TRENTON — The Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex commuter rail link proposed by NJ Transit appears to be closer to reality after the state Senate voted 21-16 on Monday to include the Central Jersey link in the state’s Circle of Mobility legislation, making the $400 million project eligible for federal funding.
The Assembly passed its version of the bill on May 25.
"This is the right step," Senate member and bill sponsor Joseph Kyrillos (R-13) said during Monday’s debate.
"No portion of the state is growing as fast," Kyrillos said, speculating that those three Central Jersey counties will eventually represent about 28 percent of the state’s population and work force.
"The roads are already crushed," Kyrillos said, commenting that not passing the bill will lead to "numbing traffic congestion" in the region.
Senate members voted, mainly along party lines, to approve the addition of the plan to a priority list of mass transit projects throughout the state.
Sen. Robert Singer (R-30) cited the people in the state government who support the rail line, including Senate President Donald DiFrancesco and Assembly Speaker Jack Collins.
Singer said Gov. Christie Whitman is expected to sign the bill.
Gene Herman, a spokesman for Whitman, said Monday that Whitman supports the project but added that she is "aware of local opposition that needs to be looked at."
The plan will use an existing Conrail freight line to carry passengers from either Lakehurst or Lakewood in Ocean County north to Howell, Farmingdale and Freehold, turning west through Manala-pan and Englishtown in Monmouth County.
The line will continue west through the Middlesex County towns of Monroe, Jamesburg and South Brunswick, where it will connect with Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line in Monmouth Junction, where commuters can have access to points north and south such as New York and Philadelphia.
Sen. Leonard Connors Jr. said the existence of the line makes it an easy choice for the body and said the project was important to the entire state.
Residents and officials in most of the towns along the line in Ocean and Monmouth counties support the plan, while the three towns in Middlesex County are opposing the link.
"We are discouraged by the vote but encouraged by those (senators) who stood against it," South Brunswick Manager Matt Watkins said after learning about Monday’s decision in the Senate.
"We hope the governor will see the error of this and not sign the bill," he said.
Watkins said township representatives want to invite Whitman to South Brunswick so she can see just how close the line runs to homes in the Dayton section of town, some within 50 feet of the rail bed.
NJ Transit’s proposal was dismissed in 1996 in favor of enhanced bus service on Route 9, but returned to the front burner with the appointment of Jeffrey Warsh as executive director last year.
If the plan gets federal dollars, according to Warsh, it will be given a green light by NJ Transit.
"We are just waiting for the money," Warsh said in an earlier interview.
During that interview, Warsh said a major study must be completed on the proposal before construction would begin.
That study, Warsh said, would also explore other alignments, such as a Freehold to Red Bank link that would connect with the North Jersey Coast Line, which runs north from Bay Head to Newark.
Although Warsh said he would use that alignment "just to get it done," he prefers the Monmouth Junction connector.
Warsh said the western alignment will not only give access to points north and south, but also connect residents in Ocean and Monmouth counties with the economic prosperity on the Route 1 corridor.
"There are high paying jobs there," he said.
Senators supporting the bill said that while the language identifies the part of the state for the line, it does not endorse any particular alignment.
"It does not pick any one line," Kyrillos said.
Sen. Peter Inverso (R-14), whose district includes the opposing Middlesex County towns, questioned the openness to alternative alignments.
"The language of this bill will lead to the only alignment NJ Transit has left," he said, explaining that several other routes were abandoned after the towns involved objected to the project.
"This is the most expensive alternative. NJ Transit ought to reassess its alternatives," he added.
Sen. John Lynch (D-17) said the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex alignment "is written in stone."
Lynch added that it is not realistic to believe NJ Transit is open to other options.