Using the system in 2024 was more difficult than normal and there were several bad policy decisions made. Here are some highlights:
New Fare Policy
NJT proposed and approved:
- A 15% fare increase + 3% yearly increase
- Eliminating the Flexpass
- Imposition of a 30-day expiration date for single-ride tickets
This was a price shock to riders. New fare policies and an increase were proposed in February with hearings in March. Little lead time was given for the hearings and some people were misidrected by NJT; consequentially some hearings were poorly attended; not so in Newark, where the attending board members got an earful.
After no fare increase for 10 years and with a rapidly approaching fiscal cliff, NJT decided to raise fares. A 3% increase next fiscal year to close the budget gap may not be enough. Adapting to new commuting patterns as people returned to offices after the peak of covid-19, NJT created the Flexpass; now this useful ticket option was eliminated. The most heinous of new fare policies is the 30-day expiration date. Riders are now inconvenienced and lose out if tickets are not used within 30 days. Instead of buying tickets in bulk, giving money to NJT in advance, riders presumably will purchase tickets when they immediately need them.
A True Summer of Hell: Trains Cancelled, Delayed
During Summer 2024, trains were being cancelled and delayed due to equipment break down, crew availability, Portal Bridge North construction, catenary wires, Perth Amboy station-Raritan River Bridge construction, and so on. Parts of the Northeast Corridor were shut down. To add insult to injury, in July, riders were hit with the fare increase described above.
Economic and Political Handling of Summer of Hell
After weeks of pain, in August, Governor Phil Murphy decided to give everyone a fare holiday: 8 free days of travel anywhere on the NJ Transit system. As far as we know, the governor simply decreed it, without consulting the Department of Transportation or the NJT board. No one knows exactly how much that cost. The estimate is at least $100 million. Inquiring minds wonder how to resolve the conflict between fare increases in March and a fare holiday in August.
Approving the Closing of Kingsland Station
This is a major blow to intermodal connectivity and shows complete disregard for riders.
NJT put in the document of construction of the new Lyndhurst station that Kingsland station would be closed. Despite being a well-patronized station (NJ Transit’s own figures show 290 riders daily), NJT has decided that, starting sometime in 2025 when the new Lyndhurst station is completed, Kingsland station will be closed; riders who use Kingsland will have to walk 10–15 minutes more to the new station. Closing Kingsland station means the loss of bus connection: #76 connects with every rail line in northern New Jersey, and stops right outside Kingsland Station. In fact, when one plans to travel from Hackensack to Newark Penn Station between infrequent Pascack Valley trains, the NJT Trip Planner will at times suggest a Kingsland Station transfer, impossible at the new Lyndhurst station.
Approval of Purchase of New Rail Cars
New multilevel power rail cars were ordered even though new cars have not yet arrived. Hundreds of millions of dollars for new rolling stock while rail infrastructure is in need of maintenance and improvement, and with operations in a poor state, is a questionable move at best.
Proposed Meadowlands Transitway
Norfolk Southern ripped up the old lower Greenwood Lake line. NJT approved a study to purchase part of it in the Meadowlands in order to put in a “transitway” to assist with moving passengers to Meadowlands sports complex. Besides being a waste of money and a bad idea, this may be the first time that a rail line will have been ripped up and paved over for a BRT (bus rapid transit) line.
New Headquarters Move
More millions of dollars—at least $400 million—will spent on leasing a new headquarters instead of improving our transit, or even improving the building already owned. Rather than renovate the current NJT headquarters, NJT chose to lease a new headquarters facility. From the several options available in downtown Newark, NJT chose the most expensive, the Gateway Center—which just happens to be owned by a donor to the Democratic Party.
Bus Operations Dysfunctional
If you have ridden NJT buses lately, you will notice that some are in bad shape with broken seats and broken electronic displays. Some drivers will put up paper signs when the signs are broken. Sometimes incorrect routes are displayed. Check where the bus is going before you board!
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