see no good reason to pay for something 
for Pennsylvania. OTOH, Pennsylvania could always lease the cut-off from NJT 
and have a contractor relay track as far as Andover as quickly as they'd 
like, leaving only NJT's "study it to death and maybe it will go away" hole 
in the middle to complete.

New York also paid a goodly portion of the cost of building Secaucus 
Transfer as well as sidings and signalling on the NJ&NY. States don't just 
pony up for stuff within the state.

OTOH, the feeling in New York regarding NJT's tunnel is that NJ can build 
what it wants as long as it (a) doesn;t incovenience a soul on this side of 
the river or (b) cost our taxpayers a dime.

As for kicking in for extending the line to the East Side (a) and (b) apply, 
but there's also a sense that NJ "rail advocates" are a bunch of John Rocker 
wannabes trying to protect their precious suburbanites from having to take 
the subway to the East Side like normal folk <g>. But as long as they don't 
disturb the Lexington Avenue Subway (which would be required to allow the 
rare mileage folk to get their footage from NJ to GCT) they'd be welcome to 
dig if it's deep enough that no one knows they're digging._

Cheers,
Jim Guthrie


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