Tag: Main Line

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NJ Transit budget plan delays repairs

Ridgewood_Train_station_train-_is_coming_theridgewoodblog

BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority received a $3 billion budget cut last year, endangering completion of the long-awaited Second Avenue subway. In San Francisco, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission faces $1 billion in budget cuts over the next two years, forcing the agency to scrap seven projects aimed at reducing congestion.

In Washington, D.C., chronic underfunding of maintenance and safety programs at the Metro transit system has contributed to numerous accidents and more than a dozen deaths over the last 33 years, including an electrical problem in January 2015 that killed one passenger and injured more than 80. Earlier this month, the entire subway system was shut down for a day to conduct emergency inspections.

NJ Transit faces similar financial problems. The agency’s current budget diverts $450 million from long-term construction projects, intended to improve safety and reliability, to pay for day-to-day operations. Since the practice started in 1990, governors and legislators of both parties have diverted $6.5 billion, according to NJ Transit.

That’s enough money to build the long-awaited extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line into Bergen County and contribute to the replacement of the century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in Kearny as well as the proposed train tunnel under the Hudson River, experts say. All of those projects, which include repairs to parts of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line that NJ Transit relies heavily upon, would help the agency accommodate its recent surge in ridership more reliably and safely, said Martin Robins, a former deputy executive director of NJ Transit.

Still, how the funding deficit affects maintenance, performance and system upgrades is a matter of debate among transportation experts. NJ Transit leaders defend the practice, saying it helps the agency maintain its aging fleet and keep trains running on time.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-transit-budget-plan-delays-repairs-1.1530733

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Man Discovered dead on train tracks in Ridgewood

Ridgewood Train Station
photo courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook

Man Discovered dead on train tracks in Ridgewood

March 10, 2016
the staff of the Rmidgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A crew member of a NJ Transit train telephoned police after spotting a man lying on the tracks near the West Glen Avenue train trestle in Ridgewood on Thursday night, 03/10, at approximately 10:30 PM. Responding NJ Transit and Ridgewood police officers found the individual lying between the HoHoKus train station and West Glen Avenue. He was unresponsive when found and pronounced dead shortly thereafter by a paramedic team from The Valley Hospital. It is believed the deceased was struck and killed by a Hoboken bound NJ Transit train.

Investigators will review video footage from at least one (1) train to determine if, when, and where the victim was struck. All train traffic on the NJ Transit Bergen County and Main Lines was delayed while investigators worked at the scene. The body was removed from the scene by representatives of the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s Office shortly after 1:00 AM on Friday, 03/11. The victim was said to have been a Ridgewood resident

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NJ TRANSIT Meets Face-To-Face With Union Leaders As Strike Deadline Looms

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March 10, 2016 6:25 PM

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — The clock is ticking towards a possible NJ TRANSIT strike on Sunday.

Leaders representing the 11 rail unions wrapped up talks Thursday with NJ TRANSIT officials at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Newark after taking a day off from negotiations, CBS2’s Meg Baker reported.

NJ TRANSIT negotiator Gary Dellaverson said no announcement of a deal was imminent. He said wages and health care negotiations have yet to be reached, calling agreements “very complicated.”

“I don’t have anything very exciting to say,” Dellaverson said. “What we did this morning, for the last few hours, has been to continue to be precise with one another… as to the areas where there still remain differences between us.”

NJ TRANSIT released a notice Thursday saying that in the case of a strike, all existing positions would be terminated. All employees on sick leave would no longer receive sick leave compensation and insurance positions would be discontinued.

Union members rejected the notice and said it is counterproductive to the negotiating process.

Sen. Robert Menendez said federal negotiators will get involved if they have to, saying “we cannot afford a shutdown.”

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/03/10/nj-transit-strike-negotiations-3/

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Moody questions where N.J. share of Gateway Tunnel funding will come from

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By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on November 25, 2015 at 7:43 AM, updated November 25, 2015 at 2:09 PM

One of the nation’s leading financial rating agencies has weighed in on the Gateway Tunnel project, deeming it necessary to the regional economy and joined others who’ve suggested charging riders to help fund the project.

Two experts have suggested charging a user fee to commuters and travelers who make between 73 million and 100 million trips a year through the 105-year old tubes under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. Moody’s said this one possibility that could be used.

“A user fee, similar to U.S. airports passenger facility charge could generate $330 million annually for financing,” Moody’s wrote in an analysis of the Gateway project released on Tuesday. Airport passengers typically pay a $4.50 fee, the analysis said.

Phil Beachem, executive director of the N.J. Alliance for Action, proposed a user fee of $1 or $2 per trip on top of regular train fares. Jonathan Peters, a finance professor at SUNY College of Staten Island, who specializes in toll road and transportation financing has all suggested a user fee.

Moody’s didn’t question the economic need for constructing new tunnels before one of the existing 105-year old tunnels has to be closed to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy flooding.

“While the tunnel will add significant cost to a region already paying for significant infrastructure investments, it provides a vital commuter link for a regional economy with a $1.4 trillion Gross Domestic project,” Moody’s said in the analysis.

https://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/11/moodys_suggests_user_fee_to_fund_gateway_tunnel_pr.html

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Hoboken Bound Main Line NJT Train Strikes Male Trespasser in Paterson

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photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

October 17,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Waldwick NJ, New Jersey Transit train #1212, which departed from Waldwick at 8:56 AM en route to Hoboken, apparently struck and killed a male trespasser in Paterson at approximately 9:10 AM on Friday, 10/16. The incident occurred near the intersection of Governor and Straight Streets.

After being struck, the victim fell from the elevated track area and landed on Governor Street. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 9:40 AM. Paterson PD, NJ Transit PD, and the Passaic County Medical Examiner’s office are conducting a joint investigation.