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| N.J. Transit Commute Mess: ‘A Level of Incompetence I’ve Never Quite Seen Before’ | N.J. Transit Commute Mess: ‘A Level of Incompetence I’ve Never Quite Seen Before’ |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| New Jersey Transit faced another round of major delays on Friday that infuriated thousands of commuters, capping a week of problems that symbolized its descent from one of the nation’s best railways to one of its most troubled. | |
| The cascade of problems increased pressure on Gov. Philip D. Murphy, who has made revitalizing the railroad a priority after taking office this year. | |
| Just as the morning was getting started, an Amtrak car derailed in one of the two single-track tunnels under the Hudson River between Pennsylvania Station and New Jersey, officials said. No injuries were reported, but the impact on the commute was significant. | Just as the morning was getting started, an Amtrak car derailed in one of the two single-track tunnels under the Hudson River between Pennsylvania Station and New Jersey, officials said. No injuries were reported, but the impact on the commute was significant. |
| Amtrak said there would be delays of up to an hour for the commuter railroads, which share Penn Station with Amtrak. | Amtrak said there would be delays of up to an hour for the commuter railroads, which share Penn Station with Amtrak. |
| That has become a familiar refrain to riders of New Jersey Transit, the country’s second busiest railroad, and this week’s particularly bleak streak has raised the political heat on Gov. Philip D. Murphy, a Democrat, who called the transit system a “national disgrace” when he ran for governor last year. | |
| Mr. Murphy, after inheriting a system that endured years of disinvestment and poor management, has vowed to turn things around. “Governor Murphy knows that nothing is more important to rebuilding New Jersey’s economy than turning around New Jersey Transit, and he remains fully committed to doing so,” said Dan Bryan, a spokesman for Mr. Murphy. | Mr. Murphy, after inheriting a system that endured years of disinvestment and poor management, has vowed to turn things around. “Governor Murphy knows that nothing is more important to rebuilding New Jersey’s economy than turning around New Jersey Transit, and he remains fully committed to doing so,” said Dan Bryan, a spokesman for Mr. Murphy. |
| But many riders say the railroad is as unreliable as it has ever been. | But many riders say the railroad is as unreliable as it has ever been. |
| The derailment meant that the week ended just as it started, with New Jersey Transit commuters suffering: | The derailment meant that the week ended just as it started, with New Jersey Transit commuters suffering: |
| • On Monday, a shortage of engineers forced the cancellation of a train out of Manhattan. Its passengers crammed onto a later train. | • On Monday, a shortage of engineers forced the cancellation of a train out of Manhattan. Its passengers crammed onto a later train. |
| That train broke down on a bridge near Newark, leaving cramped passengers stewing in darkened cars without air conditioning for more than an hour. | That train broke down on a bridge near Newark, leaving cramped passengers stewing in darkened cars without air conditioning for more than an hour. |
| • The next day, a balky swing bridge, over 100 years old, caused train delays in the morning. | • The next day, a balky swing bridge, over 100 years old, caused train delays in the morning. |
| The bridge repeated that stunt later in the day, causing delays that spilled into the homeward rush hours. | The bridge repeated that stunt later in the day, causing delays that spilled into the homeward rush hours. |
| • On Wednesday evening, a New Jersey Transit train stalled briefly as it left Penn Station, blocking one of the tracks to the suburbs and upsetting parents who were rushing home to take children out for Halloween. | • On Wednesday evening, a New Jersey Transit train stalled briefly as it left Penn Station, blocking one of the tracks to the suburbs and upsetting parents who were rushing home to take children out for Halloween. |
| One of those frustrated parents, Dave Kass, called the delays on three consecutive days a “trifecta” of failures by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, which owns and operates Penn Station, the swing bridge and the rest of the tracks between Manhattan and Pennsylvania Station in Newark. | One of those frustrated parents, Dave Kass, called the delays on three consecutive days a “trifecta” of failures by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, which owns and operates Penn Station, the swing bridge and the rest of the tracks between Manhattan and Pennsylvania Station in Newark. |
| Gary Leon, who has been commuting to Manhattan by train from central New Jersey for 36 years, said he could not recall a time when the service was so unreliable. | Gary Leon, who has been commuting to Manhattan by train from central New Jersey for 36 years, said he could not recall a time when the service was so unreliable. |
| “What’s changed in my opinion in the last two years has been just a level of incompetence I’ve never quite seen before,” Mr. Leon said. | “What’s changed in my opinion in the last two years has been just a level of incompetence I’ve never quite seen before,” Mr. Leon said. |
| Even after paring back service twice this year because it could not muster enough engineers and equipment to fulfill its schedule, New Jersey Transit is still frustrating customers by canceling trains. | Even after paring back service twice this year because it could not muster enough engineers and equipment to fulfill its schedule, New Jersey Transit is still frustrating customers by canceling trains. |
| On the line Mr. Leon rides, the Raritan Valley Line, the railroad canceled the same train, the 6:33 p.m. departure from Pennsylvania Station in Newark, three days in a row: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. | On the line Mr. Leon rides, the Raritan Valley Line, the railroad canceled the same train, the 6:33 p.m. departure from Pennsylvania Station in Newark, three days in a row: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. |
| Mr. Leon, 58, has been riding New Jersey Transit long enough to remember when it was a model of efficiency, held in high regard across the country. | Mr. Leon, 58, has been riding New Jersey Transit long enough to remember when it was a model of efficiency, held in high regard across the country. |
| An audit of the railroad that Mr. Murphy ordered just after his inauguration in January concluded that its fleet is so old that failing to replace any of its train cars in the next five years would pose “significant risk to the network and passengers.” | An audit of the railroad that Mr. Murphy ordered just after his inauguration in January concluded that its fleet is so old that failing to replace any of its train cars in the next five years would pose “significant risk to the network and passengers.” |
| By next year, nearly 90 percent of those coaches will be at least 12 years old, absent any replacements, the audit showed. | By next year, nearly 90 percent of those coaches will be at least 12 years old, absent any replacements, the audit showed. |
| Reports filed with the Federal Transit Administration show that the fleet has been shrinking and aging. The average age of its rail fleet was 18.6 years in 2017, up from 16 years in 2014. | Reports filed with the Federal Transit Administration show that the fleet has been shrinking and aging. The average age of its rail fleet was 18.6 years in 2017, up from 16 years in 2014. |
| Four of its locomotives were 37 years old, each having traveled more than 2.2 million miles, and more than 150 of its passenger cars were at least 40 years old. | Four of its locomotives were 37 years old, each having traveled more than 2.2 million miles, and more than 150 of its passenger cars were at least 40 years old. |
| Mr. Murphy pinned much of the blame on his Republican predecessor, Chris Christie, arguing that Mr. Christie had starved New Jersey Transit of the state aid it needed to maintain its fleet. But State Sen. Thomas Kean Jr., a Republican, said that Mr. Murphy had done little to reverse the agency’s decline in his first nine months in office. | Mr. Murphy pinned much of the blame on his Republican predecessor, Chris Christie, arguing that Mr. Christie had starved New Jersey Transit of the state aid it needed to maintain its fleet. But State Sen. Thomas Kean Jr., a Republican, said that Mr. Murphy had done little to reverse the agency’s decline in his first nine months in office. |
| “I’m as frustrated as my constituents and commuters are,” Mr. Kean said in an interview. “People are tired of blame games and just want things fixed.” | “I’m as frustrated as my constituents and commuters are,” Mr. Kean said in an interview. “People are tired of blame games and just want things fixed.” |
| Mr. Kean said he worried that New Jersey Transit’s decline would start to hurt the state’s economy, driving people to choose New York or Connecticut when they look for suburban homes in the region. | Mr. Kean said he worried that New Jersey Transit’s decline would start to hurt the state’s economy, driving people to choose New York or Connecticut when they look for suburban homes in the region. |
| “It’s already impacting the state economy,” he said. “If your transportation infrastructure is uncertain, that makes a difference when an individual is trying to decide where to locate their family.” | “It’s already impacting the state economy,” he said. “If your transportation infrastructure is uncertain, that makes a difference when an individual is trying to decide where to locate their family.” |
| Mr. Bryan took issue with Mr. Kean’s criticism. | Mr. Bryan took issue with Mr. Kean’s criticism. |
| “Due to many years of underinvestment and mismanagement,’’ Mr. Bryan said in a statement, “years in which Senator Kean was silent, New Jersey Transit has a long road back to once again becoming a world-class transportation agency.” | “Due to many years of underinvestment and mismanagement,’’ Mr. Bryan said in a statement, “years in which Senator Kean was silent, New Jersey Transit has a long road back to once again becoming a world-class transportation agency.” |