INSTITUTE FOR RATIONAL URBAN MOBILITY, INC. George Haikalis ‘One Washington Square Village, Suite SD President New York, NY 10012 212-475-3394 geo@irumorg — www.irum.org ‘Statement at December 8, 2008 Raritan Valley Rail Coalition Meeting NJ Transit’s Plan for its new Hudson River Tunnel Should be Changed to Save New Jersey Taxpayers $3 billion and to Speed its Completion NJ Transit is on the wrong track in pressing ahead with its current “deep cavern” plan for the new Hudson River rail tunnels. A much better plan was recommended by NJ Transit in its Draft Environmental Impact Statement published in February 2007. That plan was a simple, direct track connection to Penn Station which would save New Jersey taxpayers over $3 billion. It would provide much-needed additional rail capacity many years sooner than NJ Transit’s current plan. Passengers would not have to use a deep cavern station ‘some 175 feet beneath 34” Street saving four to five minutes of travel time per trip, in each direction, and would avoid the security risks of such a station. Leading security experts have raised serious concerns about the ability of passengers to make a timely escape in the event of a fire or terrorist attack. The direct track connection plan would make it easier for passengers using the new tunnels to transfer to other trains at Penn Station and would provide Amtrak and NJ Transit much-needed flexibility in using either set of tunnels. It would be the first step in a plan to bring NJ Transit passengers to the East Midtown office center. The current plan makes no provision for such an extension. ‘The deep cavern terminal plan is incorrectly called a “jobs program” for economic recovery. The long lead time and the very nature of its construction make it of little immediate use in stimulating the recovery. There are jobs programs that can be begun and completed quickly that would significantly benefit the Raritan Valley corridor. For example, work could begin this spring on restoring the existing, state-owned, out-of service NJ Transit track between High Bridge and Phillipsburg, including adding a second track to a segment of rail line, owned by Norfolk Southern, that NJ Transit’s has operating rights to use. Another project that could also begin this spring is the restoration of the second track that was removed on the CSX-owned rail line to West Trenton. Both of these projects could be done by rail track crews and would provide much needed capacity for enhanced rail freight service as well as restoration of passenger service. The production of new dual- powered locomotives should be accelerated and the state should make a commitment to assign the first units available for revenue service to the Raritan Valley line. ‘Transit advocates invite the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition to join them in their opposition to the current plan. The Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc. together with the two leading statewide transit advocacy organizations in New York and New Jersey — the NJ Association of Railroad Passengers and the Empire State Passengers Association — and other transit advocacy organizations including the National Association of Railroad Passengers, the Lackawanna Coalition, the Rail User Network and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, all strongly oppose NJ Transit’s current plan.