In a hearing on Wednesday, officials from numerous transit agencies, including New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, were questioned by New Jersey lawmakers about the upcoming “summer of hell” due to Amtrak’s aggressive Penn Station repair program.
Assembly John F. McKeon criticized the treatment of local elected officials by NJ Transit when they tried to meet with agency leadership. McKeon and other legislators also expressed frustrations over the diversion of Morris & Essex trains to Hoboken this summer.
Amtrak officials were also pressed on their maintenance practices, and the effects on New Jersey commuters. The officials responded by saying they had a lack of funds to truly keep the system in a state of good repair, but were aggressively addressing maintenance issues.