Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty joined other mayors from the Morris & Essex Line corridor at a Senate panel hearing this week, to seek answers about upcoming commuter rail delays. Here’s a statement from the mayor:
In advance of the Morris & Essex lines train diversions, Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty attended a joint committee meeting of the Senate Legislative Oversight and Assembly Judiciary committees in Newark on Wednesday, May 31.
Dougherty, along with other local mayors, offered testimony to discuss the effects on commuters in their area as a result of the upcoming repairs at New York Penn Station this summer and consequent disruptions in train service.
The full panel of mayors who provided input included, Mayor Timothy Dougherty of Morristown, Mayor Robert Conley of Madison, Mayor Nora Radest of Summit, Village President Sheena Collum of South Orange, Mayor Victor DeLuca of Maplewood and Mayor Lester Taylor of East Orange.
Mayor Dougherty finds the lack of planning between NJ Transit and Amtrak disappointing, and their subsequent lack of communication with all the towns affected unacceptable.
“I, along with my colleagues in Morris and Essex counties, are actively working on communication efforts to ensure that our residents are seeing their concerns are heard on all accounts,” stated Mayor Dougherty. “We are only a few weeks away from this plan going into effect and there are many details that are still unclear in the decision making process that led NJ Transit and Amtrak to this point.”
The train diversion plan to account for railway repairs, slated to begin on July 10, was announced in a press conference on Tuesday, May 23 by Governor Chris Christie. NJ Transit officials have announced that in addition to the discounted rates on tickets, there will be more ferries, private buses and extra PATH service for those who will be affected.
They estimate commuters taking light rail will spend an extra 30 minutes getting to the city, while those taking the ferry could expect to spend an extra 45 minutes commuting one-way. The Morris & Essex trains will run normal service into New York until 7 a.m. weekdays, however, transit officials are urging riders to leave early and avoid the traffic.
Even with the added transportation and discounted rates, many local officials have questioned the rationale behind the decision, and why legislators in the affected areas weren’t notified ahead of time.
The main priority of Mayor Dougherty at this time is to provide clear answers to residents with concern, “I understand the worry of residents in Morristown who rely on this train to get into work. I am pushing to make progress to help those in our area feel more comfortable with the outcome of this diversion.”
I’m glad people are finally speaking up. The riders of the M&E line have been getting the short end of the stick every and any time there’s been any kind of widespread service disruption. When the RNC was at MSG many years ago, the M&E was sent to Hoboken for the week and all other train lines were unaffected. After hurricanes Irene and Sandy, and after the October ice storm several years ago, the M&E was shut down with no alternatives available. I recall being in Penn Station waiting for a train to Secaucus, which was where I parked, and there being an announcement saying all M&E train are not running and there is no alternate transportation available. NJ Transit says that buses are cross honoring, but doesn’t realize that many towns on the M&E are not serviced by buses that go to NYC. What I want to know with this plan is if the PATH will be upping service, especially late at night, to get people to Hoboken in time for the last train home. I don’t work a 9 – 5 job and often work very late taking one of the last trains from NY. The PATH usually runs trains every 30 minutes at that time of night, meaning I need to leave work considerably earlier to get the PATH, to get to Hoboken, in time for the last train. I also want to know how these discounted tickets will work. Will it only apply to monthly tickets? I usually don’t work a full 5 day week in the city, so buying a monthly is not cost effective for me. While buying the discounted monthly would still be less than I currently pay, the math would not break down to someone like me receiving the same discount, despite dealing with the same level of BS with every trip.