NJ Transit Grabs $511M for Operations- Bad Policy Then and Now

The New Jersey Transit Board voted on their Capital Budget today. They will divert $511 million from their capital funds to pay for operating costs. Agency board members are scheduled to vote Tuesday on a $2.3 billion operating budget that will rely on nearly $511 million in state and federal capital funding, a $50 million increase from the fiscal year that ended in June, according to a budget overview.

“Once again, New Jersey Transit is robbing its capital budget to pay for current expenses, this is public policy at its worst. They are stealing the future to pay for now. What’s even worse is this money should be going to towards positive control and to replace the outdated Portal Bridge but instead it will pay for salaries and other non-essential things. The money we need for the future won’t be there,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Too many Governors have done the short-sided approach towards operations. Governor Whiteman did it, Christie did it, and now Murphy did it. It was bad policy then and its bad policy now.”

New Jersey Transit received approval for a 2-year extension to finish positive train control.  Positive Train control is a safety system Congress required 12 years ago. The system is designed to prevent collisions and derailments.  It has been reported that NJ Transit has 12 times more equipment failures than any other commuter train in the nation. This is the direct result of funding being slashed by 90 percent in the past 11 years. Others have pointed out that federal funding that was supposed to go towards Positive Train Control braking systems instead went to operations and maintenance.

“We are getting a two-year extension to install positive control which is good because we won’t lose out on $600 million in federal funding. However, if we do not get positive control in time, we will lose federal funding. What’s even worse is in the meantime, people are still at risk,” Jeff Tittel. “That capital money could be spent for The Portal Bridge. It is a critical component for commuting but without it getting replaced it would be a nightmare for commuters and will undermine our efforts for Gateway.”

It has been reported that NJ Transit has 12 times more equipment failures than any other commuter train in the nation. This is the direct result of funding being slashed by 90 percent in the past 11 years. Others have pointed out that federal funding that was supposed to go towards Positive Train Control braking systems instead went to operations and maintenance.

“New Jersey Transit is a commuter nightmare. We need to make capital improvements in order to make our transit system better. If we don’t make improvements to our rail system, we could have a disaster. Governor Murphy chastised Christie for diverting NJ Transit funds, but now Murphy is following in Christie’s footsteps. Under Christie, the agency went rogue, ruining what was once one of the best transit systems in the country. While ridership has gone up 20 percent, capital spending has gone down 19 percent. In the past we have received $8 billion in federal funding for capital improvements, but that money went to operations and maintenance. Now we are diverting those funds again. NJ Transit has raised fares 9 times while cutting back on services. This has hurt our economy and businesses, caused people will be delayed and get to work late, while worsening our air quality problems,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Governor Murphy said he would stop these gimmicks, but he hasn’t. Our budget is going in the wrong direction. We need to develop a stable source of funding for operations like other cities and state have done. New Jersey cannot keep robbing the future to pay for the current.”