Dear friends of Regional Rail:
The next meeting of the Regional Rail Working Group (RRWG) will be held
on May 16, 2007, 6-8pm at 104 Washington Street in Lower Manhattan.
A key topic for discussion will be consideration of a proposal to abandon
the LIRR West Side Yard and to avoid construction of a new midday car
storage yard at Sunnyside as part of the LIRR East Side Access Project.
The benefits and costs of maximizing the value to MTA by selling these
two parcels as raw real estate as opposed to selling air rights over
active rail yards will be outlined.
Also note that the Regional Rail exhibit is now on display in the lobby
of the Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Boulevard, Stamford, CT
06901. Plan to attend a reception/presentation on Wednesday, June 20,
2007, 5-7pm sponsored by South Western Regional Planning Agency, The
Business Council of Fairfield County, CT Metro-North Rail Commuter
Council and Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc. At 7pm the
Commuter Council will hold its regular monthly meeting. The Regional
Rail Working Group will participate in this meeting, replacing its
regular monthly meeting in Manhattan. The Stamford Government Center is
two blocks north of the Stamford train station.
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Next regular monthly meeting of RRWG
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 6-8pm (meeting will start promptly at 6pm)
Conference Room, NYPD Downtown Center 104 Washington Street (just north
of Rector Street), Lower Manhattan.
Agenda items for Wednesday's meeting will include a quick update on each
of these key initiatives:
1. Regional Rail component of the Price Matters study.
2. Upper Level Loop Alternative for LIRR East Side Access
3. Penn Station-Grand Central connection
4. Rockaway Cut-off - one-seat ride Midtown Manhattan-JFK Airport
5. Lower Manhattan Access
6. Regional Rail Freight plan
7. Intercity rail issues
The key discussion item will be the future of the two rail yards.
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
Plan to attend the next meeting on May 16, 2007.
geo
George Haikalis
Chair, Regional Rail Working Group
One Washington Square Village, Apt. 5D
New York, NY 10012 phone: 212-475-3394 fax:212-475-5051
geohaikalis@juno.com www.irum.org www.auto-free.org
www.vision42.org www.rrwg.org
