Essex County Is Getting Fed Up With Amtrak/NJ Transit Delays: Officials

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A growing lineup of Essex County officials have a message for NJ Transit, Amtrak and Governor Chris Christie: time is often more valuable than money.

Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca and South Orange Village President Sheena Collum recently joined a chorus of municipal officials in Essex County who have blasted the ongoing NJ Transit and Amtrak delays due to maintenance work and track inspections.

• See related article: Big Disruptions For Morris & Essex Line Commuters This Summer

“As mayors of two town on the Morris and Essex train line with nearly 7,000 daily riders at our three train stations, we are registering our objection to the decision by Governor Chris Christie and NJ Transit to divert all M&E Midtown Direct trains to Hoboken during the eight-week repair period at Penn Station,” De Luca and Collum said earlier this week in a joint statement.

“Train riders from our communities will have their personal and professional lives disrupted dramatically and the proposed fare discounts will not make up for the missed time with their families and the negative impacts on their business dealings,” the mayors posited.

De Luca and Collum issued their statement after officials announced earlier this week that a planned Amtrak overhaul of the tracks at Penn Station New York will cause “big service changes” – and potential delays – for Morris & Essex Midtown Direct commuters this summer.

Between July 10 and Sept. 1, all Midtown Direct trains will terminate at Hoboken, meaning commuters will have to use another way into New York City.

Commuters won't have to pay the same amount for disrupted service, officials said. A roughly 50 percent discount will be given off the price of a ticket during the Amtrak repairs.

• See related article: NJ Transit Offers Riders ‘Delay Letters’ To Placate Fed-Up Bosses

Collum said that she found out about the planned changes the same way that most of her constituents did.

“South Orange is the busiest station on the Morris & Essex line and I had to learn about these changes that affect my residents by watching a press conference,” Collum said. “[There was] no communication and certainly no transparency.”

• See related article: NJ Transit Says Penn Station Delays Will Continue Indefinitely
• See related article: Bill Could Give NJ Transit Riders Free Tickets For Delays

After sending their joint letter of complaint to Christie and NJ Transit, De Luca and Collum were able to secure a meeting with the Executive Director of NJ Transit, they reported.

However, on Thursday, NJ Transit told them that “due to the level of interest in the meeting, in order to accommodate all interested parties, we will need to reschedule.”

“They devised a plan without consulting local officials and commuters and now they are figuring
out how to deal with the political blowback,” said Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca.

The delay to a Tuesday meeting will give community leaders time to come together and present a united face, Collum said.

According to Collum, since she and DeLuca sent out their letter, they’ve managed to gain support and partner with several allies:

• Elected officials from Orange, Livingston, West Orange, Summit, Morristown and Millburn
• Elected officials from the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders
• U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr.
• State Senator Richard Codey
• State Assemblyman John McKeon
• State Assemblywoman Mila Jasey

“In this instance, I believe that my constituents are not being treated fairly,” said U.S. Congressman Donald Payne Jr., a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

According to Payne:

“The upcoming track work at Penn Station centers around the ‘A’ Interlocking which is primarily used by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak. Over 180,000 New Jersey Transit commuters travel through Penn Station daily, more than six times the number of Amtrak passengers, meaning that the closures will have an outsized impact on the already beleaguered New Jersey commuters.”

Payne said that he recognizes that track work is unavoidable. But he added that he disagrees with NJ Transit’s current plan to redirect all Midtown Direct trains to Hoboken while making no changes to other lines’ schedules, charging that it the plan will deny many of his constituents the “one-seat ride” that drew them to Northern New Jersey.

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