JUNE 12, 2015, 6:47 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015, 9:43 PM
BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
NJ Transit is moving forward with its plan to close a $56 million budget gap by increasing fares and cutting service, the agency said Friday.
The decision runs counter to the sentiments of the overwhelming majority of elected officials, union representatives and commuters who spoke against the changes at a series of nine public hearings throughout the state.
NJ Transit’s proposal remains virtually unchanged from when it was first announced in April. The average rider will see fares increase by 9 percent, with the highest fare hike at 9.4 percent. Service cuts will include eliminating the last evening trains on the Pascack Valley and the Montclair-Boonton lines, and cuts to bus routes in South Jersey.
A report issued Friday by the agency included a resolution that would impose the fare hikes and service cuts. That resolution is scheduled to be discussed Tuesday at a public meeting of NJ Transit’s customer service and administration committees. The meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. at NJ Transit headquarters in Newark, will be the last time members of the public can comment on the proposal before it is presented to the full board on July 15.
Board members will likely vote on the final package then, said Nancy Snyder, a spokeswoman for NJ Transit.
