Passenger Trains > NJ Transit and the Delco lead, County yard etc

Larry Higgs has a column in NJ.com about NJ Transit's plans for the improvements proposed and underway for the New Brunswick - North Brunswick area. From the Jersey Avenue station on the NEC southward to the MIDWAY area in South Brunswick. The flyover, the new North Brunswick station, the current Adams maintenance base, and the expansion of COUNTY yard are all part of this major plan.

The picture used in the article is of the New Brunswick station, which isn't part of this project. New Brunswick is north of North Brunswick (Jersey Avenue is in New B, about 1/2 mile from the border with North B.  MIDWAY is in South Brunswick, just south of the border with North B)

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That article does not say much about the Midline Loop (flyover) at all. i actually have the complete planned new track diagram from a slide set that was presented sometime back. This article is mostly about additions to the yards at County and Adams that is proposed to add storage capacity on high ground for NJT.

Incidentally the Midway Interlocking is in the process of being completely replaced with moving frog switches and higher speed crossovers, though not as high speed as will be placed in County, Delco and Adams as part of the NEC HSR project in NJ scheduled for completion in 2017.

Jishnu Wrote:
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> That article does not say much about the Midline
> Loop (flyover) at all. i actually have the
> complete planned new track diagram from a slide
> set that was presented sometime back. This article
> is mostly about additions to the yards at County
> and Adams that is proposed to add storage capacity
> on high ground for NJT.

Yes, I probably should have made that clear.  I was trying to place the article and improvements in context for people who aren't familiar with the what, where, etc.  We've mentioned these various projects on their own from time to time

>
> Incidentally the Midway Interlocking is in the
> process of being completely replaced with moving
> frog switches and higher speed crossovers, though
> not as high speed as will be placed in County,
> Delco and Adams as part of the NEC HSR project in
> NJ scheduled for completion in 2017.

Thanks for that.  I know there are a lot of people working on the ground at MIDWAY, and at Adams, etc. Lots of jobs. That's good news all around.

Whereas the Adams/Delco project will result in some time savings for New Brunswick area commuters, a much bigger issue is being overlooked.
NJ should be putting the money being spent on Adams/Delco in the Hudson River Tunnel (Gateway project) instead rather than waiting for NY to come up with money before the project proceeds.  If the present tunnels fail within a few years (as Boardman has predicted), Adams/Delco and other projects on the NEC will be moot.

Andy

twropr Wrote:
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> Whereas the Adams/Delco project will result in
> some time savings for New Brunswick area
> commuters, a much bigger issue is being
> overlooked.
> NJ should be putting the money being spent on
> Adams/Delco in the Hudson River Tunnel (Gateway
> project) instead rather than waiting for NY to
> come up with money before the project proceeds. 
> If the present tunnels fail within a few years (as
> Boardman has predicted), Adams/Delco and other
> projects on the NEC will be moot.
>
> Andy

NJ is not putting a single penny into Adams/Delco interlockings. Delco is currently a crossover from 3  to 4, and eventually from 1 to Delco lead; and Adams a crossover from 1 to 2, and a switch where the Midline Loop joins 4. All this is funded as part of the HSIPR grant from FRA to Amtrak with a drop dead deadline of 2017. It has nothing to do with Gateway. When this grant was made there was no Gateway.

Also Adams/Delco will do nothing for New Brunswick passengers. It will improve timekeeping and perhaps shave a few minutes of the schedule for NJT passengers to Princeton Jct. Hamilton and Trenton, and will improve performance of Acelas, and to some extent Regionals, since slower NJT outer zone expresses will get out of their way before Midway leaving the entire speedway on tracks 2 and 3 purely for Amtrak use.

As for Gateway Tunnel, until NJ comes up with some money nothing will happen. Failure of a tunnel will cause more harm to NJ and its economy than to Amtrak. Even with one tunnel, Amtrak would be able to operate most of its trains. It is NJT that will have its pooch screwed throughly. Until the politicos in NJ get this fact through their skull there is little hope.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/15 14:55 by Jishnu.