How Chris Christie Destroyed New Jersey Transit

While we are on the subject of Chris Christie, read about what his administration has done to destroy New Jersey Transit. When Christie became governor, NJ Transit was a decently functioning system with plans for the future. A new Hudson River tunnel had secured federal funding which would have allowed an existing tunnel in desperate need of repairs to be fixed without impacting service when the new tunnel came on line in 2018. And when the old tunnel was in shape, there would be more capacity for trains between New York and New Jersey. But in the first year of his administration, Christie vetoed that plan with the ostensible reason that the state may have been on the hook for some cost overruns. Today, the aging tunnel may have to be shut down for repairs, crippling New Jersey commuters. And the plans and financing for a new tunnel are only now being finalized.

Under Christie’s leadership, the state subsidy for NJ Transit has fallen by 90% to just $33 million and the budget for maintenance and service improvements fell by more than 50%. Fares have continued to rise even as service continues to decline. NJ Transit has far more service delays than its two neighbors, Metro North and the Long Island Rail Road. Last year, the budget gap for NJ Transit was $60 million and this year it is $45 million. In addition, Christie has had a long-running dispute with the rail unions that was finally resolved last March in order to avert a crippling strike by those unions. The rail workers had been working without a contract since 2011. Christie also spent the entire summer in a wasteful battle with the legislature over raising New Jersey’s ridiculously low gas tax. That battle resulted in $2.7 billion of NJ Transit projects being delayed as the state’s transportation fund ran dry.

All this resulted in the deadly train crash at the Hoboken station last month. And, as the Times article shows, there is anecdotal evidence that people are leaving the state simply because the commute into New York has become unbearable. Christie’s desire to run for President was clear early on. For him, the state and the people of New Jersey were always a second thought. Please read the whole New York Times story to get a taste of how egregious his leadership has been.