Ridership Issues at EMTA 2015 to 4/2018

This document was originally started in the summer of 2017, largely in response to PennDOT’s findings regarding loss of Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA) ridership for the period 2015-2016. It was never submitted or posted.

I expanded it to cover the period up to April 30, 2018.
PLEASE NOTE: This document covers the period from January 2015 through April 30, 2018. I have cut it off at that date to create a clear demarcation between the period in this document and the start date of the new executive director.
Before sharing with others, I first sent the document to the new director as a courtesy in early June 2018.

Apologies for the exasperated tone, but the situation was getting exasperating. 

Read document here.

Trains and Trolleys ~ Local info & fun

An assortment of local train and trolley info bits.

• Waldameer was originally built by the local trolley company Around the turn of the last century, amusement parks were built by trolley companies to encourage people to use the service on weekends. The trolley company that built Waldameer in 1896 was called Erie Electric Motor Company. Waldameer is one of about a dozen trolley parks still in operation.
• Lake Shore Railway Museum in North East PA grounds are open to the public all year. Museum is free but donations are appreciated, and it includes a gift shop. The CSX tracks run close by (fenced off, by the way); you can sit on the bench and watch the trains go by. Museum is free but donations are appreciated, and it includes a gift shop. They also have events like lunch aboard a train, free public programs, and Christmas at the Station.
• Brewerie at Union Station  Brewerie at Union Station is a brew pup and restaurant complex fashioned from Erie's grand old train station. It includes several environments, including a trackside beer garden. It's located at 123 W 14th St. Brewerie at Union Station History
• All Aboard Dinor in Lake City PA is an old train station that was turned into a rail-themed diner (or “dinor” if you want to use the local spelling!) The diner is right next to the tracks, so you can watch the trains roll by while enjoying your meal. The restaurant is at 2203 Rice Ave, Lake City, PA 16423
• Trolley Station Museum in Cambridge Springs opened in 2017. They restored the trolley station, which had been built by Erie Traction Co. to during the heyday of the trolley and the town’s destination as a spa. Open June through fall. Info Sandy Porter 814-282-6449 or Dan Higham at 720-4869.
• Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad offers 27-mile excursions through Oil Creek State Park. The 1892 vintage train station has a museum, gift shop and full concessions stand. If you are staying over, they have a reasonably priced Caboose Motel, that is, several actual cabooses turned into comfy places to stay, fitted with beds, furnishings, and modern electricity and bathrooms.  The park is really pretty, and the  Oil Creek State Park Trail--built on an old trail bed--offers another option for cyclists and hikers.
  
•  Thomas the Train attraction is being built at Pittsburgh’s Kennywood Park set for opening this summer. Thomas Town™  has rides (including Thomas!), stage show, beloved characters, soft play area, and more. Update: A few issues with Kennywood's Thomas, and a few other rides this season.
• Amtrak still serves Erie.  Every day, it runs east and west between Chicago and New York/Boston, roughly following I-90. You can of course catch connections to go beyond Chicago or New York. Snowbirds and vacationers might consider the Auto-Train, which goes from the Washington DC area to the Orlando Florida area, carrying you, your stuff, and your vehicle.

Lakeshore Railway Museum in North East PA

Amtrak's 7:20am Lakeshore Limited stopping in Erie on its way east towards Boston and New York.

A little less grand than old Union Station, but the current Amtrak station (still in the Union Station complex)  is clean, well-lit, and has helpful station management.

Caboose Motel in Titusville PA, with 21 actual cabooses fitted with plumbing, furnishings and electricity.

Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad, Perry Street, Titusville PA

Brewery at Union Station is a brew pup and restaurant complex fashioned from Erie's grand old train station.