{The Star-Ledger Archives}
Date: 1998/04/28
Mayor says support exists for rail service
By Jeff Woosnam
Star-Ledger Staff
Some Sparta residents want commuter rail service restored but have told Mayor Ailish Hambel they have been unable to show their support because they are often driving home from work when meetings to discuss the project are in progress. "I've gotten a number of phone calls from people who have told me that the vocal opponents don't represent everyone's interests," Hambel said yesterday. "They also told me they don't want to get into a confrontation with the opponents," she added.
At today's 8 p.m. meeting in the junior high school auditorium, the council is expected to state its position on NJ Transit's proposal to run five trains a day between Sparta and Hoboken beginning in 2002. The component of the project that has aroused the most ire is construction of a $17 million overnight storage yard for the trains on a 33-acre Houses Corner Road farm owned by Peter Cofrancesco. Residents of several housing developments in the area recently organized Spartans Opposed to the Rail Road Yard, SORRY, which is against the rail service altogether. Sparta Citizens Against the Rail Yard, SCARY, a homeowners' group based in the Radcliffe Farms subdivision on West Mountain Road, was organized several months ago to prevent NJ Transit from considering two yard sites in that neighborhood. Both groups are expected to deliver petitions with several thousand signatures to the council tonight.
"We're willing to listen to the people we represent and work for," Hambel said. At its Feb. 24 meeting, at the insistence of the SCARY group, the council adopted a resolution opposing the two Radcliffe area locations. Hambel said she spoke with council members Michael Devine and Dorothy Witte after Tuesday's 3-hour public information session with NJ Transit officials. Councilman Michael McKenna also attended, but Hambel said he was out of town later in the week and she planned to talk to him about his point of view at a political function last night. "I'm pretty sure I know where he stands but I don't want to say anything without confirming it with him," Hambel said. "I'm sure we will have a unified statement at the council meeting." She and McKenna are seeking reelection May 12. They are opposed by James Castimore and James Henderson and write-in candidates Gary Meyers and Michael LaRose. The latter two made opposition to the rail yard the cornerstone of their joint campaign.
Date: 1998/04/12
Rail plan for Sparta up against opposition: Council-approved site now contested
By Jeff Woosnam
Star-Ledger Staff
When NJ Transit officials visit Sparta this month to again explain their plans for establishing commuter rail service to Hoboken and New York by 2002, they should be prepared for plenty of opposition. "This thing is getting real hot real quick," Councilman Michael McKenna said after last week's announcement that NJ Transit has chosen a 33-acre farm on Houses Corner Road near Medusa Minerals (formerly Limecrest Corp.) to build a $17 million overnight storage yard for five trains. The land is zoned for industrial use and is owned by Sparta businessman Peter Cofrancesco.
Construction is several years away and must clear several township and state regulatory body approvals, according to NJ Transit. McKenna, who is seeking election to a second term May 12, said he has been surprised at the strength of the opposition that has sprung up. First, a group called SCARY, Citizens Against the Rail Yard, convinced the council to adopt a resolution in late February opposing two possible sites near Sparta High School - and their neighborhood. The council previously stated its preference for the Cofrancesco property. Now, Our Group, claiming to represent homeowners in several high-value subdivisions around the chosen site, has mounted a campaign against not only the rail yard but even the concept of commuter trains running through the township. "It's inimical to our way of life here," said Gary Meyers, a Denville attorney who lives in the Sussex Mills subdivision off Newton-Sparta Road. He and his wife, Pat, cofounded Our Group and have hosted several neighborhood meetings to develop a strategy to oppose NJ Transit's plan. "Building a line from Sparta to Dover makes more sense," Meyers said, explaining that area commuters could board the Midtown Direct trains in the Morris County town. The Meyers family joined forces with SCARY organizers Roy and Paula Lawrence, who live in the Radcliffe Farms development off West Mountain Road. They said the closest a commuter train should come to Sparta is the Stockholm area of Hardyston. "We don't see a need for anything beyond there," said Lawrence. "Anyone who wants to ride the train to New York would be able to get one at Dover or Andover," he said. He was referring to NJ Transit's other plan to reopen the Lackawanna Cutoff and start commuter service from northeastern Pennsylvania through Warren and Sussex counties at about the same time the Sparta line would go into operation. Each project carries a price tag of about $100 million. An aide to Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) said last week the transportation bill in a House-Senate conference committee includes language authorizing both projects but that specific appropriations won't be made until the money is needed. NJ Transit said New York-bound passengers from the Sparta line will be able to transfer to a Midtown Direct train at the Secaucus transfer station now under construction. The Sparta line was proposed in 1995, when NJ Transit officials hosted a meeting similar to the one planned for April 28 from 5-8 p.m. at the Sparta municipal building on Main Street. They showed aerial photos of the route, locations for stations and drawings of what the stations would look like. At the time, they tentatively positioned the storage yard near White Lake, but concerns about contamination of the township's main water wells prompted the search for alternate sites. In addition to the two near Radcliffe and the Cofrancesco land, a fourth possibility was near Sparta Sand and Gravel on Demarest Road. Cofrancesco was chosen, NJ Transit said, because it was favored by the council and presented the least potential for neighborhood disruption. Plus, it is farthest from the wells. McKenna said he understands residents' concerns about the rail yard. But he said because Sparta's population is expected to double to 35,000 by 2025, and many of the new homeowners will work in or near areas served by the trains, township officials who already hear many complaints about rush-hour traffic congestion must plan now to take advantage of every opportunity for transportation alternatives.
February 25, 1998
Sparta fights Radcliffe rail yard Residents fear reduced property values
By MARK HARTMANN
NJ Herald
SPARTA - The Township Council unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday opposing the construction of a rail storage yard adjacent to the Radcliffe Farms housing development.Residents of Radcliffe Farms spoke out against the rail yard, which is Being proposed by NJ Transit for one of four sites in Sparta. About 60 Residents attended the meeting, many of them opposed to the noise and reduced Property values they said the rail yard would bring. The sites being considered for the 10-12-acre rail yard to house six,six-car trains are: The Cofrancesco site, owned by developer Peter Cofrancesco, which is west of the railroad tracks off Houses Corner Road near Limecrest Road;Sparta Sand and Gravel off Limecrest Road; A portion of Radcliffe Farm subdivision, off West Mountain Road; and A site located off Route 15 near the Radcliffe site, but closer to Route 15. "We are becoming more pro-active and are even in the process of Interviewing attorneys to represent us,'' said Richard Maglin, one of 70 members ofSparta Citizens Against the Rail Yard (SCARY). The resolution reads, "The Township Council hereby expresses its opposition to locating the proposed storage yard at either the Route 15 Site or the Radcliffe Site due to residential zoning of sites and the potential Adverse environmental and social impacts the storage yard would have on Existing residential properties, high school and other public properties nearby;further, they express their support for additional consideration to be givento the Cofrancesco site as the preferred location.''Many residents asked if the council's support was unconditional.Councilman Michael Devine answered, "We are on your side ... Right from The first time we heard this we have been against the yard being at either The Route 15 site or the Radcliffe site because the yard would be endangering to our water supply and in close proximity to residential districts.''One resident asked, "If the commuter station and the rail yard came as apackage deal, would the council accept the Radcliffe site?''Devine answered, "It seems unlikely that we would ever support that.''Devine added the township's prior experiences with NJ Transit have all Been positive. "I can't see why they (NJ Transit) would not work with us onthis,'' he said. Both Devine and township attorney Brian Laddey admitted that NJ Transitcould condemn the Radcliffe site, where homes cost about $300,000, or any other properties without support of the township.NJ Transit has estimated it could cost $17 million to build the rail yard at the Cofrancesco site with an operating cost of $700,000. The capital cost of the Radcliffe site is only $15 million with an operating cost of $600,000.
Date: 1998/01/18
Freight may offset cost of commuter rail line: NJ Transit considers purchase option to restore service to Sussex
By Lawrence Ragonese
Star-Ledger Staff
The state may have to spend upwards of $25 million to buy a freight rail line in North Jersey to ensure the restoration of long-defunct passenger service through parts of Morris, Sussex, Passaic and Bergen counties. NJ Transit has hired an appraisal firm to evaluate the New York Susquehanna & Western Railway - a lightly used freight line running from Warwick, N.Y., to North Bergen. The Delaware-Otsego Co., of Cooperstown, N.Y., would like to jettison the line and rent space on the railway from the transit agency. State transit officials toured the five-segment, 70-mile line with representatives of Delaware Otsego several weeks ago to get a first-hand look at its possible new property. "It is premature to say we want to buy it, but we're getting an appraisal ready," said NJ Transit spokesman Ken Miller, who disputed rumors that the commuter restoration project has run into problems. "Everybody thinks this project is stalled, but it hasn't," added Miller, who would not speculate on a sale price. But rail experts and officials said privately the line could cost from $20 million to $30 million. The federal government already has approved $41 million for engineering and construction of the commuter portion of the line, to run from Sparta to Hawthorne, with a connector to Hoboken, at an estimated cost of $100 million. That does not include NJ Transit's cost to buy the railway. A tentative plan calls for five rush-hour trains to run each morning and evening, stopping at stations to be created or renovated in Sparta, the Stockholm section of Hardyston, the Newfoundland section of West Milford, plus Butler, Pompton Lakes, Oakland, Wyckoff, Midland Park and Hawthorne. Passenger trains last ran on the eastern portion of this former Conrail line in 1966. It is estimated that 1,940 passengers each weekday, or about 500,000 a year, would ride the line, which would parallel heavily traveled Routes 23 and 208. Commuter trains would share one available track with the three to four freight trains per day run by NYS&W. A commuter trip could cost $5 each way, with 30 percent discounts available, state officials estimated. But officials acknowledged the commuter line would not be financially self-sufficient, requiring a $5 million annual subsidy. However, if NYS&W were to rent space on the line, NJ Transit would have a source of revenue to offset that subsidy, officials said. Federal approval has been received to start the project, which would return commuter rail service to Sussex County for the first time in more than 50 years. Improvements to the freight line are needed to allow higher-speed passenger trains to navigate the route. Included are a need for new ties, rail joints, upgraded crossings, bridge work and a 1.7-mile rail siding, among many other items. But the project is on hold pending resolution of the ownership issue, officials said.
Publicly held Delaware-Otsego went private in September via a transaction that was partly bankrolled by CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern. Those two rail companies are trying to buy Conrail for $10.2 billion, which would give them dominance over rail service in the eastern United States. That sale still must be approved by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Some state and regional transportation officials contend the new Delaware-Otsego would like to get rid of its marginally profitable NYS&W line. Delaware-Otsego Vice President Nathan Fenno denied that contention but not the possibility of a sale. "Realistically, what happened is that both sides concluded that if NJ Transit wanted to do this project, it makes more sense for them to own the land and tracks, and for the NYS&W to get the rights to retain the ability to run freight trains on it," Fenno said. Morris County Transportation Director Frank Reilly, a leader of the effort to get the line restored, said a sale would benefit the commuter service, resolving questions of who would maintain the line, control dispatch of trains and provide safety. "The purchase also would tell the federal government that New Jersey remains very serious about this project," said Reilly. He noted a required environmental impact statement has been completed and approved by the Federal Transit Administration. The next steps to make the line ready for commuter trains, he said, would be to upgrade the rail and signals, build stations, improve crossings and order equipment - tasks that should take about three years. The most expensive portion would be installing grade crossings - estimated at $57 million - that meet federal standards. NJ Transit also must appropriate the additional $59 million required for the restoration work. Miller said the money is expected to come from future capital budgets. The project has been endorsed by two powerful area legislators, state Sen. Robert Littell (R-Sussex), who is chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, and Assemblyman Alex DeCroce (R-Morris), chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee. It also has passed environmental muster. The Federal Transportation Administration assessed a myriad of issues in its environmental impact statement, including air quality, noise, the impact of anticipated vibrations caused by trains, and the effect on fish and wildlife living near the tracks. Its conclusion was a "finding of no significance," or approval of the project.
Night trains put community on wrong side of tracks
By Matthew Futterman
Star-Ledger Staff
When the long-idle New York Susquehanna & Western Railway tracks behind James Emmerson's house in Franklin Lakes rumbled to life two years ago, he pleaded with the railroad to stop moving freight cars in the middle of the night. ''Every night they'd start moving the cars around and crashing them together," said Emmerson. "It sounded like bombs were going off back there. The whole house would shake." When polite requests didn't work, he circulated petitions in his neighborhood and got the mayor to issue seven citations for noise violations. That got the railway's attention, but it didn't remove the trains. A municipal judge dismissed the tickets, saying that as agents of interstate commerce, railroads answer only to the federal government. But the railroad agreed to stop moving trains after 11 p.m. and to work with the town to find a solution. Now Mayor G. Thomas Donch is working to secure $275,000 in state and federal funds to construct a new set of tracks on land NYS&W owns in the town's industrial area near Route 287, away from residential neighborhoods. ''I know they're trying to run a business," Donch said. "But they've got to be good neighbors, too."
The compromise reached on behalf of Emmerson and his neighbors is typical of a change in the way New Jersey residents and local officials have approached the problems associated with a boom in freight train traffic in residential neighborhoods. That boom in freight rail traffic, sparked by the 1997 takeover of Conrail by rail giants CSX and Norfolk-Southern, has shattered the peace in houses along once rarely used tracks. Michael Brimmer, vice president for government relations at CSX, says the problem may ease soon. He said the railroad has invested $50 million in the past six months and will spend another $200 million to expand its rail yards, tracks and storage facilities in nonresidential areas, which should bring relief to homeowners. ''By 2003, we'll hopefully have minimized the problems in the neighborhoods and at the same time have the capacity to keep increasing our business," Brimmer said. Meanwhile, many New Jersey municipalities are trying to ease the problem on their own.
Early attempts by municipal officials to regulate train traffic in their towns failed, however, mostly because railroads are exempt from local zoning restrictions that address issues such as noise and vibrations. Recently, however, with the help of congressional representatives, local officials have figured out ways of navigating the arcane federal bureaucracies that govern interstate railway operations. In Westfield, where residents had complained for years about ear-splitting train whistles, local officials petitioned the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Rail Administration to waive requirements for train conductors to blow their whistles as they approach street-level crossings. Last month, the FRA announced that it would allow towns to create quiet zones where trains do not have to blow their whistles. To create a quiet zone, towns must build concrete barriers to prevent drivers from ignoring gates and trying to scoot through a crossing as a train approaches. ''It's tremendously important for us to be able to regain our quality of life," said Neil Sullivan, a Westfield councilman who worked with Assemblyman Richard Bagger (R-Union), and U.S. Rep. Bob Franks (R-7th Dist.) to get the FRA to make the change. Sometime this year, the federal Surface Transportation Board, which sets freight rates and regulates economic issues for the railroads, will rule on a complaint filed by town officials in Riverdale, where NYS&W built a transfer station in a residential neighborhood. The Morris County borough is arguing that the railroad should have sought approvals under local zoning regulations before developing the transfer station. NYS&W's lawyers have argued that the railway has no obligation to adhere to local zoning rules. If the STB decides that railroads should adhere to local zoning regulations, that ruling would set a precedent and have an impact on another fight. In it, the town of Bogota has been trying since last year to prevent CSX from idling trains and building additional tracks behind a densely populated neighborhood. CSX officials say they need to store trains on tracks in southern Bergen County until they can expand the capacity of rail yards in Secaucus and Jersey City. The tussle started when Mayor Steve Lonegan slapped the company with a $75 ticket for disturbing the peace, which the municipal judge threw out. So Lonegan decided to seek relief in federal court. ''Bogota has lived with trains for its whole history, so we expect the traffic," said Lonegan. "But to leave trains idling there in a residential neighborhood, that's simply not fair." The lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge John Bissell, who ruled that the Surface Transportation Board has jurisdiction. That means Bogota's complaint hinges on the outcome of the Riverdale case. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9th Dist.), entered the fray late last year. He announced that if the Surface Transportation Board does not rule in Riverdale's favor, he will introduce federal legislation that would require railroads to include municipalities in the railroad planning process. Experts say both the booming economy and Norfolk-Southern's and CSX's expensive acquisition of Conrail are largely responsible for the growth in freight activity. The bad news is that the problems could get worse before they get better - over the next 20 years, rail freight traffic coming out of the Port of New York and New Jersey is also expected to double. ''We're acting as a hub, a funnel to which cargo destined for all over the country is going to come through," said John Hummer, manager of freight services and special projects for the North Jersey Transportation and Planning Authority. "The trouble is we're waking up and finding out there isn't enough line and yard capacity to accommodate all the business."
