Bob Machler: 1933-2013

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It is my sad duty to inform all of you that Bob Machler, co-founder and former vice president of DVARP, suffered a stroke and died Thursday.

Those of you who have the opportunity to do so are encouraged to attend the funeral, which will be Tuesday at 10:00, at St. Katherine of Siena Church, Frankford and Grant Aves in the Northeast.

Death notice at http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=2063122

We’ll pause to remember Bob before the April DVARP meeting opens, and publish our own obituary in the April newsletter.

Matthew Mitchell
President
Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers

RHM2013

Brookings Institution releases Amtrak report

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The Brookings Institution, a liberal think tank based in Washington D.C. that is one of the oldest organizations of its kind, has released a report documenting recent ridership growth on Amtrak and evaluating these trends in the context of future government support for passenger rail in the United States. The report title is A New Alignment: Strengthening America’s Commitment to Passenger Rail.

The conclusions indicate that Amtrak growth is occurring mostly on corridor-based services with route lengths of less than 400 miles. The report makes three recommendations:

  1. Broker a new agreement between Amtrak and the states to share operating costs and other responsibilities for corridors longer than 750 miles;
  2. Refine existing programs to promote intermodalism, empower broader funding flexibility towards rail activities, and create a dedicated funding source for future rail investments;
  3. Complete a national rail plan, do more to promote multistate rail compacts, and foster a stronger relationship between public agencies and private capital and management firms

Little thought is devoted to improvements of the day-to-day operational realities of “intermetropolitan services”. The focus is primarily on modifying funding and service agreements by including the states. Though the problems of relying specifically on a funding formula that requires state support are not stated directly, the report does identify scenarios where service is not currently being provided due to a lack of state-level subsidy.

Of direct interest to Pennsylvania residents is the fact that Amtrak Pennsylvanian ridership has increased 32.5% between 1997 and 2012. A recent Wall Street Journal article quoted PennDOT deputy secretary Toby Fauver as saying, “It is a struggle for me to want to pay for that service.” The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 requires states to become active partners in providing funding for certain Amtrak services. It is unknown if Pennsylvania will eventually withdraw funding for continued Amtrak Pennsylvanian service due to budget constraints.

DVARP’s Mass Transit Funding Campaign Step 3

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After a successful federal and state transit funding PSA campaign on SEPTA’s new train cars and the creation of a petition drawing attention to state transit funding, we are proud to announce the next step in our campaign. We worked with a volunteer professional videographer to produce a YouTube video drawing attention to the need to fund all modes (bus, train, trolley, etc) of Delaware Valley mass transit.

Make sure to watch and share the video. With the odds of the country tumbling down the fiscal cliff becoming higher and higher, our campaign becomes even more important. If the fiscal cliff sequestration cuts become a reality, there will be major cuts in mass transit and Amtrak funding. This will affect anyone commuting in and/or around Philadelphia, whether they use mass transit, drive, bike, or walk. Even if federal lawmakers reach a deal to temporarily avert the fiscal cliff, they could still decide to make massive transportation cuts. Mass transit would likely be the first to suffer if this happened.

Luckily, there is something you can do to help. Please contact your federal and state lawmakers to urge them to fund all forms of transportation. Also, please sign our petition calling on Gov. Corbett to include mass transit in the transportation funding plan he’s expected to release early this-coming year. If you have any questions, you can find us on Twitter and Facebook @PhillyDVARP. Also, feel free to shoot us an e-mail at mail@dvarp.org.

DVARP’s Mass Transit Funding Campaign Now Includes a Petition

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DVARP has reached the second step in our mass transit funding campaign with the creation of a petition calling for Gov. Corbett to fund mass transit, roads, and bridges by mid-January. Sign and spread the word about it here. This is in response to calls from House Majority Leader Turzai and others to delay PA state mass transit funding, but proceed with road/bridge funding. This would be utterly unacceptable! This is especially alarming when you consider that many road/bridge funding sources are protected from the federal fiscal cliff, yet many mass transit funding sources are subject to the draconian cuts that are looking more and more possible. If state lawmakers ignore mass transit funding, SEPTA may be forced to cut service as soon as this-coming year, while other transit agencies across the Commonwealth could experience severely painful service cuts and fare hikes.

Hopefully, we’ve made it clear how important this petition is. Please sign it and let your friends know about it through Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and word-of-mouth. Feel free to share it from our Facebook fan or discussion page or Re-Tweet it from our Twitter feed. It’s time to send a message to the governor and other lawmakers in Harrisburg that the time to fund mass transit is now.

P.S. Look for our third mass transit funding campaign component to come soon. This will be a YouTube-exclusive video that addresses the consequences to all SEPTA modes of not funding transit. While our PSA has no audio (it can’t because it’s running on SEPTA’s new rail cars), this will have sound.

Also, if you’re interested in expanding this campaign beyond SEPTA and Philadelphia, shoot us an e-mail at mail@dvarp.org, or contact us on Twitter or Facebook. We would love to expand this to South Jersey and Delaware (which could be affected by the debt ceiling cuts). We currently don’t have the funding or people-power to do this, but would love to receive donations and volunteer offers to do this.

DVARP’s PSA Now Up on SEPTA’s New Regional Rail Cars and YouTube

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We are proud to announce that our mass transit funding PSA is now up on the digital screens on SEPTA’s new rail cars and on YouTube. Check it out here. Make sure to like and share the video widely. We really need to spread the word about adequate mass transit funding from the state and federal government!

Next time you’re riding a Silverliner V train, keep an eye out for DVARP.

 

Look For DVARP PSAs Starting November 1st

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Some great news! DVARP is moving right along with our mass transit funding campaign, and have just about finalized our public service announcements (PSAs) to run on SEPTA’s new Regional Rail cars. The PSA will ask the question “what if there was no money to run this train?”. It will also direct viewers back to this website to find contact info for state (PA, NJ, and DE) lawmakers. Our goal is to get frequent and infrequent SEPTA riders to let their state governors, representatives, senators, and other government officials know how much mass transit means to them.

In the meantime, there’s nothing stopping you from going ahead and contacting your lawmakers today. Check out the contact government leaders link on this website for where to direct your phone calls, letters, and e-mails. Also, don’t just concentrate on those already in elected office. Given that Election Day is just a couple of weeks away, feel free to get in touch with the various state (and even local and federal) campaigns to see how their candidates plan to provide dedicated funding for mass transit.

Look for DVARP on the digital screens of your Silverliner V train starting November 1st. Together, we can push for a dedicated stream of mass transit funding! Together, we can push for improved and expanded mass transit service!

DVARP Public Workshop on City Transit (subways, buses, trolleys) Issues

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Title: DVARP Public Workshop on City Transit (subways, buses, trolleys) Issues
Location: DVARP Office: 1601 Walnut St. (Medical Arts Building), Suite 1129, Center City
Link out: Click here
Description: DVARP will be hosting a free city transit (subway, bus, trolley) public workshop on Monday evening. Among the topics that you have determined to be the most important are the condition of the City Hall subway station, homeless in the underground Center City concourse, night owl subway and bus service, and smoking at subway stops. Come and debate/discuss these issues and others with your fellow SEPTA riders. This event will be BYOFood and BYOB.
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2012-10-15
End Time: 20:00

Donuts for DVARP Offers Krispy Kreme for a Good Cause

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As DVARP continues to explore innovative ways to raise money, we’ve decided to partner with Krispy Kreme donuts to create the Donuts for DVARP campaign. We will be selling all of your favorite Krispy Kreme donuts by the dozen in mid-October. You can choose to either order a gift certificate for a dozen donuts (which we can mail or you can pick up at our office) or come to our office and pick up your dozen donuts. Luckily, there is a Krispy Kreme donuterie right down the street from our office.

Look for more information about this on our Facebook discussion page and RSVP on our Facebook event page if you’re interested. If you have any questions, e-mail us at mail@dvarp.org.

First Two DVARP PATCO Riders’ Blog Entries for Collingswood Patch

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Hi all,

We’re proud to say that our first two installments of our Voices From PATCO blog are now up on Collingswood Patch. Luckily for you, we’re also including them below. Hopefully, you find this insightful.

September 17th

Given that Collingswood is such a rail commuter town with fast, frequent service to Philadelphia and Camden, the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers (DVARP) thought it would be a good idea to query local PATCO riders about their experiences taking the train to work, recreation, and appointments.

We received a tremendous response. This was the start of a weekly blog series right from the voices of PATCO riders. Below are some complaints, compliments, and interesting sights as told by daily PATCO riders.

Mark Heston is a daily PATCO rider who typically travels between Collingswood and 9th/10th St. Station.

The ride home was smooth and you could hear the announcement of stations. Nice ride for $2.60…A purple set of surgical gloves have been on the NW exit stairway of 8th st [Philadelphia] station for over a week now. Gross…There is a lot of garbage at the Collingswood handicap parking.

David Mays rides both PATCO and the RiverLINE between Palmyra and 16th/Locust Station.

Down on the PATCO platforms, again there is a lack of seating that reflects a complete misunderstanding of the way people use the system and the volume of riders it has…I think the recent renovations at 16th and Locust are nice, but they focus on the area where you spend the least time, the concourse. The area that needs improvement is the platform, not the hallways you’re in for at most 3 minutes.

Finally, Jeff Lyons is another daily PATCO rider between Ashland and 8th and Market in Philadelphia.

It looks like work has finally begun on the out-of-service escalator at PATCO’s Ashland Station. It’s been out of service since July. What’s the over/under on how long it takes for the repaired version to break down?

PATCO GM John Rink discovered Lyons’ comment via DVARP’s newsletter, and offered this response:

Yes, Ashland escalator has been OOS since July. PATCO does have a service contract with a third-party elevator/escalator repair company.

I would like to apologize for the inconvenience and frustration for our customers who use the escalator at Ashland Station. Unfortunately over 85 escalator steps were significantly damaged and were required to be removed for repairs that were beyond safety and code tolerances.

Due to the expensive costs to repair, we need to follow fiscally responsible procedures which led to a delay in the repair, which included Board approval.

Let us know of know if you’ve had experiences similar to those of Mark, Jeff, and David. Reply to this blog post or let DVARP know @PhillyDVARP on Twitter or by e-mail at mail@dvarp.org.

Also, we wish to sincerely thank PATCO GM John Rink for taking the time to read the DVARP newsletter and respond to one of the complaints. That’s something that many GMs would not personally do.

September 25th

This week was a mixed experience for our riders, all of whom seem to have weathered the tornado watch last Tuesday.

Mark Heston had a bumpy ride Tuesday:

The stops felt like the old roadrunner cartoons…..80 mph to 0 [mph] in ten feet, people were bouncing around like cattle.

Thankfully, things had sorted themselves out a day later:

The ride today was so much better than they have been.  The conductor was smooth in his driving and he announced all stops in a professional and courteous manner.”

Jeff Lyons was excited at the prospect of some new technology debuting Tuesday morning…

There’s a new ticket machine coming to 8th and Market. Some honchos were giving demonstrations of it yesterday afternoon. I didn’t really notice it until I was already through the gate. It should help alleviate crowds when there’s a concert on the waterfront and there are tons of kids waiting to get a ticket.

…but had soured on the timing of its presentation by the end of the day:

That machine I wrote about this morning? It’s now surrounded by big shots who are apparently trying to sell it to PATCO. So that entrance is blocked off by police. Yes, police. At the beginning or rush hour. Why not do this in the middle of the day? So stupid.

On Thursday, Lyons caught a break, however, in the form of a courteous driver.

I just wanted to thank the driver of the eastbound train at 8th and Market just after 12 [PM] today for seeing me tearing down the steps and reopening the doors so I could get on. I truly appreciate it.

 

DVARP Proud to Partner with Collingswood Patch

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Howdy all,

We’re happy to announce that we’re working with the hyperlocal Collingswood Patch website to hear from PATCO riders on how their ride can be improved between South Jersey and Center City. We have been collecting observations from PATCO riders for a couple of weeks now, which have consisted of a healthy mix of criticism and compliments. Now, many of these observations will go public on our website and the Collingswood Patch website. Look for the first PATCO rider blog observations to go up next week.

Just another way DVARP is working with fellow mass transit riders to improve rail and transit across the Delaware Valley.