Apr 29 : Northern Liberties Loop

I woke up in the middle of the night, and, omg, SEPTA lied to us, I didn't hear any trolleys. Where were they? Trolley service on the 15 was supposed to resume this morning.

When I got up for real later in the morning, I was already half disappointed. I had been looking forward to the resumption of trolley service but didn't know why they didn't seem to be running in the middle of the night.

Much to my delight, I found that the trolleys were indeed running, and that the upgrading of the rails over the bridge was probably why I didn't hear them rattling through the night.

The 15 is now operating on a "detour" due to the reconstruction of I-95, which is scheduled to take at least two years. ... On its eastern portion, the 15 passes under and then weaves its way around underneath the expressway.

The detour involves the trolleys' turning south at Johnny Brenda's (Girard Ave and Frankford Ave) and heading south on new track to a new turnaround loop at The Barbary (Frankford Ave and Delaware Ave, or near Sugar House).

The loop has been nicely constructed with a sheltered waiting area, maps, and some pleasant, though modest, landscaping.

Supervisors and track crews seemed to be out in full force to make sure that the first morning on the new route would run smoothly.

Here are some pics ::::

Apr 08 : Bergenline Avenue Station

Last month there was a period of about ten days where I did some intensive work up in Union City, N.J.. The train station for Union City is the "Bergenline Avenue" stop on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line.

It's the only underground stop on the line, and, to my knowledge, the only underground station that New Jersey Transit has built from scratch.

This is a beautiful station. I was completely blown away when I went there the first time. I like the station's innovative style and its use of the blue neon as part of the design.

Part of the station is also an art installation, the "Weehawken Time Warp", by Alison Sky, and commissioned by New Jersey Transit. … There's a space capsule, long dinosaur tails, and other prehistoric creatures appearing throughout the station.

When the visitor goes up to the street level, there is a "Welcome" sign as one exits the elevators. Bergenline Avenue is a main commercial street through Union City, and the station is surrounded by many stores and restaurants. Second picture below is the street level entrance to the elevators down to he station.

The station has some interesting statistics. Here is some data about the station on "Wikipedia". Bergenline HBLR Station (CLICK HERE)

In the world of transit stations this is a wonderful example of architectural and stylistic bravery. I'd like to see more.