[PRCo] Re: Fw: [Weyrich_Transit] FW: Trouble in Pittsburgh - Route 52

[Fred Schneider]

I wonder if it would not be a whole lot cheaper to run a daily franchise car
for the next century instead of yanking out all of those catenary poles?

Harold, give me your experience on running local transit on hourly headways.
I'm not talking about Greyhound or trains where you expect to wait in a
terminal for a while before departure.  I'm thinking of in town or around
town service.  At what interval do you drive the last people away?  Can you
attract people to an hourly service?  Or does it need to be half-hourly?  Or
15 minutes?  What really does work in your experience?   The question
seriously asks for an opinion or a reference to someone who has studied it.

fws

"Harold G." wrote:

> Greetings   Comments about Route 52.   Harold Geissenheimer
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Harold G. <transitmgr2 at earthlink.net>
> To: Weyrich_Transit at yahoogroups.com <Weyrich_Transit at yahoogroups.com>;
> elehrer at gmail.com <elehrer at gmail.com>
> Cc: jgminsc at radix.net <jgminsc at radix.net>; paulwey at freecongress.org
> <paulwey at freecongress.org>; scanlonm at samtrans.com <scanlonm at samtrans.com>
> Date: Thursday, February 17, 2005 12:30 PM
> Subject: Re: [Weyrich_Transit] FW: Trouble in Pittsburgh - Route 52
>
> >Greetings     Rt 52 track provides an alternative routing
> >to the Mt. Washington tunnel.  It has been used during
> >construction or emergencies..  The method was to run
> >single track in the tunnel, inbound in the AM and outbound
> >in the PM.  Reverse cars went over the hill.  It was once
> >single track with passing siding going up the hill.
> >Became new double track as part of the S Hills LRT.
> >
> >When I was in Pgh, I did many things to increase local
> >use of the line.  The Allentown community at the top of the
> >hill was improving and we did a special green and white
> >mod paint job for the community.  We operated a sightseeing
> >car on weekends on this line.  This was a mod PCC car
> >with an advt for Hornes Dept store which read "Give a
> >toot for Hornes".  We put a tape deck player on the
> >car's speaker and gave a tour riding up the hill.  You had
> >many good views of the City, Oakland and the Southside,
> >The tape started off with the song "There is a pawn shop
> >on a corner in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania"   We promoted the
> >line with the PAT Weekend family pass..  This was in the
> >ERA of PAT's highest ridership ever.
> >
> >Unfortunately. the Alkentown neighborhood never really
> >improved.   Ridership is limited and there is good bus
> >service connecting to the T at South Hills Jct.
> >
> >This period was part of the golden years of PAT.  John
> >Mauro was ED and very passenger orriented.  It was good
> >to work with him.   He went on to San Mateo and created
> >the combined system there.  He died at APTA meeting in 1981.
> >
> >Harold Geissenheimer
> >PAT  1964 thru 1976.
> >1-973 292 2916
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Paul Weyrich <paulwey at freecongress.org>
> >To: elehrer at gmail.com <elehrer at gmail.com>
> >Date: Thursday, February 17, 2005 8:09 AM
> >Subject: [Weyrich_Transit] FW: Trouble in Pittsburgh - Route 52
> >
> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: Jeffrey Mora [mailto:jgmindc at radix.net]
> >>Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 5:11 PM
> >>To: Paul Weyrich; Jerry Fisher; Glen Bottoms
> >>Subject: Trouble in Pittsburgh - Route 52
> >>
> >>
> >>A friend sent me a short article from the Pittsburgh City Paper (first
> >>week
> >>of February) to the effect that PAAC's
> >>Route 52 Allentown, which has very little service (hourly service
> >>weekdays)
> >>and carries about 300 riders a day, could be abandoned as part of the
> >>financial crisis faced by the Port Authority.  The date of March 6th is
> >>given as when the line could be abandoned as part of service cutbacks
> >>and a
> >>.25 cent fare increase.
> >> Jeff
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >