Regional Rail Working Group Meeting 7/18, 6pm

One of my favorite aspects of Streetsblog is the calendar of events.

Wednesday night there will be a meeting of the Regional Rail Working Group, which advocates for better coordination of transit planning among regional transit agencies such as MTA, Metro North, LIRR, NJ Transit, PATH, hell, even SEPTA.

While responsible transit planning is not a panacea, it does come awfully close:

National security implications? Check. Reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Environmental Concerns? Check. Cleaner air, better resource allocation.
Health issues? Check. People walk more, stay more fit. See also cleaner air, above.
Traffic? Check. Tired of sitting in hours of traffic? Make it easier for people to use mass transit.

And so on. Here's the meeting details:

Regional Rail Working Group Meeting

Regional Rail Working Group
A Consortium of Transit Advocacy Organizations

A key topic for discussion will be a proposal by several New Jersey rail advocates to extend the #7 subway west under the Hudson River to New Jersey, to Secaucus Transfer. Also, discussion will continue on rail equipment options for thru-running at Penn Station.

Agenda items for the July 18, 2007, meeting will include a quick update on each of these key initiatives:

• Through-running at Penn Station -- special emphasis on rail technology issues
• Upper Level Loop Alternative for LIRR East Side Access
• Penn Station-Grand Central Connection
• Rockaway Cut-off -- one-seat ride Midtown Manhattan-JFK Airport
  
• Lower Manhattan Access
• Regional Rail Freight plan
• Intercity rail issues

The key discussion item will be options for extending the #7 subway to New Jersey.

When

Wednesday, July 18, 2007, 6 to 8 PM

Where

Conference Room, NYPD Downtown Center 104 Washington Street (just north of Rector Street)

Cost - Free!

More Info: http://www.rrwg.org/mm_next.htm