Political leaders must
remain behind rail plan
It will take all the political support the Monmouth-Ocean county region can muster to advance a plan for passenger rail service through this area of New Jersey, which continues to explode in population.
Published reports indicate that in the next decade, it is expected that approximately 25 percent of New Jersey’s population will reside in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties.
A series of public hearings on NJ Transit’s plan to restore passenger rail service to central New Jersey went about as one could have anticipated last week.
In Middlesex County, where residents and officials have so far raised the most vocal objection to the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex (MOM) rail plan, most of the crowd was anti-train.
The hearing in Ocean County produced a mixed bag, with some residents against the idea and county officials squarely in favor of re-establishing the service.
At the Monmouth County hearing, residents and officials of the area, which at present seems to bear the worst of Route 9 traffic, seemed mostly in favor of the MOM line.
NJ Transit has authorized SYSTRA Consulting, of Bloomfield, to conduct a Draft Environmental Impact Statement of three rail alternatives in the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex county region.
The three routes being studied are:
• from Lakehurst, Ocean County, through western Monmouth County, and into South Brunswick, Middlesex County, to connect with the Northeast Corridor line. This plan has been dubbed the MOM line;
• from Lakehurst, through western Monmouth County to Matawan, connecting to the North Jersey Coast line;
• from Lakehurst, through western Mon-mouth County to Red Bank, connecting to the North Jersey Coast line.
The cost of constructing the MOM line from Lakehurst to South Brunswick has been estimated at about $400 million, according to published reports.
This newspaper is on record as a supporter of the MOM line. A regional mass transportation option that will take people to jobs and other destinations in New Jersey — and bring people from other areas to work and to enjoy the region — is needed.
Elected officials from Mon-mouth and Ocean counties have expressed their support for the MOM rail plan and must continue to do so.
The Lakehurst-to-Red Bank and Lakehurst-to-Matawan routes do not make sense, because they eliminate travel through western Monmouth County and to points such as Trenton, Philadelphia and New Brunswick.
There is already a train station in Matawan for area residents who want to avail themselves of that option to reach New York City.
State Sen. John O. Bennett and Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (both R-Monmouth) put it succinctly in a joint statement when they said, "Rush-hour traffic congestion in the MOM area has become a serious quality of life issue. A MOM rail line would provide a viable option for New Jersey’s commuters. It would provide a long-term solution to a worsening problem. Stated simply, the area needs this service."
We couldn’t agree more, and we suggest that residents make their feelings known to NJ Transit during the ongoing public comment period that runs through Jan. 31.