The Commuter Council - Working For You

A stranger walked up to me the other day while I was waiting for the train.  “Are you Jim Cameron,” he asked.  “I sure am,” I said, expecting a tirade of complaints about the railroad, the fares and the stations.

“I just wanted to say ‘thank you’,” he said.  “You guys on the Commuter Council do a great job looking out for commuters.”  We shook hands, and as he departed I got a little misty-eyed.

The fifteen members of the CT Metro-North Rail Commuter Council, are all commuters, just like you.  We’re appointed by Hartford pol’s and receive no compensation and have no budget.  We meet monthly with Metro-North and CDOT and pay our own way.

And here’s what we did on your behalf this past year:

STAMFORD GARAGE:     We stopped CDOT from a secret sell-out of the old garage at the Stamford station to private developers.  Our leafleting and outreach forced public hearings and, finally, the appointment by Governor Malloy of a five-person task force to represent the public and commuters’ interests in reviewing proposals for a new garage.

QUIET CARS:         For five years the Commuter Council has been beseeching Metro-North to embrace the idea of a cellphone-free “Quiet Car” on each train.  This year our cries were finally answered, giving commuters a better option for what the railroad calls a “Quiet CALMmute”

NEW SERVICE:      At the request of the Council, CDOT and Metro-North improved service for riders from Rowayton, East Norwalk, Southport and Greens Farms stations.  While those stations used to have trains only every two hours off-peak, now they have hourly service.

NEW CARS:           For a decade the Council has been pushing for new cars to replace our worn-out fleet.  Now they are arriving at the rate of ten a month.  That means you have a 50% chance of riding the new M8 cars in rush hours and a 66% chance of enjoying them on weekends.  When the last of the 400+ new cars is delivered, the old fleet will be scrapped.

TICKET EXPIRATIONS:    Last year Metro-North pulled a fast one and shortened the validity period for tickets.  One-way tickets, which used to be good for a month, became worthless after 14 days.  And ten-trip tickets, previously valid for a year, expired after six months.  The Council (and, apparently, hundreds of riders) protested and recently the railroad relented, returning the single-ride tickets to 60 days validity.

As much as we have accomplished, there’s still more to be done:

PARKING:    Having expanded our fleet of cars by 15%, CDOT has done nothing to expand station parking in southwest Fairfield County.  If we want people to take the train, we’ve got to get them to the station and that means more parking at all the major stations.

TICKET COLLECTION:    The Council is still concerned that conductors are not doing their jobs and collecting all fares.  Metro-North says it’s not cost efficient to staff trains with enough conductors to get all tickets, yet they ask for higher fares claiming they are losing money.

BIKES ON THE TRAINS:  Years ago when our broken down cars were standing room only, we opposed the idea of allowing bicycles on the trains.  That’s changed.  Now we have more cars and seats for all.  So it’s time for Metro-North to live up to its promise to install bike hooks in cars.

What are your concerns about commuting?  Contact us and let us know how we can best represent you:  CTRailCommuterCouncil@gmail.com or www.trainweb.org/CT

How to Avoid the Next Fare Hike on Metro-North

Don’t look now, but there’s a 5% fare increase coming January 1^st 2013!

But if you’d like to avoid paying more, here’s a simple (and legal) trick:

BUY TICKETS BEFORE 12/31:   There’s nothing stopping you from buying tickets before the January 1^st fare hike of 5%.  Just be sure you can use them before they expire and become worthless (see below).

Here are some other money saving tips for commuters, daytrippers and familes:

TRANSITCHEK:      For commuters, see if your employer subscribes to this fabulous service, which allows workers to save up to $500 a year in mass transit costs by using pre-tax dollars.  A recent survey shows that 45% of all New York City companies offer TransitChek which can be used on trains, subways and even ferries. 

GO BY TRAIN OFF-PEAK:          If you can arrive at Grand Central on weekdays after 10 am and avoid the 4 pm – 8 pm peak return hours, you can save 25%.  Off-peak is also in effect on weekends and holidays.  Your train will be less crowded, too.

BUY TICKETS AT THE STATION:        If you buy your ticket with cash on the train you’ll pay the conductor a $5.75 - $6.50 “service charge”… a mistake you’ll make only once!  There are ticket machines at most stations, but the cheapest tickets are those bought online.  And go for the ten-trip tickets, peak or off-peak, to achieve additional savings.  The same ten-trip ticket can be shared among passengers, even those traveling together in a group.

LOOK OUT FOR NEW TICKET RULES!:        Watch out!  Metro-North changed its ticket rules last year in what many consider a hidden fare hike.  One way and round-trip tickets are now valid for only 60 days.  Even ten-trip tickets are now valid for only six months.  And forget about getting a refund on an old ticket, even if it hasn’t expired.  Refunds cost $10 per transaction.

KIDS, FAMILY & SENIOR FARES:           Buy tickets for your kids (ages 5 – 11) in advance and save 50% over adult fares.  Or pay $1 per kid on board (up to four kids traveling with an adult, but not in morning peak hours).  Seniors, the disabled and those on Medicare get 50% off the one way peak fare.  But you must have proper ID and you can’t ride in the morning rush hours.

FREE STATION PARKING:         Even rail stations that require parking permits usually offer free parking after 5 pm and on weekends.  Check with your local town. 

Once you’re in NYC, you can save even more money on mass transit.

METROCARDS:     MetroCards can be bought at most stations (or combined with your Metro-North ticket) and offers some incredible deals compared to the $2.25 cash fare:  put $10 on a card (bought with cash, credit or debit card) and you get a 7% bonus.  Swipe your card to ride the subway and you’ll get a free transfer to a connecting bus, or vice versa.  You can buy unlimited ride MetroCards for a week ($29) or a month ($104).  There’s now even an ExpressPay MetroCard the refills itself like an EZ-Pass.

The bottom line is that it’s never cheap going into “the city”.  But with a little planning and some insider tips, you can still save money.  Enjoy!

The Best High Speed Rail in the World: China!

Last column I spoke of riding Japan’s Shinkansen, the oldest true high-speed rail (HSR) system in the world.  This week, the story of the newest and biggest HSR… China.

Much has been written of the tragic accident in July 2011 when two Chinese trains collided killing 40 and injuring almost 200.  A recent New Yorker article detailed the incident as an example of shoddy Chinese engineering and political corruption, which it was.

But that incident notwithstanding, in less than a decade China has built the biggest and best HSR network in the world, and it only cost a quarter trillion dollars.  I just had to ride it, and did last month.

China's newest HSR at Beijing station.

Our train from Beijing (population 19 million) to Shanghai (23 million) covered the distance of 819 miles in five hours.  That’s an average speed of 164 mph.  Even Amtrak’s Acela takes 6 hours and 40 minutes to sprint from DC to Boston, a distance of only 448 miles, or an average speed of less than 70 mph.

Acela carries 300 passengers on one train per hour.  The Chinese HSR carries 1,050 passengers per train and offers four to six trains an hour.

Acela rides on improved track on a 100-year-old right-of-way with tracks mounted on ties sitting on rock ballast.  The Chinese train rides a dedicated right-of-way with tracks affixed to a cement roadbed, like a highway.  The smoothness of the ride was amazing.

Cafe Car on Chinese High Speed Train

This single line between Beijing and Shanghai was estimated to cost $32 billion, but it’s anyone’s guess what the real cost was, given the rampant corruption. But to my Western eyes, it’s amazing what a totalitarian regime can do, unencumbered by environmental impact studies and private property rights.  This is truly the best HSR in the world.

The Maglev

While in Shanghai I also rode the world’s only commercial maglev train:  not steel wheels on tracks, but a magnetic floating train on a guideway.  The line is only 19 miles long, running from the airport to the southern edge of the city.  But at full speed of 268 mph (which my run did not achieve) the Shanghai Maglev is the world's fastest train in regular commercial service… faster even than the Chinese HSR.

Oh, it was fast.  But it wasn’t smooth.  And running only to the edge of the city and not downtown, it is ridden mostly by tourists and rail fans.  The few passengers on our mid-day run were all in the second class cars.  Why pay for first class on an 8 minute ride?

The builder, Transrapid, pretty much gave away the construction for just $1 billion, to use the Shanghai system as a showcase of the technology.  Though a 34-mile extension from the international airport (Pudong) to the domestic airport (Hongqaio) is planned, that’s about all we can expect.

Maglev is interesting, but its incompatibility with existing tracks and the requirement for its own dedicated, unique tracks make the technology unattractive, especially given the advances in conventional railroading.

What can we in the US learn from China’s great leaps forward in railroading?  Not much, aside from what is possible technologically.  In this country we have neither the will nor the money to ever build such a railroad.

In transportation at least, China is the future.  The US is a third world nation.

High Speed Rail in Japan: "The Nozumi Express"

I am just back from two weeks’ travel in Asia where I have seen the past and the future of the world’s best high speed rail.  This week, my thoughts on Japan and next week, China.

It was 1964 when the Japanese introduced the world’s first “bullet train”, the Shinkansen.  Using a dedicated right-of-way (no freight, no slow trains), the Tokaido line between Tokyo and Osaka today carries over 150 million passengers a year at speeds up to 190 mph… not the fastest in the world, but easily the busiest.

Now on its seventh generation of equipment, I rode the Nozumi Express from Tokyo to Kyoto and was amazed at the service.  Like Grand Central Terminal, Tokyo’s main downtown station is a dead-end.  As trains arrive, passengers disembark and uniformed cleaning crews have about ten minutes to clean and freshen the equipment for the next run.

The Nozumi runs from Tokyo to Osaka, a distance of 314 miles, equivalent to the distance between Boston and Baltimore.  And it makes that journey in 2 ½ hours with trains every five to ten minutes!  Each 16 car train can carry up to 1300 passengers in first (“Green”) class (two by two seating) or second class (three by two… the Japanese are small).

Compare that to Amtrak with hourly Acela service in six car trainsets holding 300 passengers total.  Acela’s fastest run from Boston to Baltimore is just shy of six hours with an average speed of 90 - 120 mph.

The Japanese trains are so fast there is no need for a diner or bar car.  Instead, passengers can buy an “ekiben” boxed lunch from dozens of stores at the station.  Because all seats are assigned, passengers que up at the exact spot on the platform where their car will stop, awaiting permission to board.  When the cleaning crews finish, the doors open, passengers board and the train departs… always on time, and to the second.

As the conductor collects tickets, he bows to each customer.  Train crew passing through the cars always turn and bow to the passengers before going to the next car.  The ride is so smooth as to not be thought possible.  And arrivals and departures are to the second with average dwell time at intermediate stations no longer than 90 seconds.  And, of course, there is free Wi-Fi during the entire journey.

The first class fare on the Nozumi Express between Tokyo and Osaka is $186.  On Amtrak’s Acela, the Boston to Baltimore ride costs up to $279 for business class, $405 in first class.

Japan’s Shinkansen is the grand-daddy of high speed rail, but still among the best.  Next time I’ll tell you about the newest, and to my thinking, the world’s best high speed rail… in China!  And I’ll recount my 11 minute ride on the world’s only commercial maglev in Shanghai.