Amtrak and NJ Transit have already seen a lot of changes Gov. Phil Murphy says will make commuting a more positive experience this summer. (Photo by Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)
Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday commuters should brace for some short-term disruptions to rail service as Amtrak replaces old wires and broken signals in an effort to prevent another summer of delays.
Murphy met with Amtrak officials in Newark to highlight repairs being made to the aging rail infrastructure that moves hundreds of thousands of commuters between New Jersey and New York daily. Murphy said momentary pain is necessary for a “meaningfully better commuter experience.”
“We can’t bat a thousand on the one hand, but on the other hand, a lot of progress has been made that would have a tangible and specific impact, positively, on the commuter experience going forward,” Murphy said.
Amtrak, which owns tracks and other infrastructure used by NJ Transit trains on the northeast corridor, the busiest commuter rail line on the continent, has often drawn rebukes from New Jersey elected officials who say the agency does not do enough to prevent delays for NJ Transit customers.
Officials said Tuesday they plan to get work done before the temperatures rise over the summer, spikes that are often blamed for service delays and cancellations.
“This is as far from a blame game as you can imagine right now,” Murphy said. “Facts are facts, but this is the spirit of coming up with a better customer and commuter experience, as good an experience as possible.”
Kris Kolluri, CEO and president of NJ Transit, said customers will be told about the service changes up to four weeks in advance. Kolluri said a list of outages will be published by the first week in June, “well in advance, so our customers will know.”
Officials said they plan to replace overhead wires that can become tangled and cause train delays, increase inspections, add crews to respond to problems, and message customers more frequently about delays and cancellations.
The ongoing work is part of a broader plan to address the region’s aging rail infrastructure and as the state prepares to host the first FIFA Club World Cup this summer and the World Cup next summer.
Last summer marked the second-worst summer for NJ Transit under Murphy’s administration, with more than 1,800 trains canceled (the worst was in 2020, when a tropical storm stopped trains on multiple rail lines for several days).
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