The New Jersey Legislature provides 4 sessions for public input on the state budget. For Fiscal Year 2026, the Lackawanna Coalition presented their statement to the legislature at 2 of those sessions: the Assembly Budget Hearing at the State House in Trenton on Tuesday, 27 March, and the Senate Budget Hearing at NJIT in Newark on Wednesday, 28 March. We asked the legislature to look into NJT’s finances, to restore the state operating subsidy, to get more info on MDBF, and to request better weekend service. Here is a brief summary of our budget statement:
NJT’s Finances
NJT will be at a deficit on June 30th. Covid relief money will be drained sometime in May. NJT farebox revenue projections are overly optimistic, with an unexplained increase of $66.8 million in Commercial Revenue.
More Data on Mean Difference Between Failures
MBDF has fallen from 72,000 miles to 48,500 miles, with 5 out 8 cancellations due to mechanical failures. We asked the legislature to request specific information about the cause of the precipitous drop, so that efforts to improve can be monitored.
Weekend Service Improvements
We reiterated our call for hourly service between MSU and Hoboken as well as North Jersey Coast Line express service between Penn Station NY and Bay Head.
To view our full budget statement, and its supporting documents, go to https://lackawannacoalition.org/2025/05/08/budget-committees-march-2025/
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