NJ Transit Crash Exposes Christie Administration's Mismanagement, Neglect, Report Shows

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NJ Transit Crash Exposes Christie Administration's Mismanagement, Neglect, Report Shows


The Hoboken train crash exposed the Christie administration's mismanagement and neglect of the state's infrastructure, an NYT report says.

By Tom Davis (Patch Staff) - October 13, 2016 12:20 pm ET 

The Hoboken train crash that killed one and injured more than 100 others exposed the Christie administration's mismanagement and neglect of the state's infrastructure, a newly published New York Times report reveals. Thereport, published Thursday, reveals a transportation infrastructure that "is in crisis," with its aging trains and tracks in need of "billions of dollars" of improvements as fares and ridership numbers are rising.
The revelations come just weeks after a young mother was killed and dozens injured in the New Jersey Transit crash at the Hoboken terminal during morning rush hour. The victim, identified by authorities as Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, 34, of Hoboken, was hit by debris on the platform when the train crashed.
Limited service to the station area just recently resumed.
  • Under Christie, the state subsidy for the railroad plunged by more than 90 percent while "gaping holes" in the agency’s past two budgets were filled by fare increases and service reductions or other cuts.
  • The railroad has had at least 125 major train delays this year, about one every two days.
  • Trains break down about every 85,000 miles, compared to 120,000 miles between breakdowns four years ago. The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad travel more than 200,000 miles between breakdowns.
  • NJ Transit also said there were 213 major mechanical failures in 2014, compared with 89 for the Long Island Rail Road and 169 for Metro-North.
  • Commuters complain about missing cars, noting that some late-night trips have been canceled.
  • The train that crashed in Hoboken was a car short, and a device required on board to record speed was not working.
The report noted that a decade ago, New Jersey Transit was laying the groundwork for robust growth. But much of that ended when, in 2010, Christie killed the Access to the Regional Core (ARC) tunnel that was to help improve the commuting times for people in the Northeast Corridor, the busiest in the United States.
The Christie administration, which did not respond to the Times story, said the project fell short of expectations and taxpayers were on the hook for the project’s entire $13.7 billion price tag, which didn’t even include nearly $800 million estimated to replace the 100-year-old portal bridge over the Hackensack River.
The National Transportation Safety Board, meanwhile, recently released more details of its investigation into the crash. The NTSB determined that the train that crashed into the platform of Track 5 was going twice the 10 mph speed limit at Hoboken Terminal.
The event recorder indicates the throttle increased from idle to the No. 4 position while the train was going about 8 mph about 38 seconds before the collision at 8:45 a.m. The train began to accelerate, reaching about 21 mph at the time of the crash, the NTSB said.
Photo: John Tachine

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