Sweeney & Middlesex Senators Laud Funding Agreement for North Brunswick Train Station

Smith, Diegnan, Vitale & Greenstein Praise Agreement Between MCIA & NJ Transit for New Station   

North Brunswick – Senate President Steve Sweeney joined with Senator Bob Smith, Senator Patrick Diegnan, Senator Joe Vitale and Senator Linda Greenstein to praise the agreement between the Middlesex County Improvement Authority and NJ Transit to design and construct the new North Brunswick Train Station.

The Senate President and the Middlesex County senators advocated for the $50 million project to be funded through the Transportation Trust Fund when the Legislature renewed and expanded the fund in 2016. A specific appropriation for the station was made from a subsequent bill approved in 2017.

“We identified the North Brunswick Train Station as a priority with the renewed Transportation Trust Fund because we recognized the need for expanded transportation services and the opportunity for immediate and long-term economic growth,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “This is an investment in a project that can serve as a model for future initiatives. A transportation system that serves the needs of the public and sustains the flow of goods and services is vital to New Jersey’s economy and quality of life.”

As part of the North Brunswick Transit Village, the new station will provide easier access to the region’s transportation centers along the Northeast Corridor line.

“After many years of population growth and building ‘transit villages’, North Brunswick is finally getting its own train station,” said Senator Smith (D-Middlesex/Somerset). “Located on the Northeast Corridor train line, it will allow residents of North Brunswick and the surrounding communities to have easy access to New York and Philadelphia without having to drive to New Brunswick. The creation of the new train station will be an economic boom for the community and for Middlesex County as well.”

The new facility will “fill a service gap” that now has the longest stretch of the Northeast Corridor rail line without a passenger station in New Jersey.

“Our region benefits from several major train stations that offer residents and those passing through vital commuting options, but expanding that network will provide even greater benefits to our regional economy,” said Senator Vitale (D-Middlesex). “This agreement will empower the Improvement Authority to construct a new train station in North Brunswick that will serve the best interests of the communities in the area.”

The North Brunswick Transit Village is a 212-acre site that benefits from more than 4,000 feet of frontage on Route 1 and more than 5,000 feet of frontage on the Northeast Corridor rail line.

“A new train station in North Brunswick will not only be a valuable asset to the community, but will also decrease the number of people who take the train from surrounding stations. This will decrease the amount of traffic in those communities and on Route 1, as well as reduce the wear and tear large numbers of people put on the stations’ infrastructure,” said Senator Diegnan (D-Middlesex). “Improving how we move people and goods across the state will only lead to more sustainable communities and serve as a catalyst for a successful economy in New Jersey.”

“After years of discussing the need for a train station in North Brunswick, I am pleased to see this coming to fruition,” said Senator Greenstein (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “The new station will help alleviate congestion at existing stations and encourage more people in the area to use public transportation to get to work.”

Senator Sweeney will also meet today with the Regional Plan Association to discuss economic growth, infrastructure investment, climate adaptation, and related issues. Senator Sweeney focused on the need for strategic planning, especially for New Jersey’s transportation priorities.

The RPA’s New Jersey chapter, co-chaired by former Governor Jim Florio, works to promote regional economic development, environmental priorities and transportation investments, including transit-oriented development, in the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.