1336i

INTERNATIONAL SUPPLEMENT TO BLN 1336 21 SEPTEMBER 2019

BRANCH LINE NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

This newsletter covers the World outside the British Isles from information
supplied by members.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Compilers or of the Society.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS TEAM:-
International Editor (to whom all email and postal contributions should be sent):
Paul Griffin, 7 School Bell Mews, Church Lane, Stoneleigh, COVENTRY, CV8 3ZZ
Email: bln-international@branchline.uk
Deputy International Editor: Derek Woodward, 68 Church Street, Matlock, DERBY, DE4 3BY

_________________________________________________________

A recent cruise call had the bridge announcement "take care on the quayside as railway tracks exist for servicing
visiting NATO warships". The quay at Åndalsnes, in Norway, is on a two-sided pier with the alternative names
Tindekaia and Natokaia. The track from the station headshunt splits into two sidings, one of which seems to be
blocked by a large portacabin-type structure for the security staff vetting access to cruise ships. Closer inspection
shows this structure to be mounted on a rail chassis, with buffers and drawgear. All that would be needed is to
remove the detachable metal steps, and it is ready to go.

[360] Europe – Most countries a single passenger train passes through?
The Carinthia Explorer stopped in the Autoverladestelle platforms at Villach, observing the Optima
Express loading ready for its journey to Edirne in Turkey. There was speculation on the train as to
whether this train passed through more countries than any other in the Europe, or indeed the World.
It passes through six countries: Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey.

But subsequent research has found a clear winner: The Moskva - Nice (train D 17BJ/EN 409/D
409) runs through Russia, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Monaco and France. Unless
anyone knows better….?
[361] Austria – A visit to the Zayataler Schienentaxi
Daily passenger services over the line between Korneuburg and Hohenau were discontinued in 1988.
Saturdays from May to October see a return trip from Wien as far as Ernstbrunn (NostalgieExpress
Leiser Berge). Beyond Ernstbrunn there is a drasine operation as far as Asparn a/d Zaya. Beyond
Asparn to Mistelbach is the "Zayataler Schienentaxi" - 6 round trips each Saturday operated by a
collection of civil engineers inspection trolleys. 2018 saw two trips with the inspection trolleys
extended up the hill from Asparn (222m above sea level) to the summit at "Drasinenalm Grafensulz"
(298m above sea level). These two trips push drasines up the hill to make things generally more
pleasant for people - important when it can be over 30 degrees. These two trips were continued in
2019. They have just taken delivery of a railbus but it's not yet in traffic. The "Zayataler Schienentaxi"
is unable to run into Mistelbach Lokalbahn station/depot due to a new road built across the route. It
finishes at a halt called "Mistelbach Interspar" just after going under the main line south of Mistelbach
Bf.

Mistelbach Interspar with the track inspection vehicles that provide the passenger trains on the Zayataler
Schienentaxi.

The old tracks are still there on the other side of the road but very overgrown as far as the junction
with the former line to Bad Pirawarth - still apparently used for a few kms for seasonal freight.
Mistelbach Lokalbahnhof is the depot for the Regiobahn private operator and quite a number of
assorted locos are based there. There is an annual open day at the depot with a train from Wien

working through to the Lokalbahnhof. Beyond Mistelbach Lokalbahnhof, the line towards Hohenau is
in use for a small distance for freight - done by the train from Wien in 2018 and advertised for 2019.

Zayataler Schienentaxi at Drasinenalm Grafensulz. The engineers line inspection vehicles push the drasines
up the hill from Asparn a/d Zaya to here.

The Zayataler Schienentaxi at Asparn an der Zaya. Mostly the civil engineers inspection vehicles operate East
of here to Mistelbach Interspar. Since 2018, two trips a day operate West of here to the summit of the line at
Drasinenalm Grafensulz. These push drasines up the hill.

[362] Azerbaijan/Georgia/Turkey - Train service postponed
The Ankara - Tbilisi - Baku service has been postponed from August until October at the earliest. The
reason seems to be that customs operations at the Turkey/Georgia border are not ready yet. A
trilateral meeting with Azerbaijan, Georgian and Turkish Railways was planned for August to finalize
the train path, fares and customs, but has been postponed to late September.
https://railturkey.org/2019/08/31/baku-train-postponed-to-winter/

[363] Germany – Strecke 6904 to become cycle path
The branch line from Kalbe (Milde) to Hohenwulsch (strecke 6904) closed to passenger traffic on 9
June 2001, freight having finished earlier. Since then the line has been disused and has been
overgrown with some track illegally removed at Kalbe. Now two local communities are working to
convert the old railway into a 15km cycle path. Vegetation clearance took place in February and
March this year.
Your International Editor made a late effort to travel the line on 30 May 2001, only 10 days before
closure, and nearly got badly caught out. His notes from the day read: ‘ Another class 143 took me to
Hohenwulsch. I managed to ascertain from the lady guard that the line to Kalbe had not closed yet or
been bustituted. This turned out to be good move, because when I got off at Hohenwulsch there was
no train in sight - in fact not even a bay platform. I must have looked perplexed because the guard
took me off the station, pointed down the road and gave me to understand that I was to walk a short
distance and turn right. Sure enough a class 772 DMU was waiting in the gloom and I joined it,
followed a few moments later by an elderly couple who had also been on the train.
Off we went - at walking pace. The 15 km journey took 41 minutes and I had the train to myself when
we finally arrived at 22:15. There was no train out until the following morning, but I had found a
reference to a hotel in a guide book so I set off to find it. It was completely dark, starting to drizzle and
there was not a soul in sight. I stumbled across the centre of the town after a while. There was a
pension which proved to be closed and after another ten minutes or so I found the hotel. Also closed. I
felt crushed. A night on the tiles looked inevitable.
A group of German teenagers were having a drinking session under the archway. They spoke some
English so I asked if there was another hotel in town. There wasn't, but they managed to contact a
friend who had a car and he soon turned up.
‘Kenny’ (at least that’s what it sounded like) was slightly drunk, but seemed sympathetic and
eventually I talked him into driving me to a town where there was both a station and a hotel. My
objective was Stendal, but he said he could take me to a place he pronounced Garling and off we went
at breakneck speed along with a lad from the original drinking group. Both carried on drinking and
gave me the Spanish Inquisiation as to what I was doing in Germany, where I was from and how I
couldn't possibly travel in Germany speaking virtually none of the language. Garling turned out to be
Gardelegen which is on the main line between Stendal and Wolfsburg. We found a hotel, pulled up in
the car park and were met at the door by the proprietors. Amazing really - it was gone 23:30. ‘Kenny’
only wanted 10DM for his trouble and the English speaking proprietor soon sorted me out a room for
50DM and supplied me with directions to the station.’

[364] Greece – Future of Athens tram section still undecided
It is unclear when commuters will see the return of the section of the Athens tram network between
Neos Cosmos and Syntagma Square, which was shut down in November 2018 amid concerns that the

ground beneath the tracks was at risk of subsiding into the Ilissos River. Repairs were promised, but no
work has been started. A proposal to re-route the line via Syngrou Avenue and closer to the Temple of
Zeus was previously rejected by the Central Archaeological Council in 2002 over fears that the
vibrations from the tram would harm the Temple.
Now, following geological examination, officials are saying the potential risks were exaggerated.
However no decision has been taken on whether restoration work should be carried out.
Authorities are keen for services to resume as the suspension of services has burdened the Athens
metro.

[365] Italy - Work on the Bari to Martina Franco line commences again
On 15 June work started to dismantle the tracks between Triggiano and Capurso preparatory to
putting the line underground (from km 6.945 at km 10.920, tunnel and ramps included) in this section.
The line will also be doubled between Mungivacca - Noicattaro section (from km 4.450 to km 15.110)
As a direct consequence of the doubling and going underground, the two stations of Triggiano and
Capurso will lose their third track and freight yards and will take on a simpler schematic plan, with only
two running tracks. The historic passenger buildings will be preserved and in their vicinity new ones
will be built, access to the new tracks being via a tunnel. Once complete, the entire section will be
electrified, finally completing the electrification from Bari to Martin Franco.
The start of this massive construction site has been massively delayed partly due to the financial
problems and collapse of FSE, partly technical and bureaucratic issues that also involved some design
changes. The project is estimated to take 32 months, but after 18 months it is expected that services
will be restored over the affected section.

[366] Italy – Potenza Inferiore to Avigliano Città line reopens
The Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL) line between Potenza Inferiore and Avigliano Città reopened on 2
September. It closed temporarily on 1 July to permit work to be carried out on the new underpass of
the Via Calabria just beyond Potenza Santa Maria station. Something for vertical gricers to bear in
mind.

[367] Norway – Most heavily subsidised lines in Norway
Norwegian authorities spend NOK 3 billion a year on subsidizing the operation of Norwegian train
routes. While there do not appear to be any plans to close the below lines, members may wish to bear
these figures in mind whilst planning itineraries. Matters can change quickly.
1. Bratsbergbanen NOK767 per passenger. 47 km from Porsgrunn to Notodden.
2. Nordlandsbanen NOK453 per passenger. 729 km from Trondheim to Bodø.
3. Meråkerbanen NOK434 per passenger. 72 km from Hell to Storlien (Sweden).
4. Raumabanen NOK414 per passenger. 114.2 km from Dombås to Åndalsnes.
5. Arendalsbanen NOK387 per passenger. 45 km between Nelaug and Arendal.

[368] Switzerland – Further rail infrastructure approved
The upper house of Parliament (Ständerat) voted unanimously on 21 June in favour of a further phase
of rail infrastructure expansion to eliminate bottlenecks, allow more frequent services and make
stations more accessible. The investment package, known as STEP 2035 (Strategische
Entwicklungsprogramm Bahninfrastruktur), covers around 200 large and small projects, on both the

Swiss Federal Railways network and many routes operated by Switzerland’s ‘private’ railways. It will
permit the introduction of half-hourly inter-city services on many routes, with Genève – Lausanne,
Zürich – Bern and a number of regional and S-Bahn services becoming quarter-hourly. Major projects
include a direct link from Neuchâtel to La Chaux-de-Fonds via Cernier, the 9 km Brüttener tunnel to
give more capacity between Zürich and Winterthur and the 11 km second Zimmerberg tunnel on the
Zürich – Luzern route. The programme as now authorised includes several schemes that were excluded
from the STEP 2035 consultation paper published in 2017, one of which is completion of the second
track through the Lötschberg base tunnel which was only partly fitted out when it opened in 2007. This
will permit half-hourly inter-city services from Bern to Brig and Interlaken and allow all freight trains to
be routed through the base tunnel. Other schemes include 14 new stations, of which seven will be on
the SBB network. Freight traffic is set to benefit from the introduction of ‘express paths’ on eight key
routes including Basel – Olten – Bern, Bern – Lausanne, Solothurn – Lausanne, Zürich – Chur and Zürich
– Lugano. Additional freight paths will be made available on seven routes, and capacity for freight
trains during peak periods will be ensured in the Zürich area. New freight operating facilities will be
provided in the northern part of the Vaud canton, in the Broye area near Fribourg and at
Dagmersellen, Thurtal West, and in the cantons of Graubünden and Ticino. STEP 2035 is based on
government forecasts that the Swiss rail network will be carrying almost two million people a day by
2040, around 50% more than now. The volume of rail freight is also expected to rise by around 45%. A
number of projects favoured by the cantons and planning bodies remain under discussion, including
the long-planned through station in Luzern and the tri-national S-Bahn project in Basel. These schemes
may be included in a further phase of the government’s railway infrastructure programme, which
could be laid before Parliament by 2026.
In June 2019 the Swiss Parliament approved funding for a programme of works to upgrade and
modernise the railway network for the period up to 2035. Projects include:
A rail line to Basel/Mulhouse airport
A new line between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds, to avoid the reversal at Chambrelien
Completion of the southern section of the Zimmerberg tunnel, between Zürich and Zug
A new, more direct line between Zürich and Winterthur, including the Brüttener tunnel from
Bassersdorf and Dietlikon to Winterthur
There will also be detailed planning of new lines between Basel SBB and Basel Bad Bf and at Luzern, to
avoid reversal at the main station. The latter is expected to include a new line in a tunnel below the
Vierwaldstättersee.

REST OF THE WORLD

[369] Burma - Yangon’s railway to nowhere
A railway between Yangon and Pathein that was completed in 2015 but never officially opened is
symptomatic of the expensive planning mistakes of the military junta and U Thein Sein government.
The line was completed in 2015 but never put into service. Set Kot station itself is behind a
government office, hidden from the public eye. Getting to it is difficult; the muddy pathway leading to
the platform is covered in thick, waist-high bushes. Rusted railroad tracks are piled on each side of the
path. The station itself is a sorry sight, its windows broken and the water-damaged walls scrawled with
graffiti. Vines have begun creeping up the walls, making their way towards the roof. The platform can
barely be made out underneath the foliage. The building is less than three years old. It has never seen

a service, either passenger or freight. “We just saw a locomotive running to test the line,” said Ko Khin
Maung, a shop owner from Pantanaw. “We never saw a train again.”

Locals in Set Kot dry rice on the train platform.

It’s a similar story at Hlaing Tharyar Station, the Yangon terminus of the line. A road leads from the
Yangon-Pathein Highway to a cavernous passenger hall and a 50-metre-long platform. Beside empty
offices and silent ticket windows, a sign on the wall invites passengers to complain if they are
overcharged for a ticket. There are no passengers, though – just a family in charge of security and a
large pack of dogs. Myanmar Railways began work on a 155-kilometre railway linking Yangon with an
existing station at Begayet near Pathein in 2009-10, shortly before the military regime transferred
power to the quasi-civilian government of U Thein Sein. A January 2013 article in state-run newspaper
Myanmar Ahlin said the line was 50 percent complete and once finished would “guarantee better
transportation” for both passengers and freight. However, the planned completion date was pushed
back to 2015 due to construction difficulties.
Pyithu Hluttaw records from October 2014 state that the overall cost of the railroad was K65.777
billion, although this does not appear to include a bridge across the Ayeyarwady River.
Myanmar Railways’ general manager for lower Myanmar, U Tun Aung Thin, said that by the time
construction concluded up in 2015, Myanmar Railways had realised there was not enough demand to
cover even running costs, let alone the investment in the line. The project was officially “cancelled”
before work even wrapped up; no official opening ceremony appears to have been held.

“No passenger or freight train has ever run on it,” Tun Aung Thin confirmed. “If we ran trains on the
route we would definitely lose money … so cancelling before starting that route saved us from some
losses.”

The Ayeyarwady Bridge (Nyaungdon) is the centrepiece of the Yangon- Pathein railway but is already a white
elephant, with no trains and very few cars on the road section.

A rail line from Yangon to Pathein already existed before the generals embarked on their doomed
project in 2009-10. The line was one of the first to open, way back in 1903. From Pathein it arcs north
through the delta to Hinthada, on the Ayeyarwady River, and then links up with the Yangon-Pyay line
at Letpadan in Bago Region. However, the lack of a rail bridge at Hinthada means a ferry crossing is

required. A major purpose of the Yangon-Pathein project was to fully integrate the rail network on the
western side of the Ayeyarwady with the rest of the country through a bridge over the river.
The generals decided to build a new road and rail bridge across the Ayeyarwady at Nyaungdon, about
50 kilometres west of Hlaing Tharyar. Ministry of Construction data shows the road section of the
Ayeyarwady Bridge (Nyaungdon), including approaches, is 10,814 feet, while the railroad section is
20,545 feet. It is one of five large bridges across the Ayeyarwady River that opened during the term of
Thein Sein. It is also a white elephant. Even the road section is redundant because it’s just a few
kilometres upstream from the road-only Bo Myat Tun Bridge, which opened in 1999.
When visited in October 2017, there was barely a vehicle to be seen on the Ayeyarwady Bridge
(Nyaungdon). Its main purpose seemed to be as a gathering point for local youths to take photos
above the river. The rails had begun rusting, while some sections of the rail approach bridge have
already fallen into disrepair. The bridge was briefly used for about a year, when passenger trains ran
between Hlaing Tharyar and Hinthada via Nyaungdon. However, the National League for Democracy
cancelled the service in June 2016 because of a lack of passengers.
“It’s like an abandoned bridge,” said Dr Ohn Kyaw, a resident of Nyaungdon town. “It was built for
railways but they just used it for a few months and then it was useless. The former governments just
wanted to make their men rich by giving them contracts for these projects,” he said. “No one [else]
benefited from it.”

Built just a few years ago, Pantanaw train station lies abandoned.

Officially Myanmar has the largest rail network in Southeast Asia, with more than 6,100 route
kilometres in 2014. About half of its network was built during the colonial period, starting with the
Yangon-Pyay line in 1877 and including most of the country’s major routes, such as Yangon-Mandalay,
Yangon-Mawlamyine and Mandalay-Myitkyina. Just a handful of lines opened between 1930 and 1988,

when the country had around 3,180km of route track. But when the military junta, the State Law and
Order Restoration Council, took control in 1988, it embarked on a massive expansion. The Ministry of
Transportation told the Pyithu Hluttaw last year that 3,480km had been added to the route map since
1988, including new lines deep into Shan State, Kayah State and Tanintharyi Region. Sources in
Myanmar Railways said the expansion was to reinforce the military presence in frontier areas and
support military campaigns against the country’s armed ethnic groups.
“They built these railroads without any consideration for the commercial viability,” said a general
manager in the railways. “They just wanted to have a way to quickly send troops and supplies to ethnic
areas. So most of them were not sustainable, especially under the civilian-led governments.” Others
were built to link existing lines to industrial zones and state-run factories.

Hlaing Tharyar station has been closed since May 2016, when the NLD cancelled services to Hinthada.

In the final years of the military junta a new wave of construction began, aimed at stretching the
network as far as Sittwe in Rakhine State, Myeik in Tanintharyi Region and Kengtung in Shan State.
By this time, the minister in charge was U Aung Min, who would later lead peace negotiations and
oversee the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement. When Thein Sein took office, Aung Min
initially remained in charge of the railways portfolio. The Myanmar Railways official said Thein Sein
and Aung Min could have saved many billions of kyat by suspending work on under-construction lines,
including several major bridges. “Many of the projects were just being started when power was
transferred in 2011, but they decided to continue with them,” he said. During the Thein Sein
government alone, hundreds of billions were spent expanding the network. According to the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) 2016 Myanmar Transport Sector Policy Note on railways, the government
spent more than K620 billion on capital investment in rail between 2009 and 2014, of which 88
percent went into track – the majority new lines.

Policies since 1988 have been disastrous for Myanmar Railways. By focusing almost exclusively on
building new tracks, existing lines have been allowed to deteriorate and the network has grown too
large to properly maintain. Tertiary lines, the majority built in the past two decades, now make up 58
percent of the route network but just 7 percent of overall traffic, the ADB note says.
It warned that Myanmar Railways could “disappear” by 2025 unless action was taken to reform the
state rail operator’s operations. Under its “revival” strategy for Myanmar Railways, ADB advocated a
heavy rationalisation of services. It also recommended halting investment in new tertiary lines but
maintaining capital investment at existing levels of around K100 billion and instead shifting it to
rehabilitating existing track that is more heavily used. The government has already heeded some of its
advice. Within its first 100 days of taking office, the NLD closed 17 routes totaling 833km – a figure
that does not include the Yangon-Pathein line, because it was never operational. The Myanmarr Times
reported at the time that the lines had just 843 passengers a day and were generating just K205,000 in
ticket sales, well below fuel costs of about K900,000.

[370] Canada – Repairs to be made to part of Gaspé line
Infrastructure Canada has announced that it will spend CA$45.8 million to rehabilitate segments of the
Gaspésie railway in Quebec. The rail link most in need of repair is between Port-Daniel-Gascons and
Gaspé, and has not been used since 2015. Coastal erosion that followed a major storm in December
2016 has made the railway segment worse. The project involves repairing 10 parts of the railway over
79 miles between Port-Daniel-Gascons and Gaspé, as well as reinforcement work. In some locations,
the railway will be relocated because of ground movement and shoreline erosion. The work will help
re-establish rail transport to Gaspé.

[371] Israel - Jerusalem light rail project contract awarded
This project includes the construction of 27km of new track, 53 new stations and various depots
covering a 6.8km extension to the Red Line, and the new 20.6km Green Line. The Red Line is currently
13.8km long with 23 stations, and carries around 145,000 passengers daily. Construction is expected to
begin later this year with the new extensions fully operational by 2025.

[372] USA – Two branch lines in the Philadelphia area
Two passenger lines in the Philadelphia Area closed in 2018 but reopened in 2019 so they were
targeted by two members en route from Washington to flights home from New York in late June.
The first was from Philadelphia 30th Street Station to the coastal gambling resort of Atlantic City in
New Jersey (67 miles, the first seven shared with Amtrak). With Philadelphia in Pennsylvania its
crossing of the State Border was speculated as a factor in the closure, but it did not seem an
appropriate reason as passenger numbers on the 09:16 train from 30th Street on a Friday were good,
(or at least they were in the coaches available for use as some were closed to help the Conductor, a
not unusual occurrence in America). On changing from their Amtrak arrival from Washington via
Baltimore to this New Jersey Transit [NJT] operated service, an even noisier diesel than usual by
American standards was booming away at the rear of the train. It looked dated, and later research
found this GP40 [“Geep”] numbered 4205 was built in 1969 although refurbished in 1994.
http://www.altoonaworks.info/rebuilds/detail/njt_gp40ph-2b.pdf. The coaches appeared of a similar
age, leading to speculation as to whether the age of the equipment was a factor in the closure as the
loco had to be worked hard with swift running between stops, plus it was noted that the 13:56

departure from Atlantic City was cancelled. Therefore our members (after arriving at 10:52) had to
leave on the 12:08 or else it would have been the 15:46 departures which would have blown a hole in
their travel plans for the rest of that day.

New Jersey Transit ‘Geep’, no. 4205 will shortly depart from Philadelphia 30th Street station for Atlantic City. No
platform was shown on the departure screens, just a muffled announcement advising the platform a few minutes
before departure.

However later research established that it was always going to be a temporary withdrawal due to
installation of PTC (Positive Train Control)], an issue that has also caused problems for AMTRAK and
other passenger operators. The NJT website helpfully explains PTC as “technology to enhance rail
safety by monitoring and controlling train movements by using Global Positioning System (GPS)
technology, Wi-Fi and high band radio transmission, PTC is capable of automatically controlling train
speeds and movements, thereby reducing the risk of accidents due to human error. PTC networks
enable real-time information sharing among locomotives, rail wayside devices, and a centralized office.
The shared information includes train movement, position and speed; current speed restrictions; and
the state of signal and switch devices. Real-time communication can account for changing track
conditions, such as temporary speed restrictions when railroad employees are conducting track
maintenance.
https://www.njtransit.com/var/var_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PTCTo#whatisPTC
The other reinstated service from Princeton Junction (on the main line between Philadelphia and New
York) was visited the following day and is allegedly the shortest passenger line/service in America, just
2.6 miles to Princeton taking 5 minutes each way but shuttling up and down no more than twice an

hour (but not clockface!) 7 days a week. It had been bus substituted from 14 October 2018 until 12
May 2019 with the NJT website claiming that this was also for PTC works, but the Conductor suggested
it was actually due to staff shortages as the line will not be PTC fitted even though the EMU’s rostered
to use it would. The service resumed as the line now has a derogation from PTC to operate under “one
train working” as Princeton Junction is a “V” station with a separate branch platform, plus it was noted
that the overrun led to a lengthy loop off the main line rather than directly onto it. Also of interest was
that the full height branch platform can only take 1 coach but it was a 2 car EMU, so perhaps
unexpectedly the front coach ran beyond the platform. This appears to be the regular practice as per
the current Google Satellite image!
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Princeton+Junction,+West+Windsor+Township,+NJ,+USA/@40
.3167058,74.6237478,57m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c3e0ceeee63f7f:0x7185a0a5d2696f0!8m
2!3d40.3173301!4d-74.6198791

The ‘Dinky’ arrives at the branch platform at Princeton Junction.

The 11:31 from Princeton Junction and 11:59 return on a Saturday had reasonable custom, (again with
one of the coaches blocked off, unsurprisingly the one beyond the platform......), mostly students
heading to and from one of the most well known American Universities with arrival at Princeton at a
new looking combined train and bus station with just a single track. The Conductor said the line had
been cut back “half a mile” and on searching the internet the branch opened on 29 May 1865, with
the end section and its 1918 built station building closing permanently on 23 August 2013 and the
current station opening on 17 November 2014. As it was a scorching hot day and our Members had

their holiday luggage with them they were not tempted to search for the old station even though the
Conductor advised the building still existed as a Restaurant, so it was annoying once home to find the
branch was actually only shortened by 460 feet, albeit uphill and everything out of sight from the
current station on looking at Google Streetview and Satellite images.

The ‘Dinky’ at the single platform station at Princeton. Buffer stops beyond the train prevent progress down the
former short section of the branch leading to the old station.

Interestingly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton_station_(NJ_Transit) goes into great detail about
the fight to stop closure of the old station, including a claim that the less central location of the new
would discourage passengers, and apparently there has been a 20% drop in train use compared to the
last full year of the old station. So if in the area it may be prudent to include a visit to this branch
known as the “Dinky”, (a nickname in America for both a small locomotive or a short railroad line even
though others apparently call it the PJ&B standing for Princeton Junction and back!) as there are plans
to replace the railway with a dedicated busway (it was double tracked in 1905 but singled again in
1956), albeit they are not currently being pursued.
[373] USA - Phoenix votes for light rail
Petroleum tycoon and conservative radical Charles Koch and his late brother David have been funding
campaigns to stop transit projects in cities around the USA. They succeeded in Nashville last year, and
this time Phoenix was the battleground. The city has a light rail system, and there are plans to expand
it. Koch backed a group of Arizona business owners and developers who put forward a proposition

which would have redirected a previously passed tax away from light rail towards other transportation
improvements. It would also have required “terminating all construction, development, extension, and
expansion of” light rail. Turnout for the special election was a record high and a resounding victory for
the city and light rail.