See? Much easier to say "No" than to say "Yes". Wait for the restoration of the cut-off (which will be never. There is NO set date for anything; there is NO entity willing to say "This MUST be done, and I am going to do it.") and spend no money, or run trains on existing tracks, whatever their condition or alignment, to see whether the tide of growth can be influenced by the availability of rail transportation instead of already over-loaded highways. The cost of expanded service should have no bearing: it's a money-losing proposition no matter what. Passenger service never pays for itself. Ever. Rail, air, highway -- all are subsidized by civilization because passenger travel has become a cultural neccesity. If the highways involved became toll roads to make them self- sufficient, the spotlight would swing instantly to the railroads. Instad, we -- as a culture -- have elected to pay our toll to the petroleum and automotive industries. Look elsewhere. In Europe and Great Britain, you can get between most places by train several times a day -- most places, that is, where people live. Trains go where people live because people live where trains go. If we don't run the trains, we default to the highways. "If you build it, they will come." If we don't build (run) it, they can't come. Randy Brown - -------------------------------------------------------------- - --- Jim McCormack <JMcCormack_@_erie-lackawanna.com> wrote: > This is all speculation anyway. While yes, a good number of the > cars in the parking lot at Port Jervis station have Pennsylvania > plates, the ridership numbers just wouldn't justify the cost of > extending the service. Right, on a good day there are 40-50 cars there, which may include NJT crew members. Gary R. Kazin DL&W Milepost R35.7 Rockaway, New Jersey The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org To Unsubscribe: http://lists.elhts.org/erielackunsub.html ------------------------------
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