NJ Tansit
ATLANTIC CITY – New Jersey Transit Thursday evening plans to meet with riders of the Atlantic City Rail Line, which has been shut down since last September. Officials will be available starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 at the rail station located in the Atlantic City Convention Center.
“Since the day the Atlantic City Rail Line closed in September, riders have waited and waited in anticipation for the line to reopen,” Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo said on his Facebook page. “But months later, it’s still closed, and NJ Transit has failed to give us a straight answer as to why.”
Commuters who use the rail line to get to work in Atlantic City, residents who travel to Philadelphia for work or special events, such as the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show, have been forced to drive or use the much slower NJ Transit bus service.
“After months of inconvenience and struggle, it’s about time they got an explanation. It’s not just transportation we need; it’s transparency,” Mazzeo said.
He encourages riders to show up and ask questions about when the service will be restored.
Transit officials have misled the public about the closure, attributing it to the installation of positive train control, Mazzeo said in a statement. The installation was completed early last month, but the rail line remains closed.
Transit officials said they were waiting for federal approval of the installation, but federal officials said federal approval is not necessary to restart the line.
“As the leader of NJ Transit, Kevin Corbett should be able to offer honest answers as to why the Atlantic City Rail Line remains closed. But all he’s done is mislead commuters time and time again,” Mazzeo said.
When he visited the area last summer, Corbett said the trains would be back up and running by Jan. 1.
“We’ve blown past that deadline with no end in sight. With the work on positive train control complete, Corbett needs to give us a good and honest reason for the Atlantic City Rail Line closure.”
Mazzeo said commuters are concerned the shut-down could be permanent.
“Commuters remain more nervous than ever about its future. It doesn’t help that NJ Transit, under Corbett’s leadership, refuses to disclose the real reasons the line is still closed,” he said.
Assemblyman John Armato said transit officials “better bring answers” on Thursday evening.
NJ Transit officials said the line would be restored in the second quarter of 2019, citing a shortage of locomotive engineers and equipment.
NJ Transit has been offering an express shuttle from Lindenwold PATCO line to the Atlantic City Bus Terminal, with stops at the Absecon and Egg Harbor City rail stations. It also discounted the fare by 10 percent.
“Peak tourism season will be here before we know it, and passengers have already been forced to seek alternate transportation for recent events in Atlantic City. Commuters, tourists, and passengers can’t wait any longer,” he said on his Facebook page.
Shortly after he took office in January 2018, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order calling for an audit of NJ Transit. In December, he signed legislation to overhaul the beleaguered NJ Transit system to make it more responsive to the needs of commuters.
At a Feb. 13 press conference in New York City’s Penn Station, Murphy, Amtrak Board Chairman Tony Coscia, and Corbett finalized a financial settlement that that paves the way to ongoing and future improvements to the infrastructure, customer experience and safety of riders. The press conference focused on several joint projects, including Penn Station, critical infrastructure projects and safety, Murphy said in a press release.
“Investing in our infrastructure, improving customer experience, and enhancing the safety of the traveling public are among the highest priorities of our administration,” Murphy said.
He did not mention restoration of the Atlantic City rail line.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 at the Atlantic City Rail Terminal, 1 Atlantic City Expressway.
