Sherrill Hosts Bipartisan Listening Session Ahead of Meeting with NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak
LIVINGSTON, NJ – Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) convened a bipartisan group of mayors and local elected leaders from across New Jersey’s 11th District to hear concerns regarding NJ TRANSIT service for New Jersey families. Sherrill’s listening session comes ahead of her meeting with representatives from Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT as part of her ongoing efforts to advocate for improved service along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC).
“New Jerseyans deserve better than a ‘Summer of Hell’ year after year – so I’m fighting to build an affordable, accessible public transportation system that our families can rely on. That’s why, prior to my meeting with Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT, I wanted to hear directly from mayors from across my district to learn more about the most pressing transit issues families are facing. I will relay their concerns and demand accountability from state and federal officials – particularly regarding ongoing delays and lack of communication with riders – because New Jersey families deserve better,” said Rep. Sherrill.
Rep. Sherrill has been leading efforts to improve service and hold Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT accountable for recent rail breakdowns. After significant malfunctions caused dozens of delays in June and July, Sherrill led the New Jersey delegation in writing two letters directly to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg demanding answers for service breakdowns and improved transparency between the agency and riders. In direct response to her advocacy, Amtrak has since released a report on their inspection and repair work to address these malfunctions, as well as the additional coordination and maintenance actions that they will undertake moving forward.
Since first taking office, Sherrill has brought back billions of dollars in federal funding for Amtrak, NJ TRANSIT, and the Northeast Corridor, including $4.4 billion in COVID relief funding for NJ TRANSIT, $1.1 billion in the FY 2024 budget for Northeast Corridor repairs, $6 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law specifically for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to address the maintenance backlog and improve track safety and reliability, and an additional $24 billion for large capital projects on the Northeast Corridor. She is currently fighting to secure an additional $300 million in federal funding to replace the aging catenary wires that have been a major cause of this summer’s malfunctions.
Sherrill has long championed the Gateway Tunnel Project, which will cut commute times, reduce traffic and air pollution, and bring good-paying union jobs to North Jersey. She led advocacy and voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides $66 billion in funding for passenger rail projects, and successfully advocated for a full funding agreement to ensure that the federal government will pay 70% of the project’s cost.
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