210 replies to this topic

[Sloan]

 

 

Amtrak chief sees the light

 

Chairman Anthony Coscia has spent $300 million on a project that might never happen, but his decision is far from foolish.

http://www.crainsnew...-sees-the-light

 

Amen to that! 

 

Sloan

[Sloan]

 

 

The N.J. commuter nightmare to come: You think it's bad now? Wait until a tunnel closes for repair.

 

Sometimes we can see problems coming at us like an oncoming train. When it comes to an impending crisis in trans-Hudson commuting, the only saving grace may be that the train could have a hard time finding a track on which to hit us.

http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.2303546

[jis]

Christie has carefully skirted the issue of why he did not negotiate a better deal for a rail tunnel after canceling ARC, for which there was good reason to cancel. Why he instead frittered away the money on other projects which did not address the core issue of Hudson River crossing. I believe for this reason all his latter day gratuitous cheer-leading of Hudson crossing is somewhere between disingenuous and dishonest..

 

If/when catastrophe strikes the blame will lie squarely at his door no matter how hard he tries to deflect it every which way he can.

[CNJRoss]

The New York Times, posted 7/27:
 

 

Transportation Secretary Seeks Meeting With Cuomo and Christie on Hudson River Rail Tunnels

 

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, hoping to spur action on long-stalled plans for new Hudson River rail tunnels, sent a letter on Monday to the governors of New York and New Jersey urging them to meet with him in the next two weeks to map out a strategy to start work on new crossings.

 

The letter from the nation’s top transportation official came after a series of crippling train delays frustrated tens of thousands of New Jersey Transit riders and provided the latest reminder that the century-old rail tunnels, used by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak to traverse the Hudson, need to be replaced.

 

Mr. Foxx asked Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York to meet to discuss their states’ roles in a proposal, known as the Gateway Project, to build new rail tunnels.

 

“The condition of the trans-Hudson tunnels is a major threat to the region and to our nation’s transportation system,” Mr. Foxx wrote. “I write to urge immediate action and to lend my personal engagement to get the Gateway tunnel project on the path to completion as soon as possible.”

 

 

Continue here.

[KevinKorell]

Second Avenue Sagas, 7/27/15:

 

The ghost of the ARC Tunnel haunts Christie as candidate

 

It’s been a rough few weeks for New Jersey Transit and Garden State rail riders. Shortly after announcing yet another massive fare hike, the agency suffered through a week that saw rush hour delays pile up due to problems with Amtrak’s North Hudson tubes. After commuters suffered through problems on four of five days last week, the agency has already announced that it does not anticipate a problem-free Monday. Riders are being asked to find alternate ways into the city, and PATH, ferries and buses will cross-honor tickets.

Continue

[CNJRoss]

The New York Times, 7/29:

 

Cuomo and Christie Call on U.S. to Share Cost of Hudson Rail Tunnel Project

 

The governors of New York and New Jersey signaled on Wednesday that a deal to build new rail tunnels under the Hudson River would require billions of dollars from the federal government, which has called the plan one of the most important transportation projects in the country.

 

The message from Govs. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York and Chris Christie of New Jersey came two days after the federal transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx, sent a letter asking them to meet with him about the tunnel proposal.

 

Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Christie said they intended to meet with Mr. Foxx soon, but their remarks, made separately on Wednesday, appeared to put the onus on the federal government and on Amtrak, which controls much of the region’s aging rail infrastructure.

 

“If the federal government can make a significant contribution, then let’s go,” Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a radio interview. “I mean, we have the shovels. We need it. We’ll make it a priority. But we need the funding.”

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

NJSpotlight 7/31:

 

Gateway Tunnel -- Like NJ Commuters -- Is Going Nowhere Fast

 

Christie and Cuomo agree Amtrak’s proposed trans-Hudson tunnel is important, but come up short when it comes to a plan.

 

The urgent need for new rail tunnels under the Hudson River is getting new attention from Govs. Christie and Cuomo following several days of NJ Transit train disruptions last week, with the governors saying they will meet with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to discuss Amtrak’s proposed Gateway tunnel project.

 

Gateway’s profile has been rising since May, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey held a conference on trans-Hudson transportation and an Obama administration official called the tunnel the nation’s “most important rail project.” .  .  .

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

The Record, Hackensack, NJ 8/2:

 

Column
 

Kelly: How Christie’s ARC decision left us in the hole

 

By Mike Kelly

 

 THE SMALL CORNER of North Bergen overlooking the Meadowlands is quiet now. It permeates with the same silence that suddenly descended on it almost five years ago when Governor Christie abruptly shut down work on what supposed to be the entrance to a new trans-Hudson River tunnel to improve commuting from New Jersey to Manhattan.

 

Today a sign on the fence proclaims that the site is being monitored for toxic waste that had been dumped there years ago.

 

Such is the fate of the tunnel project known as ARC – Access to the Region's Core. New Jersey can't seem to figure out how to build a much-needed commuter tunnel to replace the 100-year-old tubes that now carry 21st century trains. Instead, we use the place to dump toxic soil.

 

The would-be (and wished-for) ARC tunnel, which would have been the nation's largest public works project with an initial cost estimate of around $9 billion, has become a testament to short-sightedness and the brokenness of a political system that has ignored important infrastructure repairs on roads, bridges and train tunnels for decades. Left holding the bag – and in longer, delayed lines at bus and train stations – are thousands of commuters.

 

SNIP

 

For starters, a report by the Government Accountability Office found that the tunnel would likely cost about $10 billion, not the $11 billion to $14 billion that Christie estimated. Also, New Jersey's cost burden was only 14.4 percent, not the 70 percent Christie claimed. And finally, while Christie said New Jersey had to pay all cost overruns, the truth was that no final agreement on that issue had been reached and, in fact, the federal government was offering to share extra costs.

 

More here.

[CNJRoss]

Progressive Railroading, 8/12:

 

Schumer proposes plan for new Hudson River rail tunnels

 

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) yesterday proposed a new nonprofit development corporation that would come up with a financing plan to pay for the construction of new rail tunnels under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York.

 

The proposed Gateway Development Corp. would help advance Amtrak's Gateway program to construct new tunnels to expand train capacity into New York City from New Jersey and elsewhere on the Northeast Corridor, Schumer said in a speech, which was reported by several New York news media outlets.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Politico New York, 8/11:

 

Schumer rushes into a leadership vacuum on cross-Hudson rail

 

New York and New Jersey are headed for a “transportation armageddon,” one that could trigger “a regional or even a national recession," and nobody is doing much of anything about it, Senator Chuck Schumer said Tuesday in a speech at NYU.

 

So tragicomic does Schumer find the situation that he resorted to paraphrasing “an amusing bumper sticker.”

 

“A pessimist sees a dark tunnel,” he said. “The optimist sees a light at the end of the tunnel. The realist sees a freight train. The train conductor sees three idiots standing on the tracks. … Right now, we’re the ones standing on the tracks.”

 

 

Continue here.