File Photo by Boyd Loving
N.J. to contribute to proposed Amtrak tunnel
By Paul Nussbaum
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Christie administration, which killed a trans-Hudson rail tunnel because of fears of cost overruns, will pay its “fair share” of a proposed Amtrak tunnel project linking New Jersey and New York City, Christie’s transportation chief said Friday.
The payment would probably be a user fee to share the tunnels that Amtrak proposes as part of its $14.5 billion Gateway project, state transportation commissioner James Simpson said.
Simpson, in Voorhees to address the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey, declined to predict how much of the cost New Jersey would be willing to shoulder. He said he was meeting with Amtrak president Joseph Boardman and other officials to discuss cost-sharing.
https://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120512_N_J__to_contribute_to_proposed_Amtrak_tunnel.html
Part of the beauty of the ARC project was that Amtrak was going to have nothing to do with it. I don’t see the benefit of paying for the privilege of sharing yet another tunnel with Amtrak’s malfunctioning and delayed trains which will undoubtedly take priority over our commuter lines.
I believe the ARC project was a much better choice than having to deal with all of Amtraks problems.
obviously you 2 don’t commute, the ARC train went into Macy’s basement making it worthless for NJ commuters and NJ tax payers would have paid for the whole thing 100% ,it was another stupid Corzine boondoggle .
As for trains breaking down wrong again NJT is no better than amtrak and the ARC offered no better assurances for reliability
Best to take one step at a time , work with other parties to upgrade service incrementally .
You also forgot to mention that the high tolls on the bridge and tunnel will eventually drive out all low wage jobs from Manhattan ,perhaps making commuting a thing of the past
NJTMAN, yes, I do commute, and I would gladly accept a one seat ride from Ridgwood to “Macy’s Basement” any day of the week. It is RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM PENN. Not a big deal. And let me know when commuting becomes a thing of the past. I won’t hold my breath.
NJT Man is correct. I commute every day and the DEEP ARC tunnel and station below Macy’s is an entire CITY BLOCK away from Penn (and all the connecting subways). So unless you worked at Macy’s, this completely disconnected station was a huge waste of our taxpayer dollars.
Also, the stupid design had the ‘one seat’ ride going thru Secaucus Station twice (yes twice) in an idiotic double loop from the main/bergen lines wasting a lot of time (vs. transferring)..