Gov. Phil Murphy Orders ‘Full-Scale Audit’ Of New Jersey Transit

Are you tired of “business as usual” at NJ Transit? So is Governor Phil Murphy.

On Monday, standing at the Summit Train Station on the Morris & Essex Lines of NJ Transit, Murphy signed an executive order mandating a full-scale audit of what he called a “beleaguered mass transit agency.”

Murphy said that the order – which will force an audit of NJ Transit’s finances, leadership structure, hiring process and customer service – is “the first step at rebuilding customer trust in the system that carries hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans to and from work every day.”

Murphy’s executive order will also examine the agency’s relationship with Amtrak and its implementation of Positive Train Control, a system designed to prevent collisions and derailments by automatically stopping trains before certain accidents can occur.

• See related article: 1 Year After Hoboken Train Crash (How Has NJ Transit Improved Safety?)

“I have made it clear that we will not accept business as usual at NJ Transit,” Murphy said Monday. “Today, we begin the process of rebuilding the agency from the ground up. The public deserves a true accounting for how this once-model agency has fallen so far, so fast — as do those of us in government, with the ultimate responsibility for this system, who have largely been kept in the dark. Commuters cannot be left waiting for answers. And, neither will I.”

Murphy’s order calls for the audit to be completed “as expeditiously as possible,” according to his office.

• See related article: $13B Gateway Tunnel In Jeopardy; Feds Trash Obama-Era Deal

According to Murphy, the Morris & Essex lines were heavily impacted by last year’s “Summer of Hell,” with commuters rerouted to Hoboken Station, disrupting riders and leading to longer commute times. In December 2017, NJ Transit reported that nearly 12 percent of rush-hour trains along the line were late.

• See related article: NJ Transit Cancels All Penn Station Trains During Hellish Week

Amtrak kicked off a new series of track renewal projects at New York Penn Station earlier this month. The bulk of the infrastructure renewal work for 2018 will take place on weekends. The work is expected to conclude on May 28, 2018, with minor modifications to Amtrak and commuter train weekday operations at New York Penn Station.

• See related article: After Mild 'Summer Of Hell,' Will Winter Work Slow Penn Station?

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Photo: NJ Office of the Governor