Mass Transit Projects Moving Forward

From the Star Ledger:

NJ Transit moves to grease the wheels

An effort to improve rail transportation between New Jersey and Manhattan, including construction of a second tunnel under the Hudson River, was advanced yesterday by two projects approved by NJ Transit's board of governors.

The agency also adopted a $1.5 billion operating budget -- which, thanks to a $22 million boost in state aid, does not include fare increases -- and a $1.3 billion capital budget that calls for replacing NJ Transit's aging bus and rail fleet over the next several years.

The board authorized preliminary engineering work on the $7.2 billion project to add a second two-track train tunnel under the Hudson River, an initiative that took major strides in the past two weeks when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey pledged $2 billion in funding and the Federal Transit Administration notified Congress it would approve preliminary engineering of the tunnel.

It also authorized a draft environmental impact statement for a project to eliminate a bottleneck along the Northeast Corridor Line by expanding capacity at a century-old bridge over the Hackensack River.
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During yesterday's board meeting, directors and members of the public hailed Gov. Jon Corzine as a "friend of mass transit" for providing the increased state funding that allowed NJ Transit to hold the line on fare increases.

"Our transportation network is central to our mobility, our economy, and our quality of life," Corzine said in a statement. "We are working to keep transit affordable and encourage transit usage as a means to avoid high gas prices, reduce traffic congestion and cut back on vehicle emissions."
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"It is an historic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make an important investment in our transportation system," said state Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri, chairman of NJ Transit's board.

The project, the estimated cost of which has risen from $6 billion to $7.2 billion, is considered the centerpiece of the Access to the Region's Core program and will include a new rail terminal at 34th Street in Manhattan adjacent to Penn Station.