New Jersey Gov. Phillip Murphy, Amtrak Chairman Tony Coscia, and NJ Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett announced the settlement earlier on Wednesday in a news conference. The settlement completes the state’s past obligations to the railroad for service on the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor that NJ Transit commuter use daily.
Officials say New Jersey’s payment ensures ongoing and future improvements to infrastructure, customer experience, and safety for NJ Transit.
“This agreement represents a clean slate and a new era in our relationship with Amtrak,” Corbett says.
Coscia said the state’s payment will go back to help the average New Jersey commuter and symbolizes a new working relationship.
As part of the relationship, an environmental impact study for the new Gateway tunnel under the Hudson River had been completed in 22 months, half the allotted time. A new station in Elizabeth, N.J., opening next year was cited as another facet of cooperation.
During a media question and answer session after the conference, a reporter asked what improvements would be in store.
Corbett said that when Amtrak’s Moynihan Station opens in 2021, some space in the main concourse formerly used by Amtrak, will be used for a contiguous NJ Transit departure area extending through part of New York Penn Station, a much larger space than currently available.
He also said that there will be a joint NJ Transit, Long Island Rail Road, and Amtrak operations center created for the nation’s largest passenger rail terminal, which does not currently exist.
