Amtrak Wins $300 Million to Fix Its Unreliable NJ-to-NYC Service

(Bloomberg) — Amtrak scored $300 million in federal funding to help overhaul its antiquated rail system in New Jersey. 

The money from the Federal Railroad Administration will be used for key infrastructure projects like improving service reliability. It is coming months after a summer of train meltdowns upended commutes in and out of New York Penn Station. 

This is a “victory for New Jersey commuters who have endured years of frustration,” said US Representative Frank Pallone, who represents central New Jersey, in a statement on Friday.

The funding includes $112 million for upgrading key Amtrak and New Jersey Transit infrastructure along the Northeast Corridor in New Jersey, according to a US Department of Transportation statement. It also covers $18.6 million to overhaul a signal system stretching between New Brunswick and Elizabeth, $13.4 million to replace and upgrade the catenary overhead wire system along a 23-mile stretch of rail between New Brunswick and Newark and about $80.2 million for the construction of a new substation in Kearny. 

NJ Transit leases tracks from Amtrak, which is the primary operator of rail service along the Northeast Corridor, so its riders are prone to the same issues. 

Separately, the federal agency green lit funds for Amtrak in New York. Nearly $72 million was designated to expand track and platform capacity for the long-delayed Gateway rail tunnel project bridging New York City and New Jersey. 

“State investments alone are insufficient,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement. “This funding will help us improve resiliency along the most heavily traveled rail line in the country.”

Amtrak and NJ Transit are currently investigating a series of problems that stranded commuters traveling into Manhattan. The root causes haven’t been identified, but state lawmakers claim that more federal funding will spur infrastructure repairs that will help service run smoother. 

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