Rethinking and replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge

Why is a column that usually writes about Connecticut’s transportation problems suddenly interested in The Tappan Zee Bridge? Because the pending rebuilding of this bridge across the Hudson River will have a major impact on our lives, our economy and travel patterns.

Next stop Penn Station?

There’s discussion again about bringing some Metro-North trains directly from Connecticut into New York City’s Penn Station. But will it happen?

The five biggest lies about highway tolls

Like it or not, get ready to pay tolls on our interstates and parkways. Transportation officials in Hartford say there’s just no other way to raise badly needed money for over-due infrastructure repairs. Tolls may not be popular, but neither are collapsing bridges.

Congress tells commuters ... ‘Drop Dead’

Back in 1975, when New York City was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, then- President Ford declined to offer help, and the NY Daily News headline screamed “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”

Last month, the U.S. Congress said about the same thing to us users of mass transit.

‘The Passenger Pledge’

Never let a crisis go to waste. With that philosophy, the CT Rail Commuter Council has turned last July’s stranding of a train full of desperate passengers into something which will benefit every rider of Metro-North: “The Passenger Pledge.”

Quiet cars arrive on Metro-North in Connecticut

More than 10 years ago the CT Rail Commuter Council first proposed the idea of Quiet Cars on Metro-North. They seemed to work just fine on Amtrak, first introduced in 2001 at the request of passengers. Other commuter lines across the U.S. had also adopted the idea, usually to great acclaim.

For the most part, the rules are self-enforced by passengers. Those whose phones start ringing are quickly reminded they are in the wrong car, and they usually move. There have been exceptions, including a celebrated case last spring on Amtrak when a woman was arrested for yacking for 16 hours on her cell phone and refusing to move from the Quiet Car.

 

Winter on Metro-North

It may not officially start until Dec. 21, but winter is already on the minds of Metro-North and its 125,000 daily commuters.

Travel: There are apps for that

Perhaps no industry has done a better job of adapting to consumer tech platforms than the travel biz. Given the complexity of travel choices and the powerful new handheld devices we all carry, it seems a perfect match. So, here are a few of my favorite apps and sites to make travel a breeze.

What Metro-North can learn from the Swiss

Just back from 12 glorious (and outrageously expensive) days in Europe, I have some train tales to tell, and some advice for America's railroads.

What’s in a name?

Don't be too jealous, but as you read this I'm enjoying a rail adventure in Europe; almost two weeks of riding some of the fastest and best trains in the world, my idea of a real holiday.