BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer
More than 100 area residents turned out March 22 to learn the results of a study that examined the possibility of expanding passenger rail service in central New Jersey.
NJ Transit officials revealed the findings of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which was conducted by Systra Consulting of Bloomfield, at the Freehold Gardens Hotel, Freehold Township.
NJ Transit is considering three routes the commuter rail line could follow. Much discussion has centered around the route that would run through Monroe, Jamesburg and Monmouth Junction. However, the DEIS showed that the Lakehurst to Matawan route may be the most attractive option, when factors such as ridership are included.
The Lakehurst to Matawan route would include stops in Manchester-Lakehurst, Jackson, Lakewood, Freehold Township, Freehold Borough, Marlboro, Morganville, Matawan, South Amboy, Perth Amboy, Woodbridge, Newark Airport and Newark.
“In terms of results, they said that the ridership forecasts were that the Matawan line would see more business than the other two,” said Assemblyman Michael Panter (D-Monmouth and Mercer). “And in terms of economics, the Monmouth Junction line would be the most expensive, with Red Bank and Matawan being least expensive, so the combination of those things I think pointed to Matawan.”
The two other possibilities are a Lakehurst to Red Bank line and a Lakehurst to Monmouth Junction line. The Lakehurst to Monmouth Junction line is more commonly referred to as the MOM (Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex) line.
For the Matawan route, the capital cost estimate is $730 million, with operating costs estimated at $45 million and a daily ridership of 10,900.
For the Red Bank route, the capital cost estimate is $600 million, with operating costs estimated at $42 million and a daily ridership of 7,900.
For the Monmouth Junction route, the capital cost estimate is $860 million, with operating costs estimated at $49 million and a daily ridership of 9,000.
Panter said it came as a surprise that NJ Transit officials would even consider the Matawan line because those officials all but ruled out that alternative seven years ago.
“So it’s a drastic about-face that they’re pointing to Matawan as a viable option now,” Panter said.
However, he said the public would not support any of the three options.
He said he and Assemblyman Robert Morgan (D-Monmouth and Mercer), as well as county and local government officials in Middlesex and Monmouth counties and the residents of those counties are opposed to any form the rail service would take.
“I think NJ Transit is asking the wrong question,” Panter said. “They’re thinking one of these lines must be feasible. And the answer may be none of the above if the two communities that are meant to benefit from these are all firmly opposed.”
He said residents of eastern Monmouth County already have rail service in Red Bank, making a Monmouth Junction line unnecessary.
Also, Panter said, many homeowners in Monmouth County who live near the Henry Hudson Trail paid a premium on their homes with the understanding that the trail, formerly a freight train rail line, would remain a walking path.
If the Matawan line is selected and built, that path would again be used as part of a rail line.
“So the thought that [the Henry Hudson Trail] could now be reactivated and become a commuter railroad would be devastating to families living in these communities,” the assemblyman said.
Panter said NJ Transit leased the path to Monmouth County, but included in that lease a “reverter clause” that would allow NJ Transit to resume control of the path and use it for a passenger rail service.
“And that’s something that not only the residents in all of these towns, but local and county governments, have been strictly opposed to,” he said. “Really, no one is in favor of this.”
Panter said NJ Transit has been considering instituting passenger rail service in this region since the 1980s, when it would have been less expensive and far less intrusive.
“But they’ve dragged their feet for so long, the state has allowed overdevelopment to run rampant, and now we’ve really put ourselves in a tenuous position where we may not be able to expand rail service,” he said.
Panter said the although mass public transportation is important in such a densely populated state, residents cannot expect that passenger rail service will be made available in every corner of the state.
Not everybody is as decidedly opposed to the service, however.
Panter said Ocean County officials believe that their residents are too isolated to be without commuter rail service. Those officials contend that if Monmouth County opposes the rail lines, there is no way a rail service would reach residents in Ocean County.
“I understand these concerns, but I don’t think Monmouth and Middlesex have an obligation to run trains through our neighborhoods just to give folks in Ocean a train to ride into New York City,” Panter said.
The assemblyman said the Monmouth Junction line would receive less opposition, since it would be less intrusive to Monmouth County residents while serving those in Ocean County.
He said residents would prefer other means of public transportation, such as improved bus service, to the proposed rail lines.
But, he said, there are insufficient park-and-ride facilities, and many commuter buses are already filled to capacity.
“So we’ve been advocating for a long time for more park-and-rides, expanded bus service, improved service on NJ Transit in the eastern part of Monmouth, where much of their ridership is to capacity in terms of parking, and just how many people the trains will hold,” Panter said.
Jamesburg Councilwoman Barbara Carpenter said regular rail service in the borough would cut the town in half and would be far more dangerous than a commuter bus line.
“I would say, rather than the trains, go for the buses,” Carpenter said. “If they’re trying to get more people off the roads, with the traffic, I would say bus service is the way.”
Carpenter said she is working on a plan that would enhance bus service in the area. She said the bus service would alleviate traffic without the unnecessary safety hazards of a rail line.
Panter said that in about two weeks the public will have its say on the issue. He said a citizens committee of about 25 people from various communities will meet regarding their concerns and objections to the rail lines.
“We’re going to put together our strategy and kind of our to-do list, and then we will have a large public meeting shortly thereafter so that we can brief the public on our strategy,” Panter said, adding that he plans to organize several public meetings on the subject.
Panter said although the DEIS showed that the Matawan line would cost less than at least one other option, it cannot accurately represent the “intangible costs” such as residents who have threatened to sell their homes if the line is approved, and others who are considering filing a lawsuit against NJ Transit.
“Those are the sorts of things the study did not include and I think those are the things that are most important to our communities,” Panter said. “It’s not just about cost, that’s obviously important, but really it’s the effect on people’s families.”
NJ Transit plans to select the preferred rail alternative by late 2005 or early 2006.
In the interim, Panter said, those opposed to the service will be organizing their efforts to prevent the proposal from coming to fruition.
“So our goal would be to influence that process, or, frankly, to derail that process before that time if we don’t think any of these lines are feasible,” Panter said.