NEW BRUNSWICK — Standing in front of the city's century-old train station, a nonprofit public policy group and local officials called for a long-term financial commitment to boost the country's rail infrastructure and make high-speed rail a viable option for the future.
The New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) used the train station as its backdrop to release its new research report titled “The Right Track.”
Rebecca Alper, a program associate for the group, praised the $10 billion in funding the federal government has set aside for a high-speed rail system, including $38.5 million to fix a bottleneck along New Jersey's northeast corridor rail line between Newark Penn and Secaucus stations. But she said more money will be needed.
“The initial down-payment is critical for starting America on a path toward a stronger, faster rail system, but this is the first step,” she said.
The report calls for a high-speed rail system to link the country's major cities by the year 2050, and reviews $50 billion in funding requests by the states for ready-to-build rail projects.
Mayor Jim Cahill said New Brunswick, with its forthcoming Gateway transit village and busy downtown train station, is a good example of the smart development that can be built around mass transit.
“We are the fastest growing urban center in the State of New Jersey and what we've seen is smart growth and sustainable development happening here in New Brunswick as a prime example of how to get it done,” he said.
The report says building a high-speed rail system would create 1.6 million construction jobs, result in 29 million fewer car trips and 500,000 fewer flights, and reduce global warming emissions by six billion pounds of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking a half-million cars off of the roads.
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th, was unable to attend in person, instead sending a representative from his office. But he said in a press release that public transportation is an important part of the nation's energy puzzle.
“With the cost of gas rising, it is important that we work to give commuters other options that are affordable, reliable and fast,” he said.
Alper compared a high-speed rail system to the nation's interstate highway system, noting that the latter required decades of financial commitment from the government.
“Likewise, we need our leaders to commit at the state, local and federal levels decades of investment in order to complete a high-speed rail network,” she said. “Without such a commitment, momentum will be lost.”
Jared Kaltwasser: 732-565-7263; jkaltwasser@MyCentralJersey.com
