Travelers utilizing NJ Transit trains have been “victimized” by excessive delays and cancellations all through the system this week due to “Amtrak’s indifference to New Jersey commuters and its abject neglect of the infrastructure that New Jersey and our whole area depends upon”, Christie stated in a press release. The board passed the agency’s $2.1 billion 2015-16 budget June 16, approving a 9 percent fare increase that will start in October. Riders have complained to New Jersey Transit about having to pay more for inadequate seating and unreliable schedules. Canceling the project allowed Christie, who’s running for president, to divert money toward a depleted highway fund and avoid raising the gasoline tax.
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Amtrak, which owns most of the tracks and equipment on the Northeast corridor between D.C. and Boston, has said it needs money to fix and replace infrastructure dating to the 1930s associated with the 105-year-old rail tunnel into New York. On Friday, the agency again blamed Amtrak, saying power disruptions have “wreaked havoc” on commuters. The transit agency said it had “contacted Amtrak at highest levels seeking solution”.
Spokesman Craig Schultz said in an email that as a result, Amtrak is restricted to operating three trains at a time through the Hudson River Tunnel. “Amtrak must take every available action to resolve its continuing problems that are creating chaos for our customers”.
Gateway, an alternative proposed by Amtrak in February 2011, lacks funding and would take at least a decade to build. Inaction is “almost criminal”, federal Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said this week, according to Capital New York.
For the fourth time this week, New Jersey Transit commuters headed for Manhattan are encountering major delays. PATH is cross-honoring NJ Transit tickets at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street (NYC) and New York Waterway Hoboken Terminal South Ferry.
Christie’s cancellation of the tunnel project also “left New Jersey’s trans-Hudson commuters with no choice but to endure Amtrak’s delays, a problem that will only be exacerbated as the existing tunnels reach their expected lifespan and must be closed for improvements”, he said.
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“The problem is here, it’s this station and its tunnels that are at capacity and they’ve been at capacity”, he said.
