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For cyclists on the second busiest railway in the country, delays and train cancellations have occurred in recent weeks. On Thursday, a "minor, low-speed" derailment in Manhattan near the Hudson River Tunnel immobilized thousands of commuters.
On Friday, the consequences of the derailment gave New Jersey Transit railroad travelers insight into the deterioration of the situation: what would happen if it was only there? only one way to cross the Hudson River?
After the derailment of a train in transit from New Jersey as it left Penn Station, the cleanup and repairs severely reduced traffic between Manhattan and New Jersey. On Thursday night, for a few hours, no trains passed through any of the single-track tubes under the Hudson. This is the kind of disruption that public transit advocates have warned could cripple the Northeast if any of the centennial tubes were to be closed for major repairs.
The tunnels also showed signs of damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Last month, a metal pole went through the roof of a train as it was crossing the tunnel to get to at Penn Station. This was the second incident in the last four weeks on a New Jersey Transit train around the North River Tunnels, two single-lane tubes that are the only rail link between Manhattan and the west.
Chronic problems have disrupted the lives of thousands of commuters and underscored New Jersey Transit's struggle for years of disinvestment and mismanagement that has led to poor maintenance, aging trains and lack of transportation. workforce.
And with the derailment, runners do not just worry about where they should go on time, but safety. A runner mentioned on Twitter the "constant danger that we are all as runners @njtransit".
A spokeswoman for the railway said the cause of the derailment was still under investigation.
This occurred near A A Interlocking, an intersection of lanes between the Penn Station docks and the Amtrak tunnels rebuilt a year ago. Amtrak, who owns and operates the station and tunnels, said its infrastructure did not cause the derailment.
Kevin Corbett, executive director of New Jersey Transit, said on Friday he understood passengers' frustration, but insisted that the railroad was secure and steps were being taken to improve service.
"We are doing a job that should have been done years ago and we are catching up now," Corbett said.
He stated that after the appointment of Mr. Murphy, the state of New Jersey Transit had so upset him that he had asked him if he could declare the "day". state of emergency. He said that he had been told that he could not, but he maintained this point of view. "Yes, that's all there is to it," Corbett said.
Martin Robins, a former senior railway executive, asked how one could know if the service was deteriorating.
"They were pretty awful a few months ago," Robins said. "What can be worse is that people's patience is exhausted. We had so many problems that continue to go wrong. "
Robins said he expects the Murphy administration to begin making changes after the public audit of New Jersey Transit operations next week. He criticized the decision to delay the recasting of the agency before the end of the audit.
"This has become a barrier to moving forward," said Robins. But now that his publication is imminent, he said, a reshuffle could be imminent.
"They may have to hire new people," Robins said. "Patronage is part of the problem they face. They did not do much to clean it. "
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