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Dear friends of Regional Rail:
The next meeting of the Regional Rail Working Group (RRWG) will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 6-8pm (meeting will start promptly at 6pm) Conference Room, NYPD Downtown Center 104 Washington Street (just north of Rector Street), Lower Manhattan. Discussion will focus on detailing an advocacy plan to gain additional support for opposing NJ Transit's "go it alone" plan to construct an isolated 'deep cavern" terminal station some 175 feet under 34th Street and redirecting its new ARC Hudson River tunnels to connect directly into existing tracks and platforms at Penn Station. The deep cavern plan represents a colossal failure of regional cooperation. With the region's economy approaching near collapse it makes little sense to spend an extra $3 billion to make it harder to travel by public transit in the region. The alternative -- the direct track connection plan -- is really a positive "jobs program" that will save travelers 4 to 5 minutes of travel time per trip in each direction. It will set the stage for the second stage -- connecting Penn Station with Grand Central Terminal. Connecting the two stations provides widespread benefits for travel throughout the region. A third initiative, to press transit agencies to work together to accomplish "thru-running" at Penn Station, will also be discussed. It is not to late to make the case to the Obama Administration to turn down NJ Transit's request for Federal funding to make it harder to travel between the two states. As a constitutional scholar Obama will surely realize that it is the Federal governments responsibility to press the states to work together, not in opposite directions, to facilitate interstate commerce. Time permitting, there will be progress reports on other RRWG initiatives: 1. regional rail equipment compatibility issues 2. Upper Level Loop Alternative for LIRR East Side Access 3. Rockaway Cut-off - one-seat ride Midtown Manhattan-Aqueduct Racino-JFK Airport and Rockaway Peninsula 4. Lower Manhattan Access 5. Light Rail in the Lincoln Tunnel 6. Regional Rail Freight and Intercity rail passenger issues The purpose of the working group is to develop and advance plans for converting the region's commuter rail lines into a regional rail system, with fast, frequent service and affordable, integrated fares. The group also considers changes to rapid transit and light rail transit that are "regional" in scale. Regional Rail issues are discussed on our website: www.rrwg.org The Working Group includes: Empire State Passengers Association NJ Association of Railroad Passengers Lackawanna Coalition Five Towns Rural Transit, Inc. Committee for Better Transit Institute for Rational Urban Mobility Sane Aviation for Everyone, Inc. (SAFE) (our newest participant) Plan to attend the next meeting on January 28, 2008, 6-8pm geo George Haikalis Chair, Regional Rail Working Group One Washington Square Village, Suite 5D New York, NY 10012 phone: 212-475-3394 geo@irum.org www.irum.org www.auto-free.org www.vision42.org www.rrwg.org |
