(The following article by Larry Higgs was posted on the Asbury Park Press website on September 13.)
NEWARK, N.J. — Officials from the three counties that the proposed Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex rail line would travel through were named Wednesday to a task force formed by NJ Transit to look at the latest ridership study and other aspects of the three proposed routes for the line.
Officials from those counties met with NJ Transit for the first time Wednesday about the results of a ridership study by AECOM Consulting Inc., which had been recommended by NJ Transit.
That study showed that the highest ridership would result from using a route that went from Ocean County through Monmouth Junction, in South Brunswick, where trains would use the Northeast Corridor line. The study said as many as 41,000 weekday boardings would result by using an improved Monmouth Junction route.
“It was a good meeting. We agreed to work together with the three counties,” said Penny Bassett-Hackett, an NJ Transit spokeswoman.
Other routes being considered are one connecting to the North Jersey Coast Line in Red Bank, and another branching off at Freehold and joining the Coast Line at Matawan.
Monmouth and Ocean County officials said they felt vindicated by the latest study’s ridership figures for the Monmouth Junction route, which were close to the 40,700 weekday boardings predicted by an earlier Monmouth County Planning Board study. By contrast, NJ Transit officials had predicted 9,000 boardings for Monmouth Junction.
“This new study affirms earlier conclusions by the Planning Board that the Monmouth Junction route would have the highest number of riders,” said Theodore J. Narozanick, a Monmouth County freeholder, in a prepared statement.
The task force will look at the AECOM study’s ridership numbers and how they relate to trip time, environmental impact and the impact on the surrounding communities, Bassett-Hackett said. A date hasn’t been set for a task force meeting.
“I think this is a positive step to establish a task force where we can look at the operation and impacts of the recommendation,” said Bonnie Goldschlag, assistant Monmouth County planning director.
Officials of some Middlesex towns on the Monmouth Junction route have expressed concerns over noise and safety issues.
“NJ Transit has worked with them (AECOM) in the past, and they used a federal formula that can’t be tainted in any way,” Ocean County Freeholder James F. Lacey said. “The funding is there to continue this, and hopefully we’ll look at a line from Ocean County through Monmouth Junction.”
However, Lacey said he doesn’t believe the majority opinion in Middlesex County is against the Monmouth Junction route.
“I may not see it built during my career, but I believe in it enough,” Lacey said. “We can’t lose this opportunity and the rail bed and the momentum we have now. We have to do it for the future.”