News
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

How to Save What You Can as the Flood of Train Prices Rises Around You: Cameron on Transportation

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Whether you’re a daily commuter, an occasional day-tripper or have friends visiting from out of town, everyone can save money when you go into New York City on Metro-North by following these tips:

TransitChek

Ask your employer to subscribe to this great service, which allows workers to spend up to $260 per month on transit using pre-tax dollars. If you’re in the upper tax brackets, that’s a huge savings. A recent survey shows 45 percent of all New York City companies offer TransitChek, which can be used on trains, subways and even ferries. Go off-peak

If your train arrives at Grand Central Terminal weekdays after 10 a.m. and you can avoid the 4 to 8 p.m. peak return hours, you can save 25 percent. Off-peak fares are in effect on weekends and holidays.

Opinion
Cropped brightline BBT609 on Flickr via Wcommons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BrightLine_Inaugural_Run.jpg

Where an American Railroad Is Making a Profit: Cameron on Transportation

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There has not been a profitable passenger railroad in the United States. Amtrak and commuter lines like Metro-North operate at a loss as a public service, their deficits borne by tax dollars. But that changed last month with the launch of Brightline, a privately owned, for-profit passenger railroad in Florida. Running between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, the railroad is owned by Fortress Investment Group. The group has ties to Florida East Coast Railways, which owns the freight tracks that the new passenger trains will use.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Metro-North Commuting ‘Like Getting Hit With a 2-by-4’ — Cameron on Transportation

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“Commuting on Metro-North is like getting hit with a 2-by-4. Service is getting worse and now you’re hitting us with a 10 percent fare hike.”

Those comments came from Jeffrey Maron, vice chairman of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council, a usually mild-mannered, two-compliments-before-any-complaint kind of guy. But Maron’s tone changed, as he quizzed state Department of Transportation Commissioner Jim Redeker at the recent CCRC meeting in Stamford. The transportation czar outlined the reasons for pending service cuts and fare hikes, explaining the Special Transportation Fund is running dry and he has no choice but to cut expenses and raise revenue. Maron reminded the commissioner that council members offered fund-raising suggestions, but never received a reply.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Hudson River Rail Tunnels Shoulda, Coulda Been Done By Now: Cameron on Transportation

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It should have been done by now: 2018 was the expected completion year of the new railroad tunnels under the Hudson River. When it was proposed in 2009, the $9 billion project was the biggest infrastructure initiative in the country. Now it’s just a footnote to history. Why do rail tunnels from New York’s Penn Station to New Jersey matter to us here in Connecticut? Because they are the weakest but most crucial link in the Northeast corridor, the $50 billion heart of the U.S. economy.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Look! Up in the Air!! And on the Train!!! Another Disruptive Passenger!!!! — Cameron on Transportation

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We’ve seen a number of reports lately about “disruptive passengers” forcing a plane to divert after exhibiting some sort of frightening behavior. Imagine being along for the ride when something like this happens:

—An Air Canada flight to Tel Aviv lands in London after a female passenger starts randomly choking people on board. She is restrained in-flight and arrested upon landing. —A Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Houston detours to Corpus Christi, Texas, after a woman tries to open the emergency exit door mid-flight. Seen before departure screaming at people in the terminal, passengers wondered why she was allowed to board the plane.