Statement before the MTA Board Metro-North Committee – October 26, 2015
Good Morning. I am William Henderson, Executive Director of the PCAC speaking on behalf of Randy Glucksman, the Rockland County representative on the MNRCC. He has asked me to deliver this statement because he is out of town.
As the Rockland County representative, I am here to address the recent cancelation of Pascack Valley Line Train #1601, as I did on September 21.
At that meeting, you presented a bus option from Suffern with time savings. The train that would deliver our riders would be the 12:40 AM local from Hoboken to Port Jervis, which arrives at Suffern at 1:48 AM. Factoring the time to detrain, board the bus and travel across Rockland County stopping first at Spring Valley and then to Nanuet, completing the trip requires approximately 30 minutes, plus additional time for those destined to Pearl River.
However, the same 12:40 AM train proposed as the Hoboken connection to the Secaucus-Rockland Express only requires about 50 minutes and compares favorably with Train #1601, which arrived in Nanuet at 1:44 AM. Please tell me where are the time savings with your proposal?
I understand that the MTA did not want to spend more than $600,000 for a train that served few riders, but I urge you to implement this bus as the best solution to the lost service as soon as possible. It has now been well over one month without this late-night service.
Rockland County riders deserve better service, and you can provide it. Our County Executive Ed Day feels the same. Remember, we are just talking about one bus trip, four nights a week.
Thank you.
Download here: 102615 Glucksman Train 1601