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PA/Light rail would cut Valley's traffic congestion | Letter


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#1 Sloan

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Posted 07 December 2017 - 09:10 AM

 

 

As the population explodes and the number of warehouses increases in the Lehigh Valley, the number of vehicles on the road has also increased. This has led to terribly congested and unsafe highways.

http://www.lehighval...uld_offset.html

 

Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton metroplex of eastern Pennsylvania represents a classic case of "shooting itself in the foot."  Twenty-five years ago, there was a push to re-establish passenger rail from Allentown to Philadelphia using the double track disused Quakertown line that links up with SEPTA in Lansdale.  The business community, according to my contact at economic development organization Team Pennsylvania Foundation, pooh-poohed the idea, opting instead for widening highways.  Now trees occupy this wasted resource.

 

Also, at least two initiatives—sorry,I don't have further details— have come forward to bring New Jersey Transit's Raritan River Line across the Delaware River for a one-seat side from Bethlehem to New York City.  Right now Bieber Bus does a good business running multiple trips from Hellertown (outside of Bethlehem) to Port Authority Bus Terminal.

 

The inertia plus Pennsylvania's budget deficit—due largely to unfunded pension liabilities—makes passenger rail start-ups problematic.  In fairness to my state, the folks at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation are diligently working to get Amtrak and Norfolk Southern to allow a second train to run to Pittsburgh.    :( Sloan

 



#2 KevinKorell

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Posted 10 December 2017 - 06:37 PM

Sloan,

 

It's Trans Bridge Lines that has the direct service between the Lehigh Valley and New York (as well as from Quakertown and the Doylestown SEPTA station to New York).  Trans Bridge stops in South Bethlehem and also downtown Allentown.  Bieber Tourways has very limited service, and some of it is masked in its timetable in that it goes via Philadelphia first and then to New York.   

 

Next, I cannot see commuter rail going to Bethlehem without also going to Allentown.  Why stop part way from the biggest of the three cities?  For the money and effort going into Pennsylvania, might as well draw on the largest possible population.

 

The item that you cite, which is a letter to the editor from a local resident, is clearly disillusioned as she first suggests light rail connecting the three cities (which would be a good idea) and then moves to light rail running all the way to Newark and New York , which will NEVER happen.  A single light rail line crossing an entire state???  Commuter rail, yes.  If only commuter rail could get just over the river to Easton (extended there either from High Bridge or Hackettstown or both), then there would be an option to switch to light rail to get to Bethlehem and Allentown.  But if commuter rail goes all the way to Allentown, LRT would be redundant.  Of course the commuter rail extension and a Lehigh Valley LRT would have to be built around the same time.



Kevin Korell


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#3 KevinKorell

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Posted 09 May 2018 - 11:57 AM

Allentown, PA Morning Call, 5/7/18:

 


 

Road Warrior: Light rail's long history in the Lehigh Valley

 

 

...  The irony about such a plan is that the Lehigh Valley had an effective light rail system 70 years ago, but we ripped it up to make room for more cars. Now, we have too many cars clogging up our roads, and light rail may be a legitimate solution.

 

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Kevin Korell


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