608 replies to this topic

[runawayjim]

Did everyone know that RIPTA is on a holiday schedule tomorrow? Did everyone also know that pretty much no one has tomorrow off? If RIPTA really wants people to use it, why run on a holiday schedule in the middle of the week?

[Frankie811]

The R.I. Public Transit Authority is “very likely” to open a new bus stop near the South Attleboro commuter rail station early next fall

http://www.pbn.com/detail/46942.html

[mr2448]

Frankie811, on 26 December 2009 - 01:17 PM, said:

The R.I. Public Transit Authority is “very likely” to open a new bus stop near the South Attleboro commuter rail station early next fall

http://www.pbn.com/detail/46942.html

Does GATRA receive Federal funding or just state funding? If RIPTA can't go into Massachusetts, why don't they team up with Massachusetts and have a separate interstate service? Thus, service could go down Newport Ave, into Cumberland using Route 123, etc. Or allow GATRA into downtown Pawtucket for RIPTA connections.

I do not think a two minute walk will entice passengers to the new Pawtucket stop. It is over a bridge without any protection from the weather.

Edited by mr2448, 27 December 2009 - 06:36 PM.

[runawayjim]

mr2448, on 27 December 2009 - 06:27 PM, said:

Does GATRA receive Federal funding or just state funding? If RIPTA can't go into Massachusetts, why don't they team up with Massachusetts and have a separate interstate service? Thus, service could go down Newport Ave, into Cumberland using Route 123, etc. Or allow GATRA into downtown Pawtucket for RIPTA connections.

I do not think a two minute walk will entice passengers to the new Pawtucket stop. It is over a bridge without any protection from the weather.

Agreed. I think it's a well-intentioned idea, but it's pretty much gonna be a waste of money. They should really find a way to get RIPTA into MA or GATRA into RI and then have the 2 services coincide at overlapping stops (or even they just have a single overlapping stop).

[Cotuit]

Massachusetts and Rhode Island just need to come up with a plan for providing transportation in the cross-border area and have Congress put an amendment in the Federal Authorization allowing for whatever that plan might be.

In the real world, our metro area includes all of Bristol County, MA and our transportation system should reflect that. RIPTA, or some other bi-state agency should provide transit across the state line seamlessly. I agree this off-site bus loop is silly when we have the technology to allow RIPTA buses to pull right up to the rail platform. RIPTA is doing what it can under current law with no agreement between the two states in place to allow for anything more sensible. Eventually, it is in the interest of both states to have a healthy Providence metro with robust transit serving both states. It is a matter of getting the appropriate leaders in a room to hammer out a plan to make it happen then, making it happen.

[Urbaner]

Cotuit, on 29 December 2009 - 11:55 AM, said:

Massachusetts and Rhode Island just need to come up with a plan for providing transportation in the cross-border area and have Congress put an amendment in the Federal Authorization allowing for whatever that plan might be.

In the real world, our metro area includes all of Bristol County, MA and our transportation system should reflect that. RIPTA, or some other bi-state agency should provide transit across the state line seamlessly. I agree this off-site bus loop is silly when we have the technology to allow RIPTA buses to pull right up to the rail platform. RIPTA is doing what it can under current law with no agreement between the two states in place to allow for anything more sensible. Eventually, it is in the interest of both states to have a healthy Providence metro with robust transit serving both states. It is a matter of getting the appropriate leaders in a room to hammer out a plan to make it happen then, making it happen.

The MTA operates in New York and Connecticut, the PortAuthority of New York and New Jersey in the New York and New Jersey andPATCO in the Philadelphia and south Jersey. All three agencies are authoritiesgoverned jointly by the various states that they operate within.

Why is it that NJ Transit can have trains and busses go inand out of Manhattan? Is there some special precedence that permits thattransit system to cross state lines? Also, Metro North trains are allowed to travel through New Jersey to Rockland and Orange counties in New York. Maybe there's an agreement between New York and New Jersey.

A bi- or tri-state authority would be the solution for theProvidence metropolitan region. Even the edges of New London and Windham countiesin Connecticut and Worcester and Norfolk counties in Massachusetts border RhodeIsland and commuters in those places cross state lines for jobs in both directions.

Despite the wealth of Bristol County’s coastal suburbs, Fall Riverand New Bedford are fairly depressed and would benefit, as much as the Providencearea would, with an integrated transit system. Poorer parts of eastern Connecticutwould benefit as well.

This regional transit issue will come to the forefront onlyif there’s serious interest on the state level and maybe with somecongressional prodding or incentives. Perhaps this issue can be raised during the upcoming governors race.

[runawayjim]

Urbaner, on 29 December 2009 - 10:55 PM, said:

The MTA operates in New York and Connecticut, the PortAuthority of New York and New Jersey in the New York and New Jersey andPATCO in the Philadelphia and south Jersey. All three agencies are authoritiesgoverned jointly by the various states that they operate within.

Why is it that NJ Transit can have trains and busses go inand out of Manhattan? Is there some special precedence that permits thattransit system to cross state lines? Also, Metro North trains are allowed to travel through New Jersey to Rockland and Orange counties in New York. Maybe there's an agreement between New York and New Jersey.

A bi- or tri-state authority would be the solution for theProvidence metropolitan region. Even the edges of New London and Windham countiesin Connecticut and Worcester and Norfolk counties in Massachusetts border RhodeIsland and commuters in those places cross state lines for jobs in both directions.

Despite the wealth of Bristol County’s coastal suburbs, Fall Riverand New Bedford are fairly depressed and would benefit, as much as the Providencearea would, with an integrated transit system. Poorer parts of eastern Connecticutwould benefit as well.

This regional transit issue will come to the forefront onlyif there’s serious interest on the state level and maybe with somecongressional prodding or incentives. Perhaps this issue can be raised during the upcoming governors race.

I was gonna bring up the MTA. They're a NY based company, though I think they are a partnership between the DOT in both CT and NY. The point I actually meant to bring up is how Metro North and Shoreline East have absolutely no problem overlapping their service. Metro North goes all the way to New Haven while Shoreline East goes from New London beyond New Haven to Milford or Bridgeport (last I knew it was Milford, but I think I remember it being extended to Bridgeport). Shoreline East doesn't seem to have a problem with the MTA overlapping their service area (though the MTA was there first) and the MTA doesn't have a problem with Shoreline East.

Why can't RI and MA DOT's work together for a single system that supports GATRA's service area? It only makes sense. Let the MBTA do their train thing with the commuter rail, but let RIPTA take over GATRA.

[Cotuit]

Yes, the MTA trains in Connecticut are actually ConnDOT livery. They have ConnDOT markings on them, but are operated by MTA. This is similar to our arrangement with the T, I think the equipment we've purchased for the T actually has inconspicuous RIDOT markings on them somewhere, I've never bothered to look though.

Here's a MetroNorth train with Connecticut markings.


Flickr

Behind the scenes, MetroNorth in Connecticut and Shore Line East both fall under the same state agency. MetroNorth trains are just operated by MTA, Shore Line East are not.

The MetroNorth trains which run through New Jersey also have a similar arrangement with NJTransit.

When looking at our region, we have RIPTA, MBTA, GATRA, and SRTA (New Bedford/Fall River). That is just too much for our region. We should have MBTA running rail operations and RIPTA covering bus operations. The cost efficiencies of combining RIPTA, GATRA, and SRTA services could be great.

[Frankie811]

RIPTA wants to add 43 park-and-ride lots to existing 28

The state transit agency wants to make it more attractive for commuters to ride the bus to work. The expansion would fill in gaps among the present 28 lots and relieve lots that are overcrowded, according to a Rhode Island Public Transit Authority staff plan.

http://www.projo.com...15.2614d6b.html