If you don't have details, how can you match demand?

by: Jason Springer

Mon Jan 18, 2010 at 04:00:00 PM EST

NJ Transit has planned to cut service from one train that runs from Philadelphia to Atlantic City in the early morning and people aren't happy with the decision. Last Friday was supposed to be the last day:

Passengers said getting rid of Train 4610 on the Atlantic City line would hinder their ride to work. The train leaves here each weekday at 5:49 a.m., and arrives at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station at 7:24 a.m.
NJ Transit said it's shifting schedules and making some cuts to match demand. But spokeswoman Penny Basset-Hackett said the agency does not have ridership details for the 4610 train.
Service will end Friday unless a quick change is made to NJ Transit's plan

Shouldn't you get the details on how much lines are used before you decide to cancel them? What if demand is actually high on this line, compared to others. And that's not the answer they gave NJN, event though they wouldn't talk on camera:

...declining overall ridership on the line coupled with the need to operate as efficiently as possible, has made this necessary

So one spokesman says they don't have details of ridership, but the other one says that the declining ridership forced the change. Maybe they're right and demand is so low that the line should go, but shouldn't they have the details before making the move? Or shouldn't they get their stories straight at least?

Jason Springer :: If you don't have details, how can you match demand?

Tags: NJ Transit, (All Tags)

Print Friendly View

Send As Email

If you don't have details, how can you match demand? | 1 comments

This isn't the only line the cut (0.00 / 0)

We got this release today from Tri-State Transportation:

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign is concerned by cuts by NJ Transit to nine train runs on the Main/Bergen, Montclair-Boonton, Raritan Valley, and Atlantic City Lines. Without stable funding for NJ Transit, these cuts may be the first of many.
NJ Transit has termed these "schedule adjustments," but they are in fact cuts to service that will impact riders' ability to get to and from work, school, and other destinations. While it makes sense for transit agencies to adjust service in response to changes in ridership, such changes must be made deliberately and with input from those affected. We urge NJ Transit to:
Hold public hearings to allow for citizen input. State law requires NJ Transit to hold hearings when "substantial curtailments" of service occur. In the past, NJ Transit has held hearings before service changes that likely affected fewer people than these recent cuts.
Publicly state how many riders will be impacted by these service cuts, and in what way. New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority did so when announcing service cuts last year.
The Campaign urges incoming NJ Transit executive director James Weinstein to take another look at these cuts. We thank State Senator James Whelan for his efforts to save service on the Atlantic City Line.

by: Jason Springer @ Mon Jan 18, 2010 at 22:29:01 PM UTC