Quote:
Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse
Seems to me that when comparing the two, the most surprising thing is how low Philadelphia's non-commuter rail ridership is. The septa commuter rail ridership at a much more reasonable level since their commuter rail is so advanced for the North American context but the subway...
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SEPTA's problem is that its motto is cut cut cut. They cut about 3/4 of their streetcars, they haven't expanded their subway system at all since the 70s (and haven't had a major expansion since the 30s), and they have a RER-style commuter rail system that they could start tomorrow if they wanted to (and don't want to - all the pieces are there, except the service).
Wherever ownership of the tracks exist (Boston, Chicago, LIRR, unsure about NJ Transit and Metro North, Philly, and LA), I think that the potential of commuter rail is untapped.
Bus service needs to be frequent, but so does commuter rail service.