Singleton Calls for Hearings Into NJ Transit Performance, River Line Cancellations

TRENTON – New Jersey State Senator Troy Singleton (D-Burlington) today called for hearings into New Jersey Transit’s performance which have resulted in weeks of delays and cancellations along the River Line. Below is the text of the letter sent to the Senate Transportation Chairman, Patrick Diegnan:

July 25, 2024

Honorable Patrick Diegnan

908 Oak Tree Ave, Unit P

South Plainfield NJ 07080

Dear Chairman Diegnan,

I am writing this letter on behalf of many frustrated constituents who rely on New Jersey Transit’s River Line to get to and from work, and to go about their daily lives. As the State Senator of the 7^th Legislative District, which includes all of the Burlington County River Line stations, I appreciate your attention to this matter.

Over the past several weeks, my office has been contacted by disappointed riders who have been extremely inconvenienced by repeated delays and cancellations, often with little advance notice. At our behest, New Jersey Transit responded to our multiple inquiries with an explanation for these occurrences – need for customized parts, excessive temperatures, signal malfunctions, grade crossing incidents, medical emergencies, and flooding. While some of these are beyond New Jersey Transit’s control, such as weather, others are not. Furthermore, we have received complaints about the cleanliness of the cars and concerns about safety.

While New Jersey Transit assures us they are working to make the system more reliable, these cancellations are not an anomaly – this is the third summer we find ourselves in a position of demanding answers on service interruptions and statistics for on-time performance. Furthermore, the River Line is not the only system experiencing these challenges as evidenced by recent news reports of cancellations erupting in North Jersey as well. The difference is that the River Line is the ONLY rail service in South Jersey serving commuters in this region; there are no other alternatives for rerouting.

At a time when our State and riders are investing huge sums of money into this agency through a 15% fare hike, and the State Budget included a 2.5% corporate tax to help fund New Jersey Transit, commuters should not have to wake-up worrying and guessing whether their train will arrive on-time or even at all. The poor service is simply inexcusable. Therefore, as the Senate Transportation Committee Chairman, I urge you to convene hearings on the performance of New Jersey Transit as soon as possible. 

Thank you for your consideration of this request. Should you wish to discuss aspects of this letter further, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Most sincerely,

Hon. Troy Singleton

Senator, 7^th Legislative District