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NJT a 'national disgrace' that must be rebuilt: Murphy


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 12 May 2017 - 09:19 AM

NJ.com, 5/4/17:
 

Murphy pitches plan to fix NJ Transit that could include new tax

 

 

TRENTON -- Phil Murphy, the Democratic front-runner for New Jersey governor, on Thursday unveiled his plan to fix problem-plagued NJ Transit -- and he didn't rule out instituting a new tax to provide more funding for the agency that runs the state's bus and rail system.

 

Murphy said during a news conference at the Trenton train station that a key part of his plan calls increasing state aid to the agency, including exploring the idea of a "dedicated finding source." 

 

SNIP 

 

In the current state budget, New Jersey sends $141 million in aid to NJ Transit and is projected to send the same amount next year. That's an increase from a low of $33 million last year but less than half as much as a peak of $358 million in 2009. 

 

Christie's administration also diverts $204 million from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and $82 million from the Clean Energy Fund to NJ Transit.

 

In all, the state is sending $427 million in taxpayer money to the agency this year. 

 

Plus, Christie signed legislation that will direct $140 million in supplemental aid from the state Transportation Trust Fund to the upgrade the transportation system.

 

"We are making the necessary investments in NJ Transit," Brian Murray, a spokesman for Christie's office, said.

 

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#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 26 December 2017 - 12:21 PM

NJ.​com, 12/20/17:

NJ Transit is a 'national disgrace' that must be torn down and rebuilt: Murphy

 

 

 

 

Gov.-elect Phil Murphy pulled no punches about what he thinks is the biggest job for the state's next transportation commissioner: Rebuild the "national disgrace" that is NJ Transit.

Murphy, with the cavernous Secaucus Junction as his backdrop, introduced former Turnpike Authority Executive Director Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti on Thursday as the person who will tear the beleaguered agency down and rebuild it.

"We need a strong leader to take hold of the national disgrace that is NJ Transit, turning it upside down and shaking it up so we can make it right again," Murphy said.  .  .  .

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#3 KevinKorell

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Posted 05 January 2018 - 10:20 AM

Editorial in Press of Atlantic City, NJ, 1/5/18:

 


 

Our view: Plenty for Murphy to fix when he rebuilds NJ Transit

 

 

Right before Christmas, while announcing his choice for state transportation commissioner, Gov.-elect Phil Murphy said he intends to rebuild NJ Transit, which he called a “national disgrace.”

 

 

Editorial



Kevin Korell


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#4 KevinKorell

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Posted 23 January 2018 - 12:20 PM

<p>The audit will examine the agency's relationship with Amtrak and its implementation of Positive Train Control.</p><p>Kcpwiki</p>

SUMMIT, N.J. — During his first full week on the job, Gov. Phil Murphy is ordering an audit of NJ Transit, WABC reports.

The audit will include a review of NJ Transit's finances, leadership structure, hiring process, and customer service. It will also examine the agency's relationship with Amtrak and its implementation of Positive Train Control. For the full story, click here.

Keywords

Amtrak   audit   finances   Gov. Phil Murphy   NJ Transit   PTC   

 

Follow @lctmag on Twitter


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#5 CNJRoss

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Posted 11 October 2018 - 06:32 AM

Bloomberg Business, 10/9/18:
 

NJ Transit Audit Report: Find Money. Cut Fat. Post Cooler Tweets

 

  • Report cites need for more money, but no hint of fare increase
  • Social media should share entertaining content, report says
 

A $1.3 million audit of New Jersey Transit ordered by Governor Phil Murphy found an urgent need for more money and less bureaucracy at the troubled commuter bus and train operator.

 

It also called for bigger social-media laughs -- but not during rush hour, when commuters tend to be steamed. A well-intentioned but ill-timed “Good morning” or “Good night” on Twitter is enough to incite a backlash, according to the audit released today.

 

The 179-page report identified failures including “inadequate, uncertain and unsustainable” funding, no technology vision and no plan to oversee $5.3 billion in capital assets. In response to vitriol from Facebook and Twitter users -- some whose handles combine curse words and the agency’s name -- NJ Transit should forget defending itself and start “sharing entertaining content” such as travel photos, it said.

 

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#6 CNJRoss

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Posted 11 October 2018 - 06:34 AM

NJ.com, 10/10/18:
 

We know NJ Transit is a mess. This report shows how bad the agency really is.

 

 

More money and less bureaucracy.

 

Those are the recommendations of a $1.3 million audit of NJ Transit being released this morning.

 

Gov. Phil Murphy ordered the audit in late January to look into what has gone wrong at NJ Transit and identify the agency's weaknesses.

 

The 179-page report identifies failures including "inadequate, uncertain and unsustainable" funding, no technology vision and no plan to oversee $5.3 billion in capital assets.

 

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#7 CNJRoss

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Posted 12 October 2018 - 04:58 PM

The Washington Post, 10/11/18:

 

Stop with the 'goodnight’ tweets, and other social media tips from NJ Transit’s $1.3 million audit

 

The same goes for jargon like “positive train control" and generic safety messages, which make the agency seem “soulless,” a consultant said.

 

 

Nobody likes your chipper “goodnight” tweets, New Jersey Transit.

 

That was one of the takeaways of a $1.3 million audit, released this week, that assesses the problems and potential solutions facing New Jersey Transit, the commuter rail system that has grappled with safety, reliability, and financial issue for the last several years.

 

The wide-ranging, 166-page report penned by the consulting firm North Highland is largely focused on issues of critical importance to the transit agency, systemic challenges related to infrastructure and the long-term funding of the system.

 

But the report also includes advice on how NJ Transit can better represent itself on social media — advice that could be applicable to most any transit agency faced with the deluge of angry missives from riders that typically follows a major service disruption or unexpected delay.

 

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#8 CNJRoss

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Posted 26 December 2018 - 01:11 PM

NJ.com 12/26/18:
 

How did NJ Transit epically fail commuters in 2018? Let's count the ways

 

 

When Gov. Phil Murphy appointed a new transportation commissioner in January, he called NJ Transit a "national disgrace that must be torn down and rebuilt." 

 

Nearly a year has passed. How has that extreme transit makeover gone? A commuter group gave Murphy a "D" and even the governor said it was a rough 2018 and looked forward to improvement in 2019.

 

It's been bad enough to make one commuter break out in song and it wasn't in a happy musical way.

 

 

Nothing to sing about, but...

 

If you think we're making it up, this parody Christmas carol was created by a rider and hits some of the day to day issues commuters dealt with throughout the year. This list goes beyond the day to day and chronicles the outrageous incidents and the reoccurring problems that made the year one NJ Transit commuters would rather forget.  

 

If there is some good news, NJ Transit has 5,000 applications from would be engineers, four classes to train the finalists and an anticipated 50 to 60 graduates in 2019. 

 

There are 182 new cruiser buses on the way this year and 113 new rail cars were ordered to replace 40-year-old antiques. As a famous ex-governor tweeted to commuters in 2014, "hang in there."

 

Here are some of NJ Transits worst fails of the year and the causes.

 

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#9 CNJRoss

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 01:16 PM

The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ 2/23/19:
 

To fix NJ Transit, the governor needs to solve his fiscal crisis. This is a recording | Editorial

 

 

It was one year ago when Gov. Murphy pledged that his fiscal 2019 budget would “nearly triple funding to NJ Transit – an additional $242 million investment to get the agency back on its feet,” and crowed that this would send “a strong signal that a better day and better service (are) coming.”

 

Only it was really $98 million, and the agency, reeling from almost a decade of horrendous neglect, spent the year dealing with a cacophony of customer outrage — the inevitable result of rampant cancellations, unbearable delays, reduced schedules, engineering shortages, technology updates, and the dysfunctional underpinnings left behind by eight years of patronage hires.

 

Wait, don’t say it: You can’t wait to hear what Murphy has in store for Year 2. 

 

SNIP 

 

But as long as the operating budget remains a political pie fight, that’s just working the margins. The governor is obligated to offer a fiscal strategy that addresses the herd of elephants in the room – unfunded pension mandates, school mergers, tax structure, health benefits and more – as Senate President Steve Sweeney has. Until then, this state is dancing on the third rail.

 

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#10 CNJRoss

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Posted 09 April 2019 - 07:55 AM

NJ.com 4/5/19:
 

An NJ Transit reform Murphy promised is here. But, not everyone is happy about it.

 

 

Almost as soon as Gov. Phil Murphy’s nominees to NJ Transit’s Board of Directors were announced in late March came the questions — do the people who will make decisions affecting commuters ride the bus and train and experience the same conditions passengers endure?

 

The answer is, kind of. Six nominees range from daily commuters to casual riders, depending on the person and two are former riders, who a Murphy spokesman said used to ride NJ Transit.

 

Does it matter? In the past, NJ Transit’s board has been criticized for having few members who said they ride it. Transit advocates criticized the board for being out of touch with its customers.

 

“The advantage of a regular rider (on the board), is having someone who experiences the daily pain shared by countless thousands,” said Len Resto, New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers president and a regular NJ Transit rider.

 

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