{"id":2738,"date":"2018-08-09T14:14:55","date_gmt":"2018-08-09T18:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/?p=2738"},"modified":"2018-08-09T14:14:55","modified_gmt":"2018-08-09T18:14:55","slug":"nj-transit-is-just-a-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/09\/nj-transit-is-just-a-mess\/","title":{"rendered":"NJ Transit is just a mess!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NJ<\/a><\/p>\n

NJ Transit is just a mess. If you don’t know, there have been so many cancellations and service suspensions this week that you are more likely to get to work in New York City by walking rather than by a train.<\/span><\/p>\n

Per Bloomberg<\/a>, \u201cOnce a national envy, NJ Transit\u2019s railroad now leads peers for accidents and federal safety fines. While commuters for years have complained about crowding and slipping reliability, trips since late July have been particularly brutal. NJ Transit has blamed higher-than-typical crew shortages, equipment breakdowns and fewer rail cars available as stock is outfitted with emergency braking software ordered by Congress.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

In the past week, riders have complained about NJ Transit\u2019s recent practice of leaving some rail cars\u2019 rear doors open as emergency exits, even while trains reach 70 miles (113 kilometers) per hour or more. The conductors\u2019 union has said it\u2019s a workaround for a shortage of cab cars, which are rear-most vehicles equipped with doors for fast escape. While fewer trains are operating, commuters accustomed to standing in aisles have said on social media that some runs are so packed that engineers are skipping scheduled stops.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

At the Secaucus station, where thousands transfer to and from Manhattan trains, riders say air conditioning has been faulty for at least two weeks while outdoor temperatures have hit 85 degrees or higher. Two of 28 compressors are down, according to NJ Transit spokeswoman Nancy Snyder, and the agency needs custom parts and a crane for the repairs. Vendors, she said in an email, are \u201ctrying to fix the problem as soon as possible.\u201d<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

OK, so much for the background information. The bottom line is Governor Christie consistently cut NJ Transit’s budget when he was in office for eight years. And Governor Murphy did not see that our vital commuter link was in a crisis when he was elected. Per The Patch<\/a>, \u201cMurphy said his administration has to go into a “war-room footing” when dealing with NJ Transit problems. “When we had the snowstorm challenges, we were in a war-room mentality.<\/i>“\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then I have to ask of Governor Murphy, why did you wait so long after coming into office? You knew that Christie had not properly funded NJ Transit for eight years, so why did you not make fixing the problems this vital commuter transit system has as one of your top priorities?<\/span><\/p>\n

With all the vacancies that not have been filled, engineers, and equipment problems and shortages you the daily commuter has paid a high price to try to get to work each day on time.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Christie did a very bad job keeping NJ Transit running, Murphy has failed to recognize the facts that existed at the time he got into office. The Governor should have gone on his so called ‘War footing’ from day one of his taking office. So while Christie is guilty of creating this mess, Murphy is also guilty in not fast tracking fixes and not communicating to the riding public what is happening to address NJ Transit’s shortfalls.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n