Recent commuter experience for New Jerseyans ‘unacceptable,’ Amtrak exec concedes

NJ Transit and Amtrak officials say they are trying to discover the cause of recent service meltdowns that left frustrated commuters stranded along the northeast corridor, sometimes for hours.

Last week’s problems resulted in delays and canceled trains on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and led New Jersey’s House delegation to seek a federal investigation into the “chaos.” Executives with the two rail agencies met with Gov. Phil Murphy in Newark on Thursday and said they’ll collaborate to improve service for riders.

Tony Coscia, chair of Amtrak’s board of directors, conceded that he knows commuters don’t care about what needs to be fixed — they just want reliable service. Recent service has been bad, and Amtrak and NJ Transit need to make it better, he said.

“It is not a commuter’s concern as to whether we’re coordinating our activities correctly, whether or not we’re spending the time or resources — they just want to get home. They just want to get to work,” he said. “That’s all they really care about, and it’s our job to deliver that to them.”

Coscia was joined in Newark by NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett.

Murphy, who was first elected governor in 2017, blamed his predecessors for not investing enough in commuter rail. He said his administration inherited a “wreck” and “part of that wreck was a dysfunctional relationship” between Amtrak and NJ Transit.

“The relationship between Amtrak and NJ Transit, before we got here, was not what it needed to be,” Murphy said, adding that it’s now a “constructive, cooperative” one.

The two rail agencies share use of Amtrak-owned tracks along the northeast corridor.

Officials announced Thursday they plan to conduct more frequent inspections of the tracks, overhead wires, and other electric equipment along the 170 miles of tracks between Trenton and New York City. They’ll look into service adjustments and expanding overnight repair windows to minimize disruptions to customers. And outside industry experts will be conducting reviews, including looking into the cause of the chronic delays and other issues impacting reliability.

New Jersey’s House delegation this week blasted Amtrak for its “avoidable errors” in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat, also wrote to Buttigieg asking him to address the infrastructure needs that will help prevent future service disruptions. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11), meanwhile, urged NJ Transit officials Thursday to “pause and reevaluate” fare hikes set to take effect July 1.

Murphy wouldn’t comment on whether it’s possible for transit officials to put the brakes on the increases, but called them a “multi-pronged approach to solve the fiscal challenges.”

The revenue from the fare hikes is expected to cover the budget hole NJ Transit would have seen for the fiscal year that begins July 1. But next year, even with the added revenue from fare hikes, NJ Transit faces a fiscal cliff of $766.8 million, which lawmakers hope to address by passing a tax on the state’s most profitable businesses and dedicating that money to the agency.