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NJT Drastically Raises Rail Fares

 
Thursday, April 15 2010 5:55 am Donald Winship
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The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors voted to raise peak-hour and commuter rail fares, as well as interstate bus fares, by 25%.  Off-peak rail fares will be increased by 47%, alhtough some will increase by as much as 64%.   There wil also be some cuts in rail service, including several trains on the M&E and Montclair-Boonton Lines.
 
NJT management cut back on its original proposal to raise local bus fares from $1.35 to $1.70, so the new local bus fare will be $1.50.  Planned cuts in bus service will not be as severe as originally planned, including the retention of several bus routes in Morris County that had been scheduled for elimination. 

The Lackawanna Coalition and other rail advocates had opposed the steep fare increase, claiming that it was unfair to implement the largest rail fare increase in NJT's history, while user fees paid by motorists and truckers at the pump or the toll booth will not increase at all.
 
Several members of the Lackawanna Coalition made statements concerning the issue at legislative hearings, NJT hearings and the Board meeting at which the fare increases and service cuts were implemented.
 
 

NJT Proposes Massive Fare Hikes with Service Cuts

 
Sunday, March 7 2010 6:56 pm Donald Winship
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New Jersey Transit has proposed drastic fare increases to fill an alleged $300 million budget shortfall during the next fiscal year.  In addition, Gov. Christie has cut NJT's curent-year subsidy by $32.7 million.  The fare increases will average 25% across the board, with a special increase for rail riders who ride trains outside of commuting hours.
 
Those fares, for round trips taken at off-peak times, will rise by 45% to 64%.  Examples include Chatham to New York ($13.25 to $20.00; 45%) and South Orange to Broad St. Station in Newark ($2.75 to $4.50; 64%).  Under the new plan, commuting at peak hours will cost riders significantly less than riding at other times.  The Lackawanna Coalition is concerned that such a significant rise in off-peak fares will bring severe service cuts, which happened in 2006 and 2008.
 
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Sarles Named to Head D.C. Metro

 
Sunday, March 7 2010 6:55 pm Donald Winship
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Former NJT Executive Director Richard Sarles has been named as the interim head of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA, otherwise known as "Metro").  He begins his new job on April 1st.  He takes over the system in the wake of a serious accident last year and financial challenges, which many transit authorities face.  Sarles left NJT at the end of January, when he was replaced by Christie appointee James Weinstein.
 
 

Moynihan Station Plan Gets Stimulus Funding

 
Sunday, March 7 2010 6:57 pm Donald Winship
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The plan to extend the existing Penn Station into the historic Farley Post Office Building on the West Side of Eighth Avenue received a boost, as the Federal Government gave the project a grant of $83.3 million under the TIGER (Transportation Improvements Generating Economic Recovery) Program.  New York State and Amtrak officials hailed the move, which would improve capacity in the station and provide a place where it would be easier to make connections than in the current Penn Station layout.  The Lackawanna Coalition urges NJT to build new tunnels and tracks that will go to the existing Penn Station, so New Jersey's rail riders can also take advantage of the improvements that the Moynihan Station plan is slated to produce.
 
 

Governor Appoints New Transportation Leaders

 
Sunday, March 7 2010 6:58 pm Donald Winship
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Gov. Christopher Christie has appointed new leaders for the New Jersey Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit.  The new Commissioner of NJDOT is James Simpson, a New Yorker who started his transportation career in the trucking business.  He was also Federal Transit Administrator from 2006 to 2009 in the Bush Administration.  The Commissioner of NJDOT is also Chair of the Board of NJT.  The new Executive Director is James Weinstein, who served as NJDOT Commissioner in the previous Republican administration in Trenton.  He continued his career with contractors DMJM-Harris and AECOM during the McGreevy, Codey and Corzine administrations.
 
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