New Jersey’s House delegation sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to ask for a “thorough investigation” of train breakdowns along the Northeast Corridor route that have disrupted commutes and other transportation.
The delays have been largely due to infrastructure problems along the corridor, over which NJ Transit has little control. Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Rob Menendez (D-NJ) led the delegation, which included eight Democrats and three Republicans.
“As Amtrak works to address the underlying infrastructure problems that led to these delays, we, therefore, ask that the Department of Transportation conduct a thorough investigation into what led to the breakdowns along the Northeast Corridor route and what additional capital projects need to be completed to fix any structural deficiencies, and to present its findings to Members of Congress,” the group wrote.
A Department of Transportation spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that the agency had been “monitoring recent delays and outages on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and New Jersey Transit.”
“Federal Railroad Administration personnel are on-site assisting ongoing work to identify the cause of earlier disruptions and are offering technical support to Amtrak and New Jersey Transit as they tackle these issues in the short-term and the long-term,” the spokesperson said.
The Northeast Corridor dates back to the 1830s, and the spokesperson noted that Amtrak continues to make small improvements to update the “aging” infrastructure. They also thanked the Biden-Harris administration, saying, “for the first time in generations, we are funding significant, long-term projects to modernize the NEC and provide safer, faster, and more reliable service for travelers and commuters. While these improvements will take time, they are already underway with additional funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in the pipeline.”
The Washington Examiner contacted Amtrak for comment but did not receive a response.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who signed the letter, has taken particular issue with the delays, recently calling Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner to demand “immediate action” from Amtrak. Pallone posted a timeline of his actions and train delays to X to illustrate the company’s slow action.
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Train customers in the Northeast have been continually frustrated with Amtrak and NJ Transit over recent delays, though it’s been a problem in the past as well.
In recent months, the delays have affected thousands of people who rely on the Northeast Corridor trains to get to work, school, or other places.
