Advocates of passenger rail service through Monmouth and Ocean counties were heartened last week when the president of the state Senate climbed on board with his support for the plan.
At a June 7 press conference held at the Lakewood municipal building, state Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco announced that he is joining with other senators in supporting the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex (MOM) passenger rail line which would be added to the list of projects contained within the state’s "Circle of Mobility" transportation plan.
DiFrancesco was joined by Sen. Andrew Ciesla, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, and Sen. Joseph M. Kyrillos, who along with Sen. Robert Singer, has co-sponsored and supports the passage of S-239, the Senate bill which would add MOM to the Circle of Mobility.
Other supporters of the bill, including Monmouth County Freeholder Ted Narozanick, Lakewood Mayor Mitch Dolobowsky and Bill Braden, chairman of the Central Jersey Rail Coalition, were also on hand to show their support for the passenger rail plan.
"This is an important occasion for the support of this particular project," Ciesla said. "The Senate president will announce that he is in support of this project and that’s critical in order to get this particular piece of legislation through the Senate."
Ciesla said his transportation committee will meet on June 15 and may act to send the bill to the full Senate.
"The Senate president has promised that he will post it. So, by July 1, it should be on the governor’s desk. This is a project whose time has come," Ciesla said.
Singer said the push to bring back trains began in Lakewood, and added, "If we’re going to see rail transportation become a reality, we have to have a plan that sets time limits and puts priorities where they should be."
Speaking to a crowd of about 100 people gathered around the steps of town hall, DiFrancesco said, "If you’ve ever had a question as to whether we should have rail service, just drive from James-burg, where I was, to Lakewood, where I am, and you would say that we need to do something. I do sympathize with those who say we need to do something."
DiFrancesco said efforts must be made to address the crowded conditions on New Jersey’s highways. The Senate president noted there is considerable support for the MOM line and said he had read about that support, and about some opposition also.
"We have to have a long-term vision. The Circle of Mobility sets the wheels in motion for state government to move forward with projects to improve our transportation system," DiFrancesco said. "The growth of this region shows how unrealistic it is to continue to rely solely on highways to serve our state’s changing transportation needs."
DiFrancesco said he believes passenger rail service will lead to a reduction in automobile accidents, provide people with a transportation option not currently available to them and reduce the volume of vehicles on Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway.
Including the MOM rail line in the Circle of Mobility would allow passengers to connect to almost every area in the state, the Senate president said.
"This will facilitate establishment of a vital east-west link in an area that is really cut off from rail service and has to rely on the car for transportation," DiFrancesco said. "This has to be a priority if this state is to survive economically. Things are good now, but we have to make sure we continue to make progress."
DiFrancesco said the Senate version of the bill could be posted for consideration by the full Senate by the end of the month.
The Assembly has already passed its version of the bill.
Braden, the chairman of the Central Jersey Rail Coalition, said, "This is going to happen. We are going to ride a train out of Lakewood and eventually we’re going to have a whole network of rails. We can get away from being stuck in traffic."
He noted that members of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers were also present and have helped with the project.
"Now we have to work on a timetable," Braden said.
"I am very hopeful that further progress will be made now that Sen. DiFrancesco has announced his official support and Sen. Ciesla has said the transportation committee will meet (on June 15) at which time I expect that they will debate the bill, and I assume that he is optimistic of passage or he would not have scheduled it at this time," said Daniel Green, secretary of the Central Jersey Rail Coalition. "Soon after the Senate Transportation Committee passes the bill, they will bring it to the full Senate."
Responding to questions, DiFrancesco said the transportation committee will take testimony and "we believe the bill will come out of committee and after it comes out of committee it will be posted at the next session.
"I don’t have any doubt in my mind that there will be a sufficient (number of) votes to pass it. Certainly there ought to be 21 votes to pass this important piece of legislation," he said.
Speaking on behalf of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers, Albert Papp Jr., director, said, "With the support that we’ve seen here, we’ve moved one step closer to the reality of having this MOM line. We now look, along with the Central Jersey Rail Coalition, to riding the first train together."

