(NEWARK) – Assembly Judiciary Chairman John F. McKeon (D-Essex/Morris) issued the following statement Wednesday after a joint legislative hearing on upcoming service disruptions that will affect NJ Transit’s Morris and Essex Line:
“As mayors from Essex, Morris and Union counties testified today, disrupting the lives of 25,000 men and women who commute to and from work on the Morris and Essex Line without any previous communication with those commuters or their elected representatives is just the latest sign of NJ Transit’s lack of respect for its customers.
“NJ Transit and Gov. Christie made a deal with one another without involving the people whose lives it will affect directly. This summer, Morris and Essex Line passengers travelling to and from New York can expect to spend up to 90 minutes more commuting every day. That means 90 minutes less that they can spend with their families. NJ Transit is sorely mistaken in believing a fare reduction makes up for that.
“Once again, a simple failure to communicate has resulted in confusion and frustration for commuters and public officials alike. The concerns we heard about scheduling, station capacity and public safety are all the product of NJ Transit failing to communicate with state legislators, mayors and passengers as well as NJ Transit and Amtrak failing to communicate with one another. With just a modicum of consideration for the commuter, this situation easily could have been avoided.”