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If you've been following the reactivation of the Staten
Island and Rahway Valley Railways, you are aware that it has generated a great
deal of controversy. Almost all of the municipalities that these railroads
pass through are very much against any action on the part of the Union County
freeholders. We at the BPN staff have been keeping you informed on what's
going on by republishing newspaper articles, letters to the editor and
editorials on this issue.
The politicians of most effected municipalities -
incumbents and hopefuls, Democrats and Republicans, local and state - are dead
set against the rail lines being recommissioned. In addition, however, there
has been a number of interested citizens that have objected to the
reactivation and expressed their disagreement in many letters to the local
news media. In these writings they have raised some very good issues which
should be incorporated into the formal objections - such as:
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Traffic on railways will increase greatly beyond estimates
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Grade-level crossings will cause gridlock
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Several plans have emerged for shipping trash and hazardous materials
through Union County
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Alternate use of right-of-way could be dedicated to "Greenway
Projects"
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Freeholders use deceit when explaining reactivation requirements
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Objections are nonpartisan
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"Coalition to Stop The Train" is very active
The BPN Editorial Staff is in favor of these issues being
incorporated into the formal proceedings that are going before the courts. If
you are interested in details of these issues, refer to the following table of
articles.
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