NJT to ignore MOM DEIS
February 15th 2008 07:49 am
On Sunday, Governor Corzine announced that the MOM line will not go through Middlesex County. “It will be the MO line, not the MOM line,” Corzine said. Today, in a letter in the Home News Tribune, NJ Transit announced they will ignore the results of the MOM DEIS:
Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri and NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles said at an NJ Transit board meeting last week that NJ Transit will complete the DEIS process including all three alternatives as required to avoid jeopardizing future federal funding or triggering a requirement to start the process over.
They also reiterated that Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s direction sets a clear path forward after the completion of the DEIS.
Lynn Bowersox
Assistant executive director, Corporate communications and external affairs
NJ TRANSIT
So after spending millions of dollars and close to a decade studying MOM, NJT is going to ignore the study and cave-in to Middlesex County Democrats, to the detriment of the traveling public, just because the Governor says so. And then politicians wonder why people have lost faith in our government.
Joe Versaggi responded on 15 Feb 2008 at 11:39 am #
It also shows the governor and NJT are completely disinterested in any use of heavy rail expansion unless Manhattan is the primary destination, never mind New Brunswick, Metropark, etc. That, and the governor’s insistence on road-widening the outer reaches of the Turnpike, shows he is perfectly content with everyone driving to work in New Jersey and quite the hypocrite when it comes to environment, congestion, sprawl, and energy-dependence. As a die-hard Democrat, I find him and his Middlesex friends to be a disgrace and a national embarrassment.
Eine Kleine Multi-level responded on 15 Feb 2008 at 8:13 pm #
Seems like nothing Corzine has advanced has come to fruition, other than shutting the NJ government down, that is.
What’s the path to leveraging accountability against these politicians?
ABG responded on 15 Feb 2008 at 10:36 pm #
“NJ Transit will complete the DEIS process including all three alternatives as required to avoid jeopardizing future federal funding or triggering a requirement to start the process over.”
Well, if they say they’re going to ignore two of the three alternatives, that can’t be “as required.” Disingenuousness like that should jeopardize future funding and/or make them start the process over.
csjmjj responded on 16 Feb 2008 at 4:36 pm #
Around 1971 The Central Railroad of NJ sent the Dept of Transportation a Proposal to reinstitue Passenger Service on the Southern Divisions ROW between Lakewood and Red Bank. The CNJ asked to state for $660K for the Study and another Subsidy of $450K annual to run the two daily trains. There proposal at the time was to utilize what is now known as the Red Bank Alignment. Boy have the cost escalated. Forget about Mommouth County ala (jamesburg, South Brunswick) . We need to get this built utilizing either the Red Bank Alignmnet or the Matawan Alignment. Personally If I was commuting from Lakehurst everyday why the Hell would i want to go west to South Brunswick and Jamesburg to head back east. It was the most expensive route to implement and took the longest time and just didn’t make since .As a former VP of NJ-ARP I fully hope that NJ-ARP gets behind your Governor and put your support and weight and considerable vocalness behind NJ Transit and pushes either alignmen. My personal choice is the Matawan Alignment utilizing the Old CNJ’s Freehold Branch as it is more populated than going through Earle and will definitly get more commuters. Good Luck with this and if anyone wants me to email them the study just send me your email address
Chris Johnson
Bob Scheurle responded on 16 Feb 2008 at 7:11 pm #
“why the Hell would i want to go west to South Brunswick and Jamesburg to head back east”
Funny, the North Jersey Coast Line also requires you to go west to head back east:
Except if you were heading to New Brunswick or Metropark, the NJCL would take you way out of your way, while the true MOM would take you straight to your destination.
Eine Kleine Multi-level responded on 18 Feb 2008 at 4:57 am #
Well, the geography is a bigger influence when it comes to the NJCL. And of course, if the CNJ routing were still intact, you’d have a shorter route to the Hudson River. (Furthermore, drivers using Route 9 to Route 18 are also “heading west to go east”.)
However, with MOM, restoring service to population centers that have none right now, and the fact that running via the former PRR (Jamesburg and Freehold) is not duplicating service, ought to be the more salient points in support of same.
LRTADV responded on 20 Feb 2008 at 1:47 pm #
NJT offficials should stop and look at the system maps displayed in their own rolling stock. There is is broad area of “dark territory” with no rail service. This rapidly growing “wealth belt” is crying out for heavy passenger and off-peak light-rail service. This makes the governor’s toll plan even more unpalatable as vital projects like MOM won’t get done.