Group Stresses the Need for ARC Tunnel to New Jersey Transit Chief

Political leaders affected by the controversial tunnel in limbo, Access to the Region's Core, stressed the importance of the new third train tunnel under the Hudson River to the head of New Jersey Transit during a town hall meeting in Westfield Monday morning.

NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein stressed at the quarterly meeting of the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition that no final decision has been made on the fate of the ARC tunnel, which according to last week's Regional Plan Association study could cut the round-trip train commute between Fair Lawn and New York by more than 20 minutes. Weinstein said negotiations between the state and federal governments will continue for the remainder of the week.

Gov. Chris Christie has suspended work on the tunnel, citing the multi-billion dollar cost overruns. He has said if the federal government does not agree to pick up the cost overruns he will cancel the project, which is projected to bring a one-seat train ride to New York along the Main/Bergen Line in Bergen County. Currently, those who pick up NJ Transit trains at Radburn Station or Broadway Station in Fair Lawn need to transfer at Hoboken for the PATH train or Secaucus for New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line to reach Manhattan.

According to the Regional Plan Association's study, ARC would slice the New Jersey Transit trip from Radburn Station (off of Fair Lawn Avenue) to midtown Manhattan by 21.2 minutes, from 113 to 91.8 (a savings of 19 percent). At Broadway Station, the round-trip commute to midtown would decrease by 20.1 minutes, from 116.6 to 96.5 (a savings of 17 percent), the study says. The study further contends that home values could increase up to $60,000 for residents living near a train.

Weinstein said that while he would not address the specifics of the negotiations between the Christie administration and the Federal Transit Administration, he stressed the final decision made by the FTA will play a role in the final decision of the governor.

"If something does not happen by Friday, we have already issued the stop work orders to the work crews," he said. "We have issued terminations to the design team and the construction management team that will take effect at the end of the week, unless there is a change."

Reiterating the core focus of Christie's previous statements on the tunnel project, Weinstein said Christie is focused on the projected train congestion along the Northeast Corridor rail line shared by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak.

"The governor is very skittish about putting the taxpayers and fare payers of New Jersey on the book for an unknown amount of money," he said. "The governor was not happy that he was in the position to do this."

Weinstein declined to say what Christie would consider doing to address the train congestion, during a press availability following the meeting. He said that the Christie administration has been focused on the negotiations with the federal government and has not been developing other plans.

Weinstein said his agency is committed to the repair of the portal bridge in Hudson County no matter what work occurs on the tunnel. The current swing bridge has had a history of mechanical breakdowns – including one last week that delayed train traffic in and out of New York. He said the current bridge will be repaired and if the tunnel proceeds, a new bridge will also be put in place for the new tunnel.

During an interview with Patch, Weinstein said the location in Manhattan of the tunnel is a concern for himself and Christie. The current plan is for the tunnel to let passengers off underneath 34th Street and Macys, between Penn Station and the Herald Square subway station.

Weinstein said that while this is 200 feet away from Penn Station it is not the best spot for commuters. He said the current situation would involve setting up a second New Jersey Transit concourse not connected to the existing one in Penn Station and past the Long Island Railroad concourse in the transit hub.

New York is currently planning on transforming the Farley Post Office in Eighth Avenue into the new Moynihan Penn Station and the new train platforms will be connected to Penn Station and the subway lines in Penn Station and Herald Square, along with the proposed extension of the number seven subway line.

Senators Frank Lautenberg (D) and Robert Menendez (D) have spent Tuesday morning at labor rallies to drum up support to get the train tunnel back on track, which they say will increase construction jobs when New Jersey needs to create jobs to grow the debt-ridden economy.

Bergen County Executive Dennis McNereney and other top Demoncratic political leaders in the county have also lobbied for the project, said to bring $18 billion to Passaic and Bergen counties and tentatively scheduled to be completed in 2018.