$50M for NJT restored in federal transportation bill

Fifty-million dollars for NJ Transit infrastructure - along with $213 million more for public transportation in six other states in the Northeast - escape the House scalpel in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act heading to the President's desk.

Shore-based Representative Frank Pallone (D-6) announced today that the bicameral, bipartisan Conference Committee on which he sits restored the High Density States Program to the reconciled combination of the House and Senate versions.

According to Pallone, half of the nation's transit users live in the seven states in the program. also known as the 5340 Program. New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island and Massachusetts would have been affected as well.

The Long Branch Democrat said that he prioritized the program's continuation. "The reversal of this cut to New Jersey Transit - the nation's largest statewide public transportation system - is an important victory for our workers, our commuters, and our state," Pallone said in prepared remarks.

"We now have the opportunity to produce and pass a final bill that simultaneously strengthens our economy and provides overdue repairs and improvements to our roads, bridges and entire transportation system."

As he explained on WOBM-AM's "Ask The Congressman," the funding applies to hardware, repairs and construction. Operational costs are a separate matter. The agency raised fares nine percent to address a $52 million dollar shortfall this year. It isn't clear whether the the 5340 Program funds will either reduce the gap or prevent it from widening.