NEW JERSEY

Port Authority Transit Corp. (PATCO)

Owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority, PATCO is a rapid-transit train line that operates from Center City, Philadelphia, to Lindenwold, N.J.
Service launched: 1969
Route miles: 14.5 heavy rail
Rolling stock: 121 rail cars, average age 41 years
Annual ridership: 10.1 million
Annual operating cost: $52.3 million
Annual capital cost: $53 million
Number of stations: 13

Capital projects include:
• Finishing a $104 million project to rehabilitate track bed, electrical and signal systems across the Ben Franklin Bridge;
• Continuing with rehabilitation of 120-car fleet. Total cost: $194 million. Contract to end in 2017.
• Rehab of track structure on the Westmont viaduct and rehab of the Lindenwold yard track and viaduct.

NEW YORK

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)*

The LIRR is the largest commuter railroad in the United States. Chartered in 1834, it extends from three major New York City terminals — Penn Station, Flatbush Avenue and Hunterspoint Avenue — through a major transfer hub at Jamaica to the easternmost tip of Long Island, N.Y.

Track miles: 594
Rolling stock: 1,161 rail cars
Annual ridership: 85,868,246 (2014)
Annual operating budget: $1.9 billion (2015)
Annual capital cost: NA
Number of stations: 124

Major capital projects include the:
• Double Track Project, which is designed to improve service and reliability on the LIRR’s Ronkonkoma Branch. Construction of Phase I between Ronkonkoma Avenue and Islip Avenue is under way and will continue until September 2016.
• Mid-Suffolk Yard Project, which would construct new train storage tracks and ancillary facilities to support overnight storage and servicing of an expanded electric fleet, which is planned to meet the anticipated increase in morning and evening peak ridership to Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal when the East Side Access opens.

* Information source: www.mta.info/lirr

MTA Metro-North Railroad*

Metro-North was formed in 1983 when Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) assumed control of Conrail operations. Metro-North is the second-largest commuter railroad in the United States. Main lines Hudson, Harlem and New Haven run out of Grand Central Terminal into suburban New York and Connecticut. West of the Hudson River, Metro-North’s Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines operate from New Jersey Transit’s Hoboken terminal and provide service to Rockland and Orange counties.

Track miles: 787
Rolling stock: 1,266 (rail cars)
Annual ridership: 84,659,126
Annual operating cost: $1.5 billion (2015)
Annual capital cost: NA
Number of stations: 122

Metro-North is continuing an aggressive program of track improvements to help ensure safety and service reliability. Also, the railroad’s New Haven catenary replacement project is underway. In September 2015, Metro-North began work on the final two segments of the project on the New Haven Line. Once that project is finished in spring 2017, the catenary upgrade project on the Connecticut side of the line will be completed.

* Information source: www.mta.info/mnr

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT)

The subway opened in 1904. It travels through underground tunnels and elevated structures in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. On Staten Island, NYCT's Staten Island Railway links 22 communities.
Route and track miles: 244 route, 659 track
Rolling stock: 72 locomotives, average age is 58 years; 6,339 subway cars, average age is 19 years.
Rail cars on order:
•126 R188 "A" Division rail cars on order from Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. Contract awarded May 28, 2010; contractual delivery completion date is Feb. 28, 2016. The new cars will be assigned to the 7 Flushing Line-CBTC and 7 Line Extension.
• 300 R179 "B" Division rail cars on order from Bombardier. Delivery expected to be in January 2017. The new subway cars, will replace 272 cars (222 R32s and 50 R42s), and provide 28 cars for Second Avenue Subway Phase I.
Annual ridership: 1,707,555,714 (2013)
Operating budget: $3.6 billion (2014)
Capital program: Valued at $11.64 billion (for 2010-2014)
Number of subway stations: 469

NYCT's capital projects include the additional new subway cars, as well as a new communication-based signal system to replace mechanical signals dating to 1904.

MTA Staten Island Railway

The railway links 22 communities in the New York City borough of Staten Island.

Service launched: 1860
Route and track miles: 29
Rolling stock: four locomotives, average age is 6 years; 63 rail cars, average age is 42 years
Annual ridership: 4,220,566 (2012)
Annual operating cost: $52.9 million (2014 budget)
Annual capital cost: $23.7 million
Number of stations: 22

Current projects include the Arthur Kill Railway Station, which will include construction of a new ADA-compliant passenger station and parking facility on Staten Island to replace the existing Atlantic and Nassau stations. The new station will be at grade level and constructed between the existing Nassau and Atlantic stations. The new parking facility will increase ridership by providing secure and adequate parking. The project was awarded in July 2013 and substantial completion is forecasted for October.

Another project entails CCTV installations and upgrades.

The railway’s upcoming plans include Clifton Shop and Yard improvements, a project expected to begin in 2017.

OHIO

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA)

In 1913, light-rail service began as Shaker Lakes Trolley and in 1920 was renamed the Cleveland Interurban Railway. In 1955, CTS was formed and added heavy-rail service. In 1975, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) was created serving Cuyahoga County. The GCRTA currently operates light-rail, heavy- rail, bus-rapid transit, bus and paratransit service.

Route miles per mode: light rail, 30.38; heavy rail, 38.08
Rolling stock: 60 heavy-rail vehicles, average age of 32 years; 48 light-rail vehicles, average age of 34 years
Annual ridership: 2,779,158 light rail; 6,203,837 heavy rail
Annual operating cost: $13,098,500 for light rail; $31,143,923 for heavy rail
Annual capital cost: $4,850,928 for light rail; $29,364,303 for heavy rail
Number of stations: 34 light rail, 18 heavy rail

In 2014, $119.44 million was budgeted for rail infrastructure. Commitments for rail projects totaled $100.81 million, of which $80.56 million was expensed and $20.25 million was committed pending future obligations for contracted service and invoicing for services already rendered. Many projects consist of rail electrical system upgrades ($4 million), track rehabilitation ($43.7 million), rail station rehabilitation ($45.9 million), signals ($409,000), rail expansion and studies ($1.8 million), and state of good repair ($4.9 million).

Part 1: Progressive Railroading's Passenger Rail at a Glance 2015: Preface

Part 2: Progressive Railroading's Passenger Rail at a Glance 2015: Amtrak and transit agencies in Arizona & California

Part 3: Progressive Railroading's Passenger Rail at a Glance 2015: Colorado, Florida and Georgia

Part 4: Progressive Railroading's Passenger Rail at a Glance 2015: Illinois and Missouri

Part 5: Progressive Railroading's Passenger Rail at a Glance 2015: New Jersey, New York, and Ohio

Part 6: Progressive Railroading's Passenger Rail at a Glance 2015: Oregon and Pennsylvania

Part 7: Progressive Railroading's Passenger Rail at a Glance 2015: Texas