This will be the fifth consecutive year of no fare increases for New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit), announced New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti and NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett.
“Without a single fare hike, NJ Transit has been drastically transformed and improved over the last five years,” said Gov. Murphy. “On-time performance is up, cancellations are down and engineer ranks have been replenished. Under our administration, NJ Transit has been on the fast track to success and will remain a high priority in years to come. New Jersey commuters deserve a transit agency that works for them, and that is exactly what we are giving them.”
It was also announced that Wi-Fi will be installed on all NJ Transit buses through Gov. Murphy’s FY2023 budget. Since taking office in 2018, the Murphy Administration has committed historic state support to advance the agency’s strategic goals, capital projects and recruiting efforts to boost performance, reliability and the customer experience – without balancing NJ Transit’s budget on the backs of commuters.
“Governor Murphy and NJ Transit together are addressing upgrades and maintenance issues without a single fare hike in five years. That is what we refer to in government as fiscal responsibility,” said Oliver, who serves as commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. “I look forward to continuing on this path of progress for public transportation in our state and I thank Gov. Murphy for his leadership in moving NJ Transit forward.”
Gutierrez-Scaccetti added, “Considering the vast advancements made by NJ Transit in the past four years, the fact that customers have not seen fare increases serves as evidence of the level of commitment and investment to mass transit by the Murphy Administration. We are grateful to the administration for helping NJ Transit put its customers first while forging ahead with projects that will revitalize the system.”
Under Gov. Murphy’s leadership, NJ Transit says it has made significant strides in improving the state’s public transit system for New Jerseyans who depend on it for work, medical appointments, leisure travel and overall mobility.
“Since 2018, Gov. Murphy has provided continued support for NJ Transit to deliver improvements in safety, service, reliability and the overall experience for our customers,” said Corbett. “While there is much work still to be done, we’re pleased that we’re able to continue to build on the progress of the last four years without a fare increase for our customers in Fiscal Year 2023.”
In the past four years, NJ Transit has awarded more than $4 billion in capital projects which are now underway or will soon enter the procurement phase. Some of these projects include:
- NJ Transit’s largest ever construction contract for a new Portal North Bridge for $1.6 billion.
- $600 million construction contract for the Raritan River Bridge which broke ground in September 2020.
- A commitment to invest $250 million for the Walter Rand Transportation Center Improvement Project and $190 million to renovate and modernize Newark Penn Station.
- Advanced construction on the new Northern Bus Garage, which will accommodate up to 500 buses to meet current and future demand and will include the necessary charging infrastructure to support an all-electric bus fleet.
- Major capital investments in Trenton Transit Center, Lyndhurst Station, Elizabeth Station, Perth Amboy Station and others.
In addition to these critical infrastructure projects, NJ Transit has also made significant investments in its fleet, including the continued advancement of bus electrification. NJ Transit has:
- Taken delivery of 300 new buses over the last two years.
- Purchased 138 new multi-level rail cars and 25 new dual-power locomotives – including the agency’s first eight electric buses, which will begin operating in revenue service by the end of the year.
- Completed construction of the charging infrastructure at Newton Avenue Bus Garage in Camden to support the new eight electric buses.
- Unveiled a roadmap to a 100 percent zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040.
- Added, extended or provided enhanced bus service on 100 bus routes over the past two years.
- NJ Transit has also improved reliability and service for bus, rail and light rail customers.
FY19 vs. FY21 on-time performance improved for bus, rail and light rail across the board:
- Rail improved from 90.0 percent in FY19 to 93.3 percent in FY21
- Bus improved from 91.3 percent in FY19 to 98.0 percent in FY21
- Light Rail improved from 96.6 percent in FY19 to 96.9 percent in FY21
- In FY2021 vs FY2019 rail cancellations saw a 15 percent decrease.
- Since 2018, NJ Transit has hired more than 1,000 bus operators and has graduated 10 classes of locomotive engineers, adding 127 engineers to its ranks.
- Achieved full certification for Positive Train Control (PTC) before the Dec. 31, 2020, deadline.
