Christie Lays Out Train Deal as Cuomo Warns of Brutal Summer

Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday unveiled a plan to limit the impact on New Jersey commuters during an emergency track repair project at Penn Station, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo cautioned commuters in his state to prepare for a brutal summer ahead.

Christie said that only riders on New Jersey Transit’s Morris and Essex Line’s Midtown Direct service would be affected by the work from July through Labor Day, with their trains ending in Hoboken. He added that other lines were not expected to have significant delays but that he wouldn’t guarantee it.

The New Jersey Republican bashed Amtrak as dishonest during a statehouse news conference, but he said the agency had promised daily track repair updates to New Jersey Transit and the chance to review all rail work.

“Amtrak’s duplicity, their dishonesty and their inability to keep infrastructure in a state of good repair — we can’t any longer … rely on Amtrak,” Christie said.

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said Tuesday that a task force would be established to come up with short-term measures, but he called the delays that the repairs will cause for riders a “looming emergency.”

Messrs. Christie and Cuomo both reiterated calls that the private sector should take over Penn Station from Amtrak. Mr. Cuomo has also suggested the Port Authority take control of the station.

This article appeared in print on page 35 of the May 24th, 2017 edition of Hamodia.