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NJ Transit will reduce rail rates by 10% for three months, as it reduces service in a last-minute effort to install safety equipment before the federal deadline.
Kevin Corbett, executive director of NJ Transit, said on Thursday that it was too complicated to reduce fares only for those affected by the temporary changes, which begin on October 14.
"We tried to spread the pain around," Corbett said in an interview.
Congress has called for the installation of the security system, which will automatically slow down or stop trains in 2008, following a fatal accident in California that left 25 dead and more than 100 wounded. The deadline is the end of this year.
NJ Transit carries more than 300,000 passengers on 12 commuter train lines on weekdays.
On May 22, Kevin Corbett, executive director of NJ Transit, listened to rider Linden Wallner's suggestions for improving service at Penn Station in New York.
Photo:
Bess Adler for the Wall Street Journal
Five lines – the Northeast Corridor, Montclair-Boonton, Morris and Essex, Jersey North Shore and Main-Bergen County Lines – will be affected by the service cuts.
In recent months, the railway has struggled to maintain its schedule due to a shortage of engines, which have been decommissioned for the equipment to be installed. Mr. Corbett said 21 engines on a fleet of 400 were out of service Thursday due to work.
Many trains were canceled at the last minute, forcing passengers to take newer, crowded trains that often have to make extra stops. Corbett said reducing services should reduce the number of last-minute cancellations.
"A number of customers say that they would rather have a few more people in the trains and have reliable service," Corbett said.
NJ Transit is one of nine railroads that the Federal Railroad Administration has warned this summer about the risk of missing the end-of-year deadline to install the equipment. security.
Mr. Corbett said that 70% of his fleet had equipment installed. It must reach 100% by the end of the year. Railways that miss the deadline may be fined by the federal government.
NJ Transit has already taken steps to reduce services. This month, he suspended his Atlantic City Rail Line line, which connects the resort and Philadelphia, and replaced it with buses. Transit officials plan to resume service in early 2019.
During the series of October cuts, the railway temporarily interrupts 18 trains and changes the departure time of many other services. It also replaces its Princeton Dinky service and its Gladstone Branch weekend with buses. Officials say the latest changes will take place until mid-January.
Janna Chernetz, the assistant director of the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Tri-State Transportation Campaign, has attributed the installation delays to the previous administration of Governor Chris Christie, who left his duties in January.
But Ms Chernetz said she would like to see the current administration of Governor Phil Murphy find other ways to compensate runners in the future. "Enough, that's enough to fund New Jersey Transit on the runners' backs," Ms. Chernetz said.
Write to Paul Berger at [email protected]
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