The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger
  Electronic Edition
April  1994
Vol. XII, No. 4
ISSN 1073-6859

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
<mmitchell@asrr.arsusda.gov> or <73243.1224@compuserve.com>

The electronic edition is produced as a public service to the network community.
  It is archived on the CUNYVM Listserver in the RAILNEWS directory. An index of
back issues is available by sending INDEX RAILNEWS to LISTSERV@CUNYVM. Thanks 
to Geert K. Marien (GKMQC@CUNYVM) for maintaining this archive! If you have 
comments or questions, please contact us, not Geert!
  The DVRP is also archived on these FTP servers
wuarchive.wustl.edu, directory graphics/trains/text or graphics/trains/incoming
hipp.etsu.edu, directory pub/railroad/dvarp (Thanks to Bob Weir)
Volumes X (1992) and XI (1993) are on floppy disk for $4.00 each from DVARP.

We hope you consider joining DVARP; your financial support makes possible 
this newsletter and our many other activities on behalf of rail and transit
passengers.  Annual dues are $15.00.  see the coupon below.


##Schedule change alert:  Amtrak schedule changes have been postponed to May 1.
New NJ Transit bus and SEPTA Suburban Transit schedules in effect this month.

Contents copyright (C) 1994 DVARP, except photos (C) 1994 credited photographers

Opinions expressed in The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger are not necessarily 
those of DVARP or its members.  We welcome your comments: call 215-222-3373

DVARP President: Chuck Bode      Newsletter Editor: Matthew Mitchell
Production Manager: Tom Borawski
for other officers and committee chairs, see page 15   

CONTENTS:  
##A  SEPTA 'Springs' Budget on Public:  No Fare Increase or Service Cuts
##B  Editorial:  What We're Up Against
##C  House Restores Transit Operating $$$
##D  SEPTA: Cynwyd Link is Amtrak's Problem
##E  DVARP Continues to Act on Harrisburg Line
##F  "Try Transit Week" Coming
##G  On the Railroad Lines...
  Fare Sale for Passholders
  New Title is Old Title
  R1--One Less Stop?
  R3--SEPTA Buys Elwyn Land
  R8--Uhh...Turn it On, OK?
  Boom, Boom for More Room
  CTD (Subway-Elevated)--SEPTA-PATCO 'One Way Deal?'
  Construction End in Sight!
  Wanamaker's Door to Reopen
  LRD--Paving Over More Tracks 
  More PCCs For Sale
  STD--Schedule Change Preview 
  CTD (Surface)--Wheelchair Lift Deal
##H  SEPTA Ridership Stats
##I  Flagstops
  SEPTA to Get Schedule-by-Fax?
  Familiar Faces...New Faces
  New Freight Connection
##J  Seattle Metro: The Solution, Not the Problem
##K  LA: More Service, Less Bureaucracy
##L  Let's Go Talgo
##M  Union Rules Hurt Route 57 Passengers 
##N  Commuter Rail Resurges-Elsewhere
##O  Vuchic Proposes Radical Change for RRD:  Build It and They Will Come!
##P  "Walk Across the Corridor"
##Q  Rail Service for Moorestown and Burlington County:  The Simple Truth
##R  South Jersey Notes, NJT Ridership Report
##S  Federal Investigation: Amtrak Underfunded
##T  Amnotes
  Schedule Change Postponed
  Downs Speaks Out on Service
##U  NARP Looks at Commuter Rail
##V  VIA Facing Another Service Slash
##W  Up and Down the Corridor
  VRE Guarantee
  Rudy Lets Straphangers Down
  MARC Looks to Improve Commuter Environment
  T for Free!
  Mass. to T: Build Ridership
##X  DVARP Details
  NARP Region III Meeting: Time Change
  Circle the Date
  Fair Notices, Volunteers Wanted
##Y  Dates of Interest
##Z  DVARP Phone & Voice-mail Directory
##AA Upcoming DVARP Meetings:
  Agenda for the April meeting:
  Committee Meetings:


DVARP Membership Coupon

Yes, I want to support improved passenger train service in our region!  
   Here are my DVARP membership dues for 1994!   4/94

Name                                         Membership Number

Address   

City, State, Zip   

Please choose a membership category below, enclose check and mail to:
   DVARP, PO Box 7505, Philadelphia, PA 19101

(  ) Regular: $15.00    (  ) Family:  $20.00   (  ) Supporting: $25.00
(  ) Sustaining: $50.00 (  ) Patron: $75.00    (  ) Benefactor: $100.00
(  ) under 21 or over 65: $7.50   


##A  SEPTA 'Springs' Budget Proposal on Public:  
No Fare Increase or Service Cuts   by Matthew Mitchell

By the time you read this article (unless you got it on the internet), SEPTA 
will have already held the legally-mandated public hearing on its proposed 
Fiscal 1995 operating budget.  Legal notice of the budget and the hearing was 
given while the March DVRP was in press, just meeting the legal requirement of 
thirty days notice.  The budget itself was made available to the public just two 
weeks before the hearing.  Despite the short notice, DVARP is preparing as 
complete testimony as possible.  The DVARP statement will endorse SEPTA's basic 
strategy, while offering specfic ways to reduce costs and improve passenger 
service.

A look at the proposed FY95 budget shows no surprises. Expenses increase by 5.9 
percent, relieving inflationary pressure after two years of limited spending 
increases.  Operating revenue (including senior citizen fares paid by the 
lottery fund) increases 3.0 percent, leaving a 14.4% increase in the amount to 
be financed by state and local governments.  The SEPTA bet on increased 
subsidies to balance the budget was widely hinted over the past year.

Transit service will be slightly increased, continuing a process of rolling back 
the cuts which cost more than they saved.  Fine-tuning of the service also 
continues: with minor route revisions for greater efficiency and selective cuts 
where the service has little benefit.  This trend has been strongly supported by 
DVARP.

The total budget has also increased as the result of a state-mandated accounting 
change incorporating the Shared-Ride Program (which SEPTA took over in 1993) and 
the Act 26 asset maintenance fund into the Operating Budget.  This also makes 
the state share of the budget look larger, even though it doesn't actually 
change any spending.

The budget document spells out steps SEPTA took to reduce expenses this year.  
Administrative reductions were targetted to departments which do little in terms 
of real passenger service, instead of the harmful across-the-board furloughs of 
FY 93.  

SEPTA has ended the practice of holding budget hearings in the four suburban 
counties, replacing them with "public meetings" where we assume comments will be 
taken for entry into the hearing record and SEPTA personnel will answer 
citizens' questions, but now only one formal hearing is to take place, April 11 
in Philadelphia.  Attendance in some of the counties has been sparse in some 
years, but only time will tell if the new format can maintain meaningful and 
accessible public input into the decision on how to spend almost 700 million 
dollars of fare and tax money.

There was no improvement in the service standards portion of the budget, so 
riders still have little way of determining if added state funding turns into 
better-quality service.  However, a major revamp of the state-mandated standards 
and assessment program is to be undertaken this year.

Graph of SEPTA spending available in printed edition

A copy of the DVARP statement is available.  Please send $2.00 to cover printing 
and postage costs.

##B  From the Editor's Seat:  What We're Up Against

We got a letter at DVARP last month from the Pennsylvania Highway Information 
Association-the road-building lobby.  The letter, on stationery with the tag 
line "user fees not taxes build roads," disputes stories in the DVRP which 
describe subsidies from general tax revenues to road construction and operation 
of private cars and trucks.  I stand by our reporting.

PHIA ignores huge chunks of the cost of our highway system, but perhaps they can 
be forgiven because they're involved mostly in the construction of roads.  They 
must not get township contracts for salt and plows, or provide care to people 
with lung disease.

One fact is that a lot of the subsidy to drivers is at the local level: does 
your township levy a gas tax to pay for plowing snow, patching potholes, and 
electricity for streetlights?  What about the property taxes which could be 
collected if land consumed by roads were available for private use?  

An even bigger cost is paid by the general public in indirect costs like 
accident and environmental costs.  It's that part of the true cost of driving 
(which I'll readily admit is hard to pin a firm number on) on which Professor 
Pucher of Rutgers bases his arguement that highway users are subsidized ten 
times more than transit users.

We want the public and its elected and appointed officials to understand that 
all transportation is subsidized, and that anyone who denies such is either 
terribly ignorant or attempting to deceive us.  That's why we're starting an 
occasional series of articles in this newsletter called "The Hidden Subsidies."  
Look for it in coming months.-MDM


##C  House Restores Transit Operating $$$

The Federal FY 1995 budget passed by the House of Representatives last month 
restores $202 million cut from Federal support of public transit operations. 
(cover story-February DVRP)  Operating assistance would remain at this year's 
level of $802 million.  However, this increase in operating funds would come at 
the expense of an equal cut in capital support. The total transit budget of $4.6 
billion is still half a billion dollars short of the level authorized under the 
ISTEA legislation.-MDM


##D  SEPTA: Cynwyd Link is Amtrak's Problem

Responding to an urgent DVARP letter about the deteriorating 'flyover' 
connecting the SEPTA R6 Cynwyd line to the Amtrak Harrisburg main line, (cover 
story-March DVRP), SEPTA AGM for Program Analysis Carol Lavoritano has says that 
SEPTA and Amtrak are "reviewing all possible service scenarios along the R-5 
line in the area of the new Overbrook Shop."

The undated letter, which arrived while last month's newsletter was at the 
printer, described the present situation, then stated SEPTA's position.  It says 
that Amtrak is obliged by law to provide "the type and level of services" 
provided when SEPTA took over the RRD in 1983.

A deal selling out the Cynwyd Line for unspecified concessions elsewhere by 
Amtrak is not ruled out.  An ominous sentence gives more credence to the 
possibility that SEPTA may let the Cynwyd Line go: "...all decisions must be 
made in the context of available funding and the prioritized needs of all SEPTA 
facilities." [emphasis added]-MDM


##E  DVARP Continues to Act on Harrisburg Line

With funding and service set to run out in July, DVARP continues to work for a 
permanent solution to the problem of supporting and operating the Philadelphia-
Harrisburg local train service, now running with temporary PennDOT funding.  A 
hearing on the service is to be held by the State Legislature on April 13.  
DVARP has already drafted a statement to be presented at the hearing.  It 
reiterates the DVARP recommendation for better coordiation of the service so 
that passengers will have to deal with two different operators with different 
tickets and schedules which do not complement each other.

DVARP is also asking for investment in the Harrisburg Line infrastructure, to 
catch up with deferred maintenance and increase train speeds, especially betwene 
Paoli and Lancaster, where the tracks are most worn out.  Unlike other states 
which are taking an active part in expanding and improving train service, it 
took the threat of a shutdown to get action from Pennsylvania, which seems to 
have a hard time recognizing the value of cleaner air, less-crowded highways, 
and more mobility for senior citizens and others who can not or do not wish to 
drive.-MDM

For a copy of the April 13 statement, send $1.00 for printing and postage to 
DVARP.

##F  "Try Transit Week" Coming

May 16-20 will be the dates of "Try Transit Week," sponsored by the American 
Public Transit Association and local transit operators. Special marketing and 
communication efforts will be made to make Americans more aware of how public 
transit makes their lives and communities better.  SEPTA may join in the 
nationwide campaign for the first time this year; it held its first "Try 
Transit" event last November.  NJ Transit and PATCO are expected to participate 
as before.

You should participate too!  This month, find out who is responsible for 
commuter arrangements at your work place or in your city or town.  Then ask them 
to get involved in "Try Transit Week" by thinking of transit as the normal way 
to get around the Delaware Valley and by giving people incentives to leave their 
cars at home. One good thing to do is to sign people up for a pledge to ride 
transit and see how convenient it can be.  

It's also a good time to ask your employer to join the Transitchek program.  
Employers who don't think twice about spending thousands and thousands of 
dollars subsidizing their employees' car habits suddenly get stingy when it 
comes to picking up the tab for bus and rail commuters.  You can make the 
'bottom line argument'; when you think about all the costs of having someone 
drive to work, it's cheaper to buy that person a Transitchek!-MDM

##G  On the Railroad Lines...

Fare Sale for Passholders

For the month of April, SEPTA is offering free weekend travel on the entire 
SEPTA system to all persons with a TransPass or TrailPass.  Not only that, you 
can bring a companion along for free.  It's a good way for SEPTA to thank its 
most loyal customers and for you to enjoy the colors of spring.

New Title is Old Title

The job title of "Passenger Attendant" has been changed by SEPTA RRD back to 
"Assistant Conductor."  SEPTA broke with most other railroads in 1983, changing 
the title to reflect the fewer responsibilities and lower pay of those crew 
members.

##R1--One Less Stop?

SEPTA has stopped issuing written orders to trains at Wayne Tower except under 
special circumstances.  As reported here last month, orders are now issued at 
30th Street to trains in both directions.  But trains are still stopping, 
sometimes twice, for loading and unloading of deadheading employees who are 
selfish enough to delay a trainload of people so they don't have to walk the few 
steps from Wayne Junction.

##R3--SEPTA Buys Elwyn Land

SEPTA has purchased a 4.5 acre parcel from the Elwyn Institute to expand parking 
at the Elwyn station.

##R8--Uhh...Turn it On, OK?

Orders were issued recently to place the cab signal system into service on the 
Chestnut Hill West line.  The system was installed a long time ago, but left 
unused until SEPTA Deputy GM Howard Roberts asked Railroad management why the 
expensive system wasn't in use.  The cab signals can speed up trips on the 
Chestnut Hill line by informing engineers of clear track ahead sooner than 
lineside signals do.

Boom, Boom for More Room

Conrail's Flat Rock Tunnel, alongside the Schuylkill Expressway in Lower Merion, 
is being enlarged to allow double-stack container cars and other large freight 
cars to move to the Port of Philadelphia via Conrail's Harrisburg Line.  The 
blasting is part of a state-wide project to increase clearances, funded by 
Conrail, CP Rail System, and the Commonwealth.  



##CTD (Subway-Elevated)--SEPTA-PATCO 'One Way Deal?'

Philadelphia residents are losing out on the special discounted fare for trips 
combining SEPTA and PATCO services.  SEPTA has stopped selling its return-trip 
ticket, for reasons unknown, while PATCO's machines just keep going and going...  
DVARP's Transit Committee is investigating.

Construction End in Sight!

SEPTA's latest "Makin' Tracks" newsletter reports that the final stages of 
redecking the Frankford El will get underway by a year from no, and that all 
work in the Priority Element Program will be completed by 1997, in time for the 
arrival of new trains.  Rebuilding of stations will also be finished by then, 
except for Frankford Terminal, which is still at the design stage (see March 
DVRP)

DIAGRAM: schematic map of Frankford El, showing completed sections of redecking, 
  sections under construction now, & sections where construction starts later.
  courtesy Frankford El Reconstruction Project

Wanamaker's Door to Reopen

Brickstone Realty, manager of the Wanamaker Building, and SEPTA are working to 
reopen the subway concourse entrance to the building.  When ready this fall, the 
passage will lead into a basement parking level, where escalators to the store 
and elevators to the offices in the building will be available.  The stairs from 
Market St. to the 13th St./Juniper subway station are also expected to reopen at 
that time.  

##LRD--Paving Over More Tracks 

In last month's Board meeting, SEPTA approved spending half a million dollars 
for paving and pothole repairs to streets with SEPTA tracks which are also 
designated as state highways (e.g. Broad St./PA 611)  Included in this contract 
is "overlay of inactive tracked state highways."  As specified in the three-way 
deal struck several years ago, SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia, and the state 
will split the cost of the contract evenly.

More PCCs For Sale

SEPTA continues to get rid of its PCC streetcars.  A sealed-bid auction will be 
held for another batch; and sources say that Cleveland is the latest city to 
look at the SEPTA PCCs as an inexpensive, attractive, and ready-to-run transit 
solution.  The expected price of the SEPTA cars is one-one-hundredth (yes, 
1/100) of the price of a new high-tech LRV.  Even with a full overhaul, the PCCs 
are less expensive.

We said it when San Francisco bought SEPTA PCCs and we'll say it again: what do 
they know that SEPTA doesn't?

##STD--Schedule Change Preview 

Red Arrow schedules will be revised April 10.  Details of the changes have been 
included in SEPTA's internet file. The biggest changes are a new Route 117 
schedule, serving the West Goshen Shopping Center and the addition of Sunday 
service on Route 110.  Route 119 Saturday service from Elwyn to Painter's 
Crossing is to be eliminated.  Route 113 will be extended to 2nd and Green Sts. 
in Marcus Hook.  Also in southern DelCo, Route 109 will add more Saturday 
service from Springfield Mall to Chester; minor schedule changes take place on 
the 114 and 115.  Additional weekday trips were added to Routes 104, 108, 112, 
and 120.  With new cars continuing to arrive, SEPTA has restored Sunday Route 
100 service to three trips an hour, 

On the Frontier Division, schedules will change May 1, bringing good news and 
bad news.  Most of the bad news comes in the form of slower schedules: 
specifically on Routes 92 and 99.  The good news is major increases in 96 and 98 
service; the 96 will see half-hourly base headways between Norristown and 
Lansdale, plus longer Saturday hours, while the 98 will run on a half-hour 
frequency from Norristown to Plymouth Meeting Mall.  Special 95 service to the 
Inquirer building in Gulph Mills has been dropped.  Minor changes will be seen 
on the 94 and 97.

##CTD (Surface)--Wheelchair Lift Deal

SEPTA settled a Federal lawsuit brought by advocates for the disabled who 
alleged that SEPTA failed to maintain the wheelchair lifts on its buses, and in 
some cases refused to use the lifts when they were working.  The agreement calls 
for SEPTA to take further steps to ensure compliance with Federal mandates on 
wheelchair-access.  The plaintiffs say that SEPTA drivers made up excuses to 
avoid picking up passengers in wheelchairs.  (In practice, a pickup or drop-off 
takes about three minutes start to finish)

##H  SEPTA Ridership Stats

Six-month data shows continued declines in SEPTA City Transit bus ridership, 
which couldn't be offset by improved showings on the Subway or Regional Rail 
Divisions.  Senior citizen ridership fell systemwide.

          ridership (000s)   change
  Surface (bus)     52,834   -5.3%
  Subway-Elevated   26,618   +2.7%
  Light Rail         4,806   -1.5%
City Trans. total   84,258   -2.4%
  Red Arrow          6,213   -3.0%
  Frontier           1,041   -4.3%
Suburban Total       7,254   -3.2%
RRD Total            9,536   +3.0%
SEPTA Total        101,048   -2.2%

RRD Weekday Ridership by Line:  December 93 vs. December 92
  R1 Airport        1,964   +11.1%
  R2 Wilmington     5,791    -8.1%
  R3 Elwyn          8,143    +3.0%
  R5 Paoli         19,869    +4.1%
  R6 Cynwyd           207   -31.7%
  R7 Trenton        8,000    -5.4%
  R8 C.H. West      5,192   +17.5%
PRR total          49,166
  R2 Warminster     5,150   +17.7%
  R3 West Trenton   6,332    +9.8%
  R5 Doylestown     9,327    -1.4%
  R6 Norristown     3,345   +25.6%
  R7 C.H. East      3,833    +3.5%
  R8 Fox Chase      3,416   +14.4%
RDG total          31,403   
RRD total          80,569   +4.4%


##I  Flagstops

SEPTA to Get Schedule-by-Fax?

Bids have been sought by SEPTA for a "Multichannel, multihost fax server" which 
to this cyberspace surfer sounds like a 'schedule-by-fax' machine.  Once SEPTA 
obtains and installs this device, you will be able to phone SEPTA, enter your 
fax number and the schedule you want, and have a SEPTA schedule in a matter of 
minutes.

As the cost of this kind of technology continues to decline and power increases, 
more and more transit operators are finding new ways to communicate with their 
customers.  SEPTA was first to put schedules on the internet, while NJ Transit 
has had schedule-by-fax for a year now, and MARC offers a complete voice-mail 
system with schedules and other information for all stations.

Familiar Faces...

Former SEPTA Board and Federal Transit Administrator Brian Clymer has been named 
as NJ Governor Christine Todd Whitman's State Treasurer, while Frank Wilson 
(former SEPTA AGM) will be Whitman's Transportation Commissioner.  Former City 
of Philadelphia Finance Director Betsy Reveal has taken the job of VP for 
Finance and Administration at Amtrak.

...New Faces

Maurice Cannon is the new head of the Delaware Railroad Administration.

New Freight Connection

Conrail's new Engleside Connection means less interference between freight and 
passenger trains in the congested Zoo area.  The track, visible on the south 
side of the Northeast Corridor between the Schuylkill and North Philadelphia, 
makes a direct link between Conrail's Trenton Line on the east shore of the 
Schuylkill and the '0 track' which is Conrail's dedicated piece of the Corridor 
from the river to the Delair Bridge.  

With the new connection, trains from Harrisburg and beyond cross the Columbia 
Bridge and pull up the hill to North Philadelphia instead of going onto the West 
Philadelphia 'High Line' for a time-consuming runaround move across Zoo 
interlocking.


##J  Seattle Metro: The Solution, Not the Problem

Gary Locke, County Executive of King County, Washington, struck a blow against 
misguided regulators by unveiling a plan to scrap King County Metro's plan to 
spend 96 million dollars converting its bus fleet to natural gas power.  Big 
vehicle fleets like those of public transit operators have long been targetted 
for special antipollution mandates instead of the millions of individually-owned 
cars that cause most of the problem.  Locke recognized that the best thing he 
can do for environmental quality in the Puget Sound area is to get more people 
to ride public transit: "Natural gas will not get people out of their cars... 
more convenient bus service will."  Locke added that switching to gas requires 
expensive new facilities, and adds to operating costs.


##K  LA: More Service, Less Bureaucracy

Ridership on Metrolink commuter rail in the Los Angeles area is down some from 
the post-earthquake high, but still far greater than anyone had anticipated just 
four months ago.  Another new station opened up just two months after the quake.  
(The first stations took only a week to open!)  Another line was extended last 
month; while the track is not in optimum shape, service came first-repair crews 
are working to boost train speeds.  Railcars are being leased from GO Transit in 
Ontario, they were delivered in just a few weeks: not years.

That ability to start service quickly, without hundreds of millions of dollars 
of make-work projects, it the great advantage of commuter rail.  That is, if 
transit agencies can think more about providing service to the public than about 
providing contracts to construction companies and engineers.  Almost makes one 
wish an earthquake would strike the Delaware Valley...


##CREDITS
News compiled by Matthew Mitchell and correspondents: Chuck Bode, Howard Bender, 
Tom Borawski,  John Hay, James Morgan, Bill Mulloy, Don Nigro, John Pawson.

Additional news from BITNET, Conrail Newswire, Delmarva RPA, mass. transit, NARP 
News, Passenger Transport, Pro-Rail Nebraska, USENET, Washington Post.

Special thanks to John McGee, Thomas Nuxoll and Alan Wickersham of SEPTA, and 
Alan Tillotson of NJT.

The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger is a charter member of the Rail Online 
Newswire.


##L  Let's Go Talgo  by Chuck Bode and Matthew Mitchell

The State of Washington is not waiting for a special Federal appropriation, 
Amtrak investment, or outside mandates to improve its corridor train service: it 
has arranged and funded a demonstration service of the Spanish Talgo train 
between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, to supplement the existing Amtrak service 
in this corridor.  (Wow, a progressive state promoting an alternative to 
highways and two states cooperating on cross border trains-must not be the same 
country the Delaware Valley is in.)  

On its way to the Pacific Northwest, the Talgo visited 30th Street March 12 and 
14.  Unlike the X2000 and ICE trains, the locomotive remained in Spain. Amtrak 
engines are hauling the train.  

PHOTO:  Talgo approaching Walnut St. March 12.  Notice the difference in height 
between the Amtrak engine and Talgo cars.   photos: Chuck Bode

Talgo was invented in Spain during the 1940s: the Spanish acronym means "light 
articulated train."  The basic idea is a low, light-weight train of short cars 
with only one axle each.  The front of each car is supported by the car ahead; 
the single axle is at the rear of each car.  Talgo was one of the first 'tilt 
trains.'  Unlike the X2000, the Talgo tilt system is passive, like a pendulum, 
rather than active, with hydraulic systems tilting the train.

Several attempts to build a successful Talgo for service in the United States 
were made during the 1950s.  General Motors built three trains, using components 
from their buses.  The Pennsylvania RR briefly operated some of the GM trains on 
Pittsburgh-Philadelphia service.  None were successful, though several remained 
in use as commuter trains on the Rock Island and Boston & Maine railroads until 
the mid 60s.  Complaints centered around the rough ride of the light-weight cars 
on American track.  The railroads were also unable to adjust the fixed formation 
Talgo to accomodate changes in passenger demand.

photo:  The single axle, low-level design. 

In Spain, however, more effort was put into making Talgo successful.  Several 
generations have been produced, including trains with sleeping cars.  Some have 
adjustable wheel and axle sets that change gauge as the train croses from 
Spain's broad gauge track to France's standard track-enabling thru service from 
Spain to France and Germany.

We look forward to reports of the train's operation.  Hopefully, the newest 
Talgo has overcome previous problems.  A lightweight, low cost train could 
improve the economics of passenger train operation.


##M  Union Rules Hurt Route 57 Passengers 

About a year ago, SEPTA reorganized and consolidated several bus routes. The 50 
was abandoned, with a vastly changed Route 57 expected to carry the load in 
South Philadelphia.  But the length of 57 made it hard to tailor service levels 
to passenger demand.  Since the reorganization, DVARP has heard from several 
would-be passengers who could not even get on the overcrowded buses.

Upon investigation, we discovered deadheading buses nearby that could easily end 
the overcrowding.  However, the deadheading buses were from Southern Depot, 
while Route 57 was from Luzerne.  The TWU insists that drivers from one depot 
not run routes of another depot.  So empty buses roll by while passengers can't 
get home.

The February schedule change finally has two trippers from Market St. to Oregon 
Ave.-but not with the Southern Depot buses.  We urge the TWU to be more 
flexible.  Increased SEPTA costs followed by increased fares followed by 
decreased ridership is not the route to job security.-CB


##N  Commuter Rail Resurges-Elsewhere        by John Pawson

Commuter trains are moving ahead all over the United States. Decades ago, there 
were only six major central business districts to which large numbers of trains 
carried many thousands of seated commuters-Boston, New York City, Newark, 
Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco.  A handful of minor commuter 
operations existed in other Northeast and Midwest centers.  By 1955, it appeared 
that the commuter train, by then a somewhat specialized and upscale mass 
transportation activity, would roll on to oblivion.

Transportaton writer and Indiana University professor George Smerk cited three 
causes for the near-demise of commuter service, as stated in the landmark "Doyle 
Report" of 1961:

1. Fundamental changes in habits and tastes.  The automobile, the television, 
and the growing self-sufficiency of the suburban area all had effects on travel 
demand, tending most notable to reduce off-peak travel by train.

2. Keener competition for the railroads' freight traffic.  They responded by 
trimming or eliminating (where regulators allowed) money-losing services such as 
commuter trains.

3. Long-term worsening of the price-cost relationship of the trains.  Work rules 
were fixed; and post-World War II prosperity led to a rapid rise in railroad 
wages, faster than the regulators-or even the marketplace-would allow fare 
levels to follow.  Whenever the companies were able to win concessions from the 
unions, they were in freight operations, not passenger.

The railroads induced Congress to write clauses facilitating abandonment of 
passenger trains into the Transportation Act of 1958.  As a result, several 
important lines collapsed, most notably the [New York Central] West Shore 
service in New Jersey.  To this there were two distinct reactions:

1) A Chicago railroad (eventually followed by other Chicago roads and San 
Francisco) sought to make commuter trains profitable by large-scale investment 
in new technologies and methods.  Its operation became profitable for a decade 
until the price/cost trend caught up once again.

2) By contrast the East Coast political establishments chose to subsidize the 
commuter train operations.  The initial effort failed in six months, terminating 
Boston's Old Colony [south shore, ex-New Haven] services.

The second subsidy effort, in Philadelphia, succeeded; and by the mid-1960's, 
all of the area's inner commuter services were supported by public money.  The 
region's bus and subway operators, however, viewed the campaign as "unfair 
subsidized competition." A strong slant against commuter rail infected their 
senior officials.  When SEPTA acquired these companies and their employees, the 
antipathy for commuters and commuter rail service took hold among some employees 
in the new agency.

By the 1980s, the declining fortunes of the railroads had forced a drastic 
reduction in the numbers of their employees, and thus in their political clout.  
Also by this time, the long post-World War II wage spiral had moderated.  
Observers were shocked when the fireman on diesel commuter trains, long mandated 
for 'safety,' was legislated out of existence by Congress.

For the first time, labor costs on diesel powered commuter trains could equal 
those of the fireman-less multiple-unit electric commuter trains.  Electrified 
lines were expensive to build and maintain, and could be justified only by heavy 
traffic.  Outside the conservative East, the understanding came that where a 
good rail freight system through the suburbs existed, starting a low-density 
commuter rail system at relatively low per-mile cost was now feasible.

Previously, several metropolitan areas had built very expensive heavy rapid 
transit lines into the suburbs, followed by nearly-as expensive light rail 
transit lines.  However, they had encountered their natural economic, 
demographic, and political confines before reaching all the suburbs.  Every 
metro area which has opened a rapid transit or light rail system, now enjoys, or 
plans to open a commuter rail line or system.  In one case (BART), it's the 
rapid transit operator itself making such studies, as a way of reducing the cost 
of expanding rail service.

So today commuter rail is more vibrant and widespread than in 1955. Few know 
this fact because the commuter rail community doesn't toot its horn as well as 
the rail transit community does.  There are now 13 commuter rail operations in 
this country which run 83 lines leading to over a dozen central business 
districts, with about 1020 stations in 14 states.  A fourteenth operation is 
expected to begin late this year, between Oceanside, California and San Diego.


##O  Vuchic Proposes Radical Change for RRD:
  Build It and They Will Come!   by Matthew Mitchell

In a consultant study done for SEPTA, transit experts Vukan Vuchic and Shinya 
Kikuchi suggest that the way to rebuild the ridership of the Regional Rail 
system is to convert it from a commuter rail operation to "regional metrorail" 
not unlike PATCO or the Washington Metro.

The two scholars (Vuchic from the University of Pennsylvania, Kikuchi from 
Delaware) have been influential on the operation in the past: their "General 
Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional Rail System" was the model followed when 
SEPTA united the ex-Pennsylvania and Reading systems with the Center City 
tunnel. Some planners within SEPTA and in City government find the metrorail 
model attractive; the plan has sparked much discussion there and within DVARP 
too.   

But in the zeal to promote what might be a better idea, does the report 
sacrifice objectivity?  There are oversights in the report, and questions which 
must be answered before hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in the 
"metrorail" concept. 

The logic of the study goes as follows: improvements in the frequency of train 
service will make the railroad more convenient for potential users, leading to a 
major increase in off-peak ridership.  In order to pay for the increased 
service, SEPTA has to reduce the cost of running each train by reducing crews to 
two or even one person.  

One-man operation will not be safe or feasible without installation of high 
platforms at RRD stations and purchase of cars similar to PATCO's or those on 
the New York MTA lines, says the report.  If the cost of these improvements can 
be kept reasonable, the return on capital investment is reasonable; they might 
even pay for themselves in increased ridership and revenue.  

The report starts with an evaluation of the state of the railroad today:  
  "The RGR [Regional Rail System] is presently an underfinanced, underperforming
  and therefore, greatly underutilized Philadelphia Region's [sic] resource. 
  This condition has created an urgent need for a careful evaluation and
  planning of actions that would stop and reverse the downward train.  

The basic facts are identified: a dense network with closely-spaced stations, 
dominance of peak-hour riders, and a history of service abandonments and 
ridership losses.  Reading between the lines, one finds criticism of RRD 
management: 
  "...maintenance and reconstruction projects were carried out without adequate
  protection for service reliability.
  ...While each of these [improvement] measures has been useful, their
  introduction has often been done without coordination with other elements
  which has prevented achievement of the maximum effectiveness of each
  investment.

Take for example ticket vending machines; they should have reduced the expense 
of collecting fares on board the trains, but SEPTA did not reduce the number of 
crew members on its trains.  When maintenance is figured in, the machines likely 
cost SEPTA more than they save.  

Land use and transportation policy decisions at all levels of government also 
are criticized.  And Vuchic and Kikuchi bring up a heretofore underrecognized 
culprit: Federal regulations which combine steam railroad operating rules with 
mandates for foolproof high-tech safety devices, forcing high spending to 
comply, but little real safety benefit.

The bulk of the report discusses the technical aspects of high-platform 
operation with reduced crews, including a lengthy treatise on platform height 
alternatives.  A good case is made for high platforms, and suggestions for 
minimizing their cost are given, but Vuchic and Kicuchi forsee an idealized 
world where real-world constraints like limited right-of-way don't interfere.  
They do make a good argument for building the platforms, though: SEPTA will have 
to do it sooner or later to comply with Federal wheelchair-access rules.  

The biggest problem with the 'metrorail' study is that it pays far too little 
attention to the peak-hour riders who make up the bulk of commuter rail users.  
The thoroughness of the platform-height analysis doesn't carry over to ridership 
studies.

The second real problem is that Vuchic and Kikuchi assume on-board crew wages 
make up the bulk of RRD costs.  That just isn't the case; a lot of RRD people 
work behind the scenes.  So this report will spur talk about 'transitization,' 
but it also gives ammunition to its opponents.


##P  "I Walked Across the Corridor"   by James S. Morgan

Ten o'clock Sunday morning, January 16, found me  waiting at Market East Station 
for the R5 Paoli local to join a friend for a day of railfanning.  A train 
pulled up on Track 4, but it bore no markings as to train number or final 
destination.  The loudspeaker announced that the R5 Paoli local was boarding on 
Track 4 and I hopped on.  The stops at Suburban Station and 30th Street were 
announced, but nothing was said by any of the crew about the final destination.  

I noticed that the train was passing the Philadelphia Zoo, and this struck me as 
odd, but when the train crossed a frozen Schuylkill, I went up to the cab and 
asked where the train was going.  I had boarded the R7 to Trenton!  Apparently 
the R7 departs two minutes earlier on the same track.  Then, and only then, the 
crew began announcing that the train was the R7 bound for Trenton.

I was put off at North Philadelphia.  The conductor simply pointed to the 
stairwell and told me to use the stairs and not cross the tracks.  I was told 
that an R7 back to 30th Street would be along in ten minutes.  Both stairwells 
appeared boarded up.  I could not open anything at the southern stairwell, so I 
went to the northern stairwell.  It likewise was boarded up, but the boards were 
knocked out of two of the windows, permitting access to the stairs.  The passage 
at the bottom of the stairs was boarded up.  

I was desperate.  The station platform was an island in a sea of tracks on the 
high-speed Northeast Corridor.  An Amtrak train passed through, and I tried to 
signal my plight to the engineer.  Finally, I saw a figure in Amtrak's North 
Philadelphia Tower.  I succeeded in gaining his attention.  He said that if I 
could not use the stairs, I would have to cross the tracks to get to the 
southbound platform.  I protested that such a crossing would be illegal and 
dangerous.  He checked his schedule and told me that I had two minutes before 
the next train.  He told me to walk out to the end of the platform, descend the 
wooden stairs and cross fast.  

The area around the stairwells was clear of ice, but to reach the end of the 
platform, I had to step over an orange barricade fence, then walk across a long 
stretch of glare ice.  I reached the other side just as the southbound R7 
arrived.  I had to walk up against another barricade fence to board the train.

The conductor on the southbound R7 was very helpful and pointed out the correct 
track for the R5 when the train stopped at 30th Street.  He remarked that he had 
only to look at my face to tell what happened.  By his own admission, passengers 
are regularly put off at North Philadelphia because of confusion between the R7 
and the R5.

I detailed these events on a Service Guarantee claim form while I was waiting 
for the R5, and made two suggestions to avoid a repetition of this type of 
incident-that the end destinations as well as individual stops of SEPTA trains 
should be announced on board by train crews, and that North Philadelphia Station 
should be fixed up.  

I called Amtrak and DVARP.  On DVARP's advice, I wrote a letter to all the 
parties involved, explaining that day's events.

Kevin Dant of Amtrak called me twice on January 24, 1994.  In the first call, he 
noted that he had called SEPTA, which said that it would rectify the 
announcement problems.  In the second call, he said he had called the station 
operator at North Philadelphia.  The operator had walked out and tested the door 
on the southernmost stairwell, and the door was working.  It was not clear why I 
failed to open it.  He noted, of course, that the door is not labelled, and 
without knob or handle, it looks as though the entrance is boarded over.  Dant 
said that he would recommend that signs be posted to direct passengers to the 
door.  How long they will last with all the vandalism I do not know.  

Amtrak confirmed in a written response February 24 that Federal budgetary 
constraints do not permit repair of the North Philadelphia Station.  Both Amtrak 
in this letter and the Federal Transit Authority in its letter of February 15 
stated that SEPTA should respond to me on the problem of train announcements.  

SEPTA also sent me a response to my Service Guarantee claim dated February 16, 
1994. The Service Guarantee Monitor stated that I was not eligible for a refund 
(which I didn't ask for) because the incidents of which I complained occurred on 
a weekend.


##Q  Rail Service for Moorestown and Burlington County:  The Simple Truth

A letter published in the NEWSWeekly of Burlington County in response to letters 
opposing passenger trains though Moorestown:

To The Editor:

I am writing in response to the concerns that have been put forward by some 
individuals in the past two weeks regarding passenger rail service for 
Moorestown and greater Burlington County, in particular Jane Wiltshire's 
February 10 letter to the editor and some remarks made at the February 17 
meeting held in Moorestown.

At the meeting, local rail opponents expressed to government officials their 
opposition to the use of the existing rail right-of-way needed by residents of 
Moorestown and other Burlington County communities east and north of Moorestown.  
Two alternatives to the use of existing rail right-of-way were discussed.  The 
first uses the Interstate 295 corridor connecting with the Lindenwold Line at 
Woodcrest.  The second uses the existing rail right-of-way but avoids downtown 
Moorestown and instead cuts over to the Moorestown Mall via the North Branch 
Pennsauken Creek.  The line would be built on concrete pilings and would cross 
above Main St.  Both of these rail alternatives to avoid downtown Moorestown are 
circuitous and clearly infeasible.

The April 1993 study shows that constructing a rail line in the medial strip of 
Interstate-295 would cost 6% more and draw 42% fewer riders.  This alternative 
does not adequately serve anyone.  Communities such as Maple Shade, Pennsauken 
and Delran are abandoned, those who live in other parts of Burlington County are 
offered only a grossly circuitous routing to Philadelphia.  Their travel path is 
an 'L' shape.  It is the aviational equivalent of flying to Washington D.C. with 
a stop-over in Pittsburgh.  Moreover, high speed travel is already available on 
I-295 with the use of the automobile.  Many people will just continue to drive 
down I-295 to catch a train at the Woodcrest Station.  All of these factors 
indirectly result in the dismally low computer model ridership projection of 42% 
fewer riders for the I-295 alternative, thereby confirming what had been 
intuitively obvious to transportation professionals.

The second alternative which uses the North Branch Pennsauken Creek would draw 
slightly fewer passengers and cost 57% more, an additional $333 million.  Both 
of these alternatives with their ridership projections are not cost-effective.  
We cannot (and the state will not) foolishly squander an additional one-third of 
a billion dollars of taxpayer money for a lesser solution.  It will not happen.

Therefore, if the local rail opponents are successful in denying the use of the 
existing rail right-of-way, passenger rail service will go no further than Maple 
Shade requiring many Burlington County residents to drive through Moorestown.

Senator Haines said that the only reason to bring the train through Moorestown 
is that it would be less expensive than other routes because the rail is already 
there.  The Senator cautions, however, that it would not be efficient.

Contrary to the Senator's belief, New Jersey Transit has indicated in all 
likelihood that the rail would be relaid to a higher standard; this expense also 
is reflected in the cost estimates.  The only thing that would be reused is the 
right-of-way and many of the bridges.  The cost estimates for construction on 
the existing right-of-way have nothing to do with the rail already being there.

"We are under the gun to get more people riding public transportation," Senator 
Haines said, but "I will not support a cheap system.  Cheap will not solve the 
problem."

Contrary to the Senator's understanding, the existing right-of-way is more than 
just the most frugal option.  The right-of-way in its entirety from Mt. Holly to 
the heart of the Delaware Valley is the most direct, quickest and only feasible 
alternative for Burlington County.

However, the line is not perfect.  For three blocks in Moorestown, between 
Washington Ave. and Chester Ave. along Third St., the right of way narrows and 
homes are located on both sides of the street.  Three diesel freight trains per 
week currently travel this line.  The right-of-way amongst the same homes once 
had many passenger and freight trains on it at all hours of the day and night.  
The last passenger train operated April 25, 1969.

Jane Wiltshire, in her February 10 letter to the editor, expressed concern about 
passenger rail service returning to the existing right-of-way.  Ms. Wiltshire 
said that they will have a "dangerous, disruptive and noisy high speed train 
running directly in our front or back yards."

First of all, although the electric train will not go unheard, it can often go 
unnoticed. It also will be much quieter than the diesel freight trains that are 
seen on the line.  Regarding safety and intrusion issues, there are a number of 
possible prescriptions that could be implemented, several in combination with 
each other:

1. Install a fence;

2. Submerge the line;

3. Many of those properties on that three block strip are 200 feet deep.  Pour 
new foundations and move the structures back.  This could work especially well 
with option two;

4. Restrict train speeds to 15 or 25 mph for the three blocks; and

5. Offer home owners a more-than-fair buyout, possibly including such items as 
low interest mortgages on their next home and moving expenses.  Some residents 
will not want to live near the line, but others will be glad to take their 
place.  Being close to effective rail service can conveniently allow a family to  
have just one car.

Ms. Wiltshire, for the benefit of the tens of thousands of potential riders from 
Burlington County, in the spirit of the public good, we ask that you and your 
neighbors on the three block stretch to please contemplate all of to the above 
options.  As you yourself said, we ask you to "please consider the enormous 
human impact."

Unlike, some other state related agencies, New Jersey Transit has demonstrated 
that it is exceptionally fair to those who are most greatly impacted by 
community investments.  We would like to work with the home owners on the three 
block stretch to see that New Jersey Transit continues this practice in 
Moorestown.

Finally, I would like to address a few other concerns that have been expressed 
in the past two weeks.  At the February 17 meeting held in Moorestown, there 
were some worries expressed about the crime rate and passenger rail service.  
The crime rate in Haddonfield should give residents peace of mind.  Haddonfield 
is one of the safest towns in the state.

Regarding congestion, Ms. Wiltshire in her letter to the editor stated, "I also 
have to laugh at the idea that building a station in Moorestown will relieve 
traffic congestion.  Riders from towns west of here will surely increase 
downtown traffic, as happened in Haddonfield..."  From my letter to the editor 
of January 27, Ms. Wiltshire should know better.

As the study indicates, Moorestown would have a community walk-on station.  Such 
a station would be quite small and fit well into the community; less than 50 
parking spaces would be provided.  The large park & ride stations would be east 
and west of the town, at the Route 537 interchange with Route 73 in Maple Shade, 
and near Route 295 & 38 in Mount Laurel.  This would draw motorists who wish to 
access the train away from  Moorestown.

Haddonfield Station has over 1000 parking spaces, yet Ms. Wiltshire and others 
compare it to the potential Moorestown Station which would have under 50 spaces.  
Unfortunately, this is another example of what is a lack of understanding for 
the passenger rail initiative by the vocal opposition.  If the rail opponents 
continue to make such a comparison, their intent will be seen as fearmongering 
for their own personal benefit.

However, if Moorestown and Burlington County someday have cost effective 
passenger rail service, it will reap many benefits for the beautiful town.  
Historically, such passenger rail service has significantly increased the value 
of the homes in the vicinity of the line.  The rail service will help reduce 
pollution, combat traffic congestion, and protect the environment. And, in 
downtown Moorestown, the young, the elderly, the disabled and the daily commuter 
will be able to walk to the railroad station on a spring day and catch a train 
to their destination.

[signed]

Donald Nigro
South Jersey Coordinator
New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers
Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers


##R  South Jersey Notes

NJ Transit is changing some bus schedules April 2.  Pick up a new timetable at 
Camden Transportation Center or the Philadelphia bus terminal, or call NJ 
Transit.

NJT Ridership Report

All of NJ Transit's operating divisions reported strong gains in ridership for 
the second quarter of the fiscal year.  This appears to be a true gain in market 
share, as employment in the NJT service area is still declining slightly.  Part 
of the gain was attributed to the bad winter weather, as people left their cars 
behind and took transit instead.  According to NJT's report, the agency is first 
in ridership growth among the ten biggest U.S. transit agencies.

line      ridership(1000s)  change
  Atlantic City      156.7  +17.7%
  NE Corridor       4798.9   +2.6%
  North Jer. Coast  1568.9   +9.0%
  Raritan Valley     966.3   +7.9%
  Morris & Essex    1788.2   +6.0%
  Main/Bergen       1011.9   +4.5%
  Boonton            383.2   +8.4%
  Pascack            319.5   +6.5%
Rail Total         10993.6   +5.2%
South Jersey Bus    5014.0   +7.8%
North Jersey Bus   26758.9   +5.4%
PATCO               2783.0   -1.4%


##S  Federal Investigation: Amtrak Underfunded
by Dan Lutz (Pro-Rail Nebraska) and Matthew Mitchell

The U.S. General Accounting Office reported that Amtrak "has deteriorated so 
badly that it cannot continue to operate a viable national passenger train 
network without substantial increases in federal and state funding," according 
to newspaper accounts. Amtrak's new president, Thomas Downs, told the House 
Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation he agreed with the GAO findings: 
"We are now, as America's railroad, promising a service we can't deliver." 

Kenneth Mead, director of transportation issues for GAO (Congress' investigative 
arm), added: "Congress cannot have both quality train service and low Amtrak 
budgets."  

Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris told the House subcommittee 
President Clinton proposed a 15 percent increase in Amtrak's capital and 
operating budget-to $788 million in fiscal 1995-which she called "a good start." 
However, Mead and Downs said the Clinton budget is inadequate, given the state 
of Amtrak. The Clinton budget, if adopted, they said, "will help, but it will 
not resolve the short- and long-term challenges facing Amtrak."

During the administration of Graham Claytor, Amtrak's objective was to become 
self-sufficient-free of Federal operating subsidy by the year 2001.  But 
progress to that goal came at the cost of reduced maintenance of  aged equipment 
and more and more breakdowns.  As long as Amtrak depends on annual Congressional 
appropriations (highways aren't forced to compete with Coast Guard drug 
patrols), it has to run trains through as many Congressional districts as 
possible.  The result is like forcing twenty pounds of service into a ten-pound 
sack.

It looks as though Downs will relax the drive for financial independence and 
demand instead that the government level a playing field which has been tilted 
towards roads and airports and away from rail-a welcome change.


##T  Amnotes
Schedule Change Postponed

Amtrak pushed its spring schedule change back from the traditional April date to 
Sunday, May 1.  According to NARP, the new schedule will have some interesting 
features: lots of added service in New York State, including an extra summer 
weekend service to Saratoga Springs (summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra) 
and a new late-night weekend train (with sleeper!) across the Empire State to 
Niagara Falls.  This summer's 'Cape Codder' service will be extended to the 
weekend after Labor Day.

Downs Speaks Out on Service

In a "Leadership Conference" for top staff in February, new Amtrak President 
Thomas Downs bluntly assessed Amtrak's declining service:
  "I've also found a number of [employees] who love railroading but think
  passengers get in the way.... I have a feeling the part of [this] is relate
  to the fact that we have systems that don't work, we have management
  structures that don't work, and we sure as hell have equipment that doesn't
  work....


##U  NARP Looks at Commuter Rail

Invited to present the passengers' point of view at an APTA commuter rail 
meeting, NARP Executive Director Ross Capon recently sought out opinions from 
local organizations like DVARP.  DVARP President Chuck Bode, in consultation 
with the Commuter Rail Committee and other members, replied with a letter 
reminding all that "the focus has to be on the passenger, not on the 
consultants, construction companies, politicians, and agency administrative 
staff."


##V  VIA Facing Another Service Slash

Despite vague statements supporting passenger train service in last year's 
election campaign, the ruling Liberal Party in Canada is poised to reduce its 
suport of the VIA national passenger train system by 30 percent.  Said Transport 
Minister Doug Young: "There's no more money from the Government of Canada for 
VIA.  And there's no point in asking for any....Undoubtedly there will be major 
problems for employees and users.  We're just trying to do the best we can."

Transport 2000 sources are speculating that service will be cut across the 
country.  The 'Atlantic': from Montreal to the Maritimes via northern Maine is 
likely to go, along with VIA local service from Toronto to Niagara Falls and 
Sarnia.  The 'Canadian,' the train which made the nation, will be cut again.  
But joint Amtrak/VIA services to Toronto and Montreal should be spared.

##W  Up and Down the Corridor
News of other Northeastern commuter rail and rail transit services

#VRE Guarantee

Frustrated by its freight railroad hosts' reluctance to have additional 
passenger trains on its lines, Virginia Railway Express has still found a way to 
meet its customers' needs.  If passengers have an emergency and need to get back 
home in the middle of the day when VRE doen't run any service, it will pay 90 
percent of the cost of a taxi or other alternate transportation, up to $100.

Most people won't need to use this "Special Delivery" guarantee, but the peace 
of mind it brings them may be what it takes to get them to take the train 
instead of driving.

#Rudy Lets Straphangers Down

In a proposed Capital Plan for the City of New York, new Mayor Rudolph Guliani 
has not only tipped the transit/highway balance, he's upset it completely.  
Instead of the longstnading 50/50 ratio between road and transit projects in the 
budget, he shifts the balance heavily to dirty, dangerous cars.

#MARC Looks to Improve Commuter Environment

As the Maryland Rail Commuter operation purchases new cars to accomodate its 
growing ridership, the newly-formed Commuter Advisory Committee will give its 
opinion on the vehicles in which its members spend up to four hours a day in.  
The CAC voted last month to recommend 2+2 instead of 2+3 seating in the new 
cars. MARC is looking at western-style bi-level gallery cars, which are 2+2.  
Commuters everywhere dislike the crowded feel of the three-abreast seats; SEPTA 
riders often stand for twenty minutes or more rather than take that middle seat.

But just as it did in adding cafe and parlor car service, MARC is going a step 
further.  It is looking into specifying airline-style individual ventilation 
controls for its railcars!

#T for Free!

MBTA (Boston) General Manager John Haley said he wasn't satisfied with speed 
with which his company recovered from a big January snowstorm, and punctuated 
his comment by making the entire system free the morning of Jan. 11th.  Not only 
was this a touching apology to customers who were inconvenienced by the 
unreliable service, it was a message to T employees that Haley doesn't consider 
bad weather an excuse.

#Mass. to T: Build Ridership

When the MBTA failed to provide a legally-mandated environmental impact report 
for its 1993 fare increase, the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs 
had a novel idea.  Rather than roll back the fares raised in contravention of 
regulations, he placed the money raised ($5.9 million) in escrow-to be used only 
for projects designed to increase T ridership, such as information and 
advertising campaigns, parking fee reductions, new ticket machines, and bike-
and-ride projects.

##X  DVARP Details

NARP Region III Meeting: Time Change

Philadelphia-area residents who plan to ride SEPTA to Wilmington for the Region 
III Annual Meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers will be 
glad to hear that the meeting start time has been changed to 11:00 am.   The 
location remains the same: The City/County Building in Wilmington, Delaware.  
Delmarva RPA members will meet passengers arriving at the train station and 
direct them onto DART buses for the short trip to the meeting.

While not confirmed yet, DRPA is working to arrange a tour of the Wilmington Car 
Company's shops to follow the meeting.  Guest speakers will address the meeting, 
too.  The fee for this day's activities is a very reasonable $10.00.  For 
information and reservations, please call Steve von Bonin at 302-492-3676.

Circle the Date

Delmarva RPA has announced that it is planning its third annual "Rail to the 
Fair" excursion to the Delaware State Fair for July 23.  This special Amtrak 
train is expected to run from 30th Street to the Fairgrounds and back: a new and 
interesting routing has been promised for 1994!

Fair Notices, Volunteers Wanted

Got a community fair or other special event coming up in your neighborhood?  
Please let DVARP know about it.  Every year DVARP volunteers staff tables at 
these kind of events, handing out literature, showing pictures and sometimes 
videotapes of modern trains and trolleys, and telling residents how good train 
and transit service makes their community a better place to live and work.  
These kind of events are also fertile ground for finding new DVARP members, so 
if you'd like to spend part of a day at one of these fairs, we'd love to have 
you.  It's easy and fun; call DVARP volunteer coordinator Betsey Clark: 215-222-
3373, message box 4.


##Y  Dates of Interest

IEEE Vehicular Technology Society:  Wed., Apr. 13, 7:00 pm at Lebow Engineering 
Center, Drexel Univ., 31st and Market Sts. Topic: AC Traction Electromagentic 
Interference...

DVARP General Meeting: Thurs., Apr. 14, 6:00 to 9:00 at Temple University Center 
City, 1616 Walnut St.

NARP Region III Meeting:  Sat., Apr. 16, 11:00 to 2:00 in Council Chambers, 
Wilmington City-County Building.  Registration fee $10.00 includes lunch.  Call 
Steve von Bonin, 302-492-3676, for details.

SEPTA Citizen Advisory Committee:  Tues., Apr. 19, 5:45 pm at SEPTA Board Room, 
714 Market St.

SEPTA on Site (Suburban Transit): Wed., Apr. 20, 7:30 to 9:30 am and 3:30 to 
5:30 pm at 69th St. Terminal, 7:30 to 9:30 am at Norristown Transportation 
Center.

Deadline for May newsletter material:  Tue., Apr. 26, to Matthew Mitchell or in 
DVARP mailbox.

SEPTA Board Meeting:  Thu., Apr. 28, 3:00 pm at SEPTA Board Room, 714 Market St.

Delmarva Rail Passenger Association: Mon., May 2, 7:00 pm, (note change of date) 
in State Senate Chamber, Legislative Hall, Dover.  Call Ken Berg, 410-648-4405, 
for more information.

Jenkintown Kiwanis Travelrama Lecture Series: "The Great Canadian Train Ride."  
Mon., May 9, 8:00 pm at the Keswick Theater, Easton Rd. and Keswick Ave., 
Glenside.  Tickets $10.00 at the door.

IEEE Vehicular Technology Society:  Thurs., May 11.  Time and place not 
available at this time.  Topic: Grand Central Terminal.

DVARP Commuter Rail Committee: Sat., May 14, 12:00 at Chestnut Gourmet, 1121 
Chestnut St., Phila.

DVARP South Jersey Committee:  Sat., May 21, 10:30 at 104 Edison Ave., 
Collingswood, NJ.

DVARP General Meeting: Sat., May 21, 1:00 to 4:00 at Ludington Library, 
Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr.

Listings based on information provided to DVARP.  
Contact sponsor to confirm time & place.

Call 215-222-3373, message box 3, to add your event to this calendar.

##Z  DVARP Phone & Voice-mail Directory
  -  DVARP main number (voice mail line)    215-222-3373 
  1  Chuck Bode, President                  215-222-3373 
  5  Tom Borawski, VP-Transportation        215-552-4198 
  6  Robert H. Machler, VP-Administration   215-222-3373 
  5  Sharon Shneyer, VP-Public Relations    215-386-2644
  3  Matthew Mitchell, Newsletter Editor    215-885-7448
  4  Betsey Clark, Volunteer Coordinator    215-222-3373 
  8  Treasurer                              215-222-3373
  2  John Pawson, Commuter RR Comm.         215-659-7736 
       (6 to 9 pm please)
  3  Transit Committee                      215-222-3373 
  7  Don Nigro, South Jersey Committee      609-869-0020
  -  Dan Radack, Bicycle Coordinator        215-232-6303
  Media Hotline (digital beeper)            215-552-4198
  Computer e-mail (internet)   73243.1224@compuserve.com 
  

##AA Upcoming DVARP Meetings:

Thursday, April 14, 6:00 to 9:00   Temple University Center City
  1616 Walnut St., Philadelphia.  please note special date!
  see message board in lobby for room number
  food, drinks, smoking prohibited in meeting room.

NARP Region III Meeting:
  Saturday, April 16, 11:00 to 2:00   Wilmington City-County Building

Saturday, May 21, 1:00 to 4:00   Ludington Library, Bryn Mawr

Saturday June 18, 1:00 to 4:00   Bucks County Library, Doylestown



##BB Agenda for the April meeting:
  6:00 Introductions, agenda, minutes
  6:10 Issues requiring immediate action
    SEPTA Budget
    NARP Region III meeting
  7:15 Other issues
    Commuter Rail Committee:
      NJ-PA through-service 
    South Jersey Committee:
      Gloucester County organizing
    Administration:
      Incorporation
      Guest speakers for meetings
      Membership brochure

Committee Meetings:
  
  South Jersey Comm.:  Sat., May 21, 10:30 at 104 Edison Ave., Collingswood, NJ
  Commuter Rail Comm.:  Sat., May 14, 12:00, Chestnut Gourmet, 1121 Chestnut St.
  Transit Committee:  no meeting this month.

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