New Jersey Transit, a Cautionary Tale of Neglect

Further evidence of the disastrous governance of Chris Christie:

https://www.google.com/amp/mobile.nytimes.com/2016/10/14/nyregion/new-jersey-transit-crisis.amp.html

And the citizens of NJ elected him twice. Ugh.

Following the money leads us back to Christie.

I keep coming back to the thought that it used to be commonly believed that governments should build stuff, sometimes big stuff. Christie could have had his name on that tunnel.

hazel said:

And the citizens of NJ elected him twice. Ugh.

To be fair, last election the person running against him had ads that said "Buono, not Bono."

I can't stand Christie, and I did vote for her, but I'm not surprised she lost.

On the bright side, I still remember how to pronounce her name, so her campaign did do something.

Agree 100%. Christie has gutted NJT financing and turned it into a second world transportation system, bordering on third world. Thank goodness he will be gone soon.

Maplewood station has a structure on the center track that is in imminent danger of collapse, supported for a few years only by wooden 4X4s holding the roof up. No effort has been made to replace the rotted concrete foundations. This is an issue that falls within the capital improvement budget, which has been drained dry by Christie, to partially support its operating losses. At some point safety has to precedence over dollars!

In addition, I have been quite alarmed at the danger of arriving at Penn Station, NYC. If there ever were a problem such as a fire or other major emergency, evacuating the track level platforms could take far too long for safety. (I was always aware of the congestion and delays which are built in to this outdated station when I commuted into it.) If this problem were to be inspected by a nationally administered, not politically influenced, agency, it would be shut down for safety violations right away.
This station needs an immediate Federal Railway Administration safety inspection. But again, how to pay for the improvements?

mrmaplewood said:

Agree 100%. Christie has gutted NJT financing and turned it into a second world transportation system, bordering on third world. Thank goodness he will be gone soon.

Maplewood station has a structure on the center track that is in imminent danger of collapse, supported for a few years only by wooden 4X4s holding the roof up. No effort has been made to replace the rotted concrete foundations. This is an issue that falls within the capital improvement budget, which has been drained dry by Christie, to partially support its operating losses. At some point safety has to precedence over dollars!


In addition, I have been quite alarmed at the danger of arriving at Penn Station, NYC. If there ever were a problem such as a fire or other major emergency, evacuating the track level platforms could take far too long for safety. (I was always aware of the congestion and delays which are built in to this outdated station when I commuted into it.) If this problem were to be inspected by a nationally administered, not politically influenced, agency, it would be shut down for safety violations right away.
This station needs an immediate Federal Railway Administration safety inspection. But again, how to pay for the improvements?

Some good news regarding Penn Station. The new stairs on the west end are scheduled to open this Fall. Tracks 5 to 17 only. Of course that's an Amtrak project, not NJT.

spontaneous said:

hazel said:

And the citizens of NJ elected him twice. Ugh.

To be fair, last election the person running against him had ads that said "Buono, not Bono."

I can't stand Christie, and I did vote for her, but I'm not surprised she lost.

On the bright side, I still remember how to pronounce her name, so her campaign did do something.

Along with the stab in the back she received from groveling Democrats and the Star Ledger. She still wouldn't have won, but the spectacle was ugly.