Bill Text: NJ AR265 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Amtrak to use Grand Central Terminal to maximize capacity at New York Pennsylvania Station for trains operated by NJT.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-06-08 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [AR265 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-AR265-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY F. MUNOZ
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Amtrak to use Grand Central Terminal to maximize capacity at New York Pennsylvania Station for trains operated by NJT.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging Amtrak to use Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan in order to maximize capacity at New York Pennsylvania Station for trains operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation.
Whereas, Following the derailments of a National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) train on March 24, 2017 and a New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) train on April 3, 2017 at New York Pennsylvania Station (Penn Station), Amtrak began conducting track work and track inspections at Penn Station; and
Whereas, The track work and track inspections will require Amtrak to close several tracks at Penn Station for days and weeks at a time, reducing railroad capacity at Penn Station and delaying trains operated by NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR); and
Whereas, Amtrak has indicated that the track work will likely cause further delays and NJ Transit has advised its passengers that delays would continue indefinitely as a result of the track work and track inspections conducted by Amtrak; and
Whereas, To help mitigate the impact of the track work and track inspections, reports have surfaced that, during this summer, Amtrak will begin temporarily running trains into and out of Grand Central Terminal (Grand Central), where Amtrak operated 18 trains per day, accommodating a total of one million passengers per year, prior to Amtrak consolidating its operations at Penn Station in 1991; and
Whereas, Grand Central, which currently provides service to the Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North), has 44 platforms and 67 tracks and would be able to accommodate increased traffic from Amtrak trains diverted from Penn Station; and
Whereas, According to Metro-North officials, Metro-North and Amtrak have been in discussions to reroute Amtrak trains from Penn Station to Grand Central, but work remains on the details and logistics of such an approach; and
Whereas, Legislators in New York have expressed support for diverting Amtrak trains to Grand Central and reports indicate that the Governor of New York is in discussions with Amtrak about rerouting trains to Grand Central; and
Whereas, It would benefit NJ Transit riders, LIRR riders, and the regional economy for Amtrak to divert Amtrak trains from Penn Station to Grand Central in order to maximize capacity at Penn Station for NJ Transit and LIRR trains; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges Amtrak to divert Amtrak trains from New York Pennsylvania Station to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan in order to maximize capacity at New York Pennsylvania Station for trains operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation and the Long Island Rail Road.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Governor of New York, and the Governor of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges Amtrak to divert Amtrak trains from New York Pennsylvania Station (Penn Station) to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan in order to maximize capacity at Penn Station for trains operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation and the Long Island Rail Road.
