Thursday, December 04, 2008

timeout: double decker trains

I am not exactly a frequent rider of NJ transit commuter rail, the last time I rode NJ transit trains was one year ago. The first thing that I had to do was to get myself to the train station and park my car. Finding parking near a train station in NJ is not always an easy thing to do. I am fortunate to have a good friend living within an easy walk of a train station who lets me park my car in their driveway while I am in NYC. What wonderful friends!

As the train pulled into the station, I noticed that the train was one of the new double decker trains that NJ transit rolled out a year or two ago. I sat on the top level and enjoyed a smooth ride. I was on a double decker over night Amtrak train a few years ago where you sometimes felt a slight swaying on the top deck. Not so on the NJ transit train. But I was only on this train for 30 minutes, a mere drop in the bucket compared to the overnight down south.

If memory serves, these double decker trains are a little shorter in height than other double deckers, e.g. Amtrak, in order to fit in the tunnels into Manhattan.

For someone who doesn't ride trains all the often, I certainly did enjoy the novelty of riding a double decker. I had been wanting to ride one of these double deckers but had no expectation that I would be able to. I wonder if I will ride a double decker on my return trip?

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