Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100

Phil Murphy Stands with NJ Commuters; Sierra Club Stands with Him

The New Jersey Sierra Club is standing alongside Gubernatorial Candidate Phil Murphy to discuss the ongoing problems with New Jersey’s transportation system and Murphy’s plans to address them. Director of the NJ Sierra Club, Jeff Tittel, released the following statement:

“We’re standing with Phil Murphy because he stands with commuters. He is committed to work to fix the disaster that’s called New Jersey transit. What’s happening with transit across the state is not only hurting families and communities, but also the environment and the economy. Phil Murphy’s plan will help fix our transit system, help people get where they need to go, and reduce air pollution. We support his plan to revitalize NJ Transit to help get New Jersey moving again.

“NJ Transit is so bad that it becomes newsworthy when a train arrives in time. Raising fares and cutting services has hurt commuters, the economy, and the environment. It has caused more commuters to be aggravated people because of delays and because they are paying more for less service. Governor Christie’s transit policies have caused hikes in fares, getting rid of off peak pricing, cuts to maintenance all resulting in a drop-in customer satisfaction. This has added to traffic, pollution, and sprawl, while causing NJ Transit to go to ruin. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad if Governor Christie and the NJ Transit Board actually had to ride our system instead of getting chauffeured.

“Phil Murphy is stepping up and calling us to action with his proposed plan to get NJ Transit moving in the right direction. The short-term and long-term parts of the plan will help address the current unacceptable nature of our transportation system. Murphy has idea to immediately help us get back on track including increased transparency, better notification of delays, and leadership changes. The plan also included expanding options for alternative service as well as improving customer service overall. Murphy would also call for an immediate audit of NJT and efforts to hold Amtrak accountable for their repairs.

“Fixing NJ Transit is going to take a lot of work, time, and funding; it won’t happen overnight. Thanks to the Christie Administration we have a long way to go. Murphy’s long-term goals are meant to address these issues and help us continue to move forward. He plans to continue funding projects such as the Gateway Tunnel and Port Authority Bus Terminal. He will also work to restore operating funding for NJ Transit that has been slashed by the Christie Administration. Other long-term goals include restoring professionalism to management and demanding necessary improvements at Penn Station.

“We need a long-term funding system for our transit system like almost every other transit system around the country. Instead, Christie continues to steal funds from other sources. By robbing the Clean Energy Fund to pay for the lights at NJ Transit, it is clear our Governor wants to continue to attack mass transit, while the Transportation Trust Fund is not a real fix. By delaying the installation of Positive Train Control, NJ Transit are really playing Russian Roulette on our rails. At the same time, the state has no money for operations and maintenance at NJ Transit, but they want to build unnecessary sprawl projects in Sussex County. Ridership has been dropping meaning a loss of revenue and possibly more cuts in the future.

“It’s important that Phil Murphy is taking a stand to protect and revitalize New Jersey’s transportation system. What used to be once the best transit systems in the country is now breaking down, failing apart, and delayed every day. Commuters are gambling whether the train will arrive on time or whether they can get to work on time. People are surprised when NJ Transit is on time because delays and break downs is the new norm. This situation has turned into a joke and there needs to be a complete overhaul of NJ Transit. We’re standing with him because he has the commuters’ backs.”