EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Disruptions, delays and cancellations are common complaints from NJ Transit ridersbut is the agency finally on the right track to making improvements?
The CEOs of both Amtrak and Jersey Transit were joined Wednesday by several members of Congress from New Jersey for a private tour of the system’s northeast corridor.
‘We cannot afford another summer like last summer’
“We’re inspecting more. We’re actively replacing wire. We’re repairing thousands of potential defects that could impact reliability,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner.
Transit officials say the need for improvements became apparent after that a heat-related peak in disruptions in May and June this year. So says the CEO of Amtrak Eight railway lines alone caused problems last summer and that an independent third party investigates what went wrong. That report is expected in November.
“We cannot give New Jerseyans 100 percent certainty that they will not see that problem again,” said Rep. Andy Kim.
“We can’t afford another summer like last summer. It’s unacceptable,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer.
Reps Kim and Gottheimer’s comments aren’t exactly encouraging for the riders, especially right after they were given a tour of the repairs already in the works.
“What you saw today, has it changed how you think about the system at all, or is your focus more on the repairs that need to be made?” asked Doug Williams of CBS News New York.
“No, no, no. I’m speaking for myself. They’ve made a lot of important repairs that I think have made a difference,” said Rep. Frank Pallone.
“Yes, there are some short-term efforts that we are trying to ensure now for reliability, but real concrete progress is being made in terms of this major overhaul,” Kim said.
They hope these short-term repairs will prevent heat problems next summer.
Riders can expect schedule changes on NJ Transit as repairs are made – overnight and on weekends.
Doug Williams
