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The Commissioner's Report
(archived)
Good public
transit can help ease congestion
NJ TRANSIT was created 25
years ago, taking over rundown
transit services and facilities
from bankrupt railroads and
bus lines. Today, NJ TRANSIT
carries 223 million passengers
a year aboard 240 bus routes,
12 commuter rail lines, and
two light rail lines over
a 5,000 square-mile service
area, with a third light rail
line scheduled to open soon.
Demand for rail service to
mid-Manhattan alone has tripled
and, according to the 2000
Census, the percentage of
New Jersey workers using transit
has increased for the first
time in 40 years.
With over $4.8 billion provided
from the Transportation Trust
Fund, NJ TRANSIT has rebuilt
and expanded New Jersey's
public transit system. But
transit service also has felt
the impact of growing traffic
congestion in New Jersey as
more travelers are shifting
to trains and buses, creating
congestion on our railroads
and impacting bus operations.
In addition, one of every
10 New Jersey households does
not have access to a car and
therefore must rely on transit.
And with our senior population
projected to grow 39 percent
by 2020 (more than twice as
fast as the general population),
further dependence will be
placed on transit.
NJ TRANSIT estimates the
state's rail and bus system
will need $18 billion over
the next 10 years to maintain
its existing network and expand
services. With the prospect
of building new roads now
financially and environmentally
prohibitive across much of
New Jersey, transit offers
a more attractive alternative.
In particular the Newark-New
York section of the Northeast
Corridor, including the Hudson
River tunnels, is a two-track
bottleneck that must be expanded,
while a second track needs
to be added to sections of
the Atlantic City Line to
improve its operation.
NJ TRANSIT must replace 13
miles of track every year,
maintain 118 train stations
and bus terminals, and ensure
600 bridges are kept in good
condition. The agency plans
to improve or convert 56 low-level
boarding stations to high-level
platforms that provide safer
and faster boarding, and to
extend electrification of
the Morris & Essex Line
from Dover to Netcong.
In addition, transit will
play an increasingly critical
role in supporting Smart Growth.
The availability of transit
can allow greater densities
for commercial development
while it reduces the real
estate costs associated with
parking. About 16 million
square feet of commercial
development is now under construction
along the Hudson-Bergen light
rail line, including the state's
tallest building being constructed
for Goldman Sachs. And frequent,
reliable transit service provides
access to a larger labor market
as commuters can travel greater
distances.
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