(The Asbury Park Press circulated the following article on August 23.)
ASBURY PARK, N.J. — The Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex rail line, in the talking stages for more than two decades, may finally be gaining some momentum. NJ Transit is funding work on an environmental impact statement, the transportation agency is considering dual-mode locomotives for the line and new ridership figures are due later this month. If ever there were a time for optimism, this is it.
The ridership study could provide further justification — as if one were needed — for a rail alternative to the traffic-clogged roads of Monmouth and Ocean counties. But Monmouth County planners say they won’t release their consultant’s report until they review it with NJ Transit next month. That’s unacceptable. Taxpayers have paid for the study, waited interminably for it to be completed and have every right to see the findings as soon as they become available. Freeholder Theodore J. Narozanick, liaison to the Planning Board, should remind the planners of their obligation to make the study public immediately.
The new ridership study is considering three possible routes — through Matawan or Red Bank in Monmouth County or via the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick in Middlesex. The proposed Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel offers something new: a faster ride, with New York City as the primary destination. The consultant’s numbers will factor in a one-seat ride to New York through the T.H.E. Tunnel rather than earlier projections of the line ending at Newark’s Penn Station.
The dual-mode locomotives would make the one-seat ride possible by using both diesel and electric power. This would eliminate the need for passengers to transfer from diesel- to electric-powered trains.
NJ Transit won’t decide on a route until after public hearings are held on its $6.7 million environmental impact study. The Monmouth Junction option is preferred by Monmouth and Ocean officials. But officials from three Middlesex County municipalities oppose any alignment that goes through their towns.
At least one member of the Central Jersey Rail Coalition is concerned that tying the MOM line’s future to the new rail tunnel and the dual-mode locomotives will result in further delays in bringing rail service to Ocean County. But involving MOM in plans for something that has priority among transportation officials — the new tunnel — keeps the project very much alive. Otherwise, it could get lost among the many projects nationwide seeking federal mass transit funds. The linkage puts the MOM line back on track.