WASHINGTON — New Jersey’s congressional delegation is requesting that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg investigate Amtrak issues on the Northeast Corridor that have led to what a letter calls a “commuting nightmare” on one recent morning, as well as a series of other recent disruptions.
The June 25 letter, signed by all 11 House members from New Jersey, says “avoidable Amtrak errors” have led to significant delays for NJ Transit commuters, and that NJ Transit’s status as a tenant on the Corridor leaves the state transit agency in “an impossible position — unable to direct repairs on Amtrak property and unable to provide proper, reliable service to paying customers who depend on them.”
The representatives are asking for a DOT investigation into the causes of breakdowns along the corridor and what additional capital projects are needed “to fix any structural deficiencies;” how the DOT and Amtrak are planning to address a greater frequency of heat waves, which likely played a role in the disruptions that have occurred 19 times in the six weeks prior to the letter; and for better communication between Amtrak and tenant operators such as NJ Transit on the Corridor. It also asks that Amtrak prioritize replacement of catenary wires and other critical infrastructure such as track and signals. Catenary issues have been blamed for several of the recent delays.
The letter was prompted by a week of issues including June 20 power problems, exacerbated by a brush fire near the right-of-way, that led to cancellation or delays to some 130 NJ Transit trains, as well as additional issues the following morning. NJ.com reports that Amtrak and NJ Transit disagreed about the cause of the Friday issues and some earlier problems, with Amtrak blaming NJ Transit equipment and NJ Transit saying the problem has been with Amtrak’s catenary.
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