Gov. Murphy orders NJ Transit audit
NEW JERSEY (FOX5NY.COM) - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is making good on a campaign promise. Just days after being sworn into office, the governor signed an executive order calling for a full audit of New Jersey Transit.
"This is an agency that must be boiled down to its essentials and then put back together again, and today we take that first step," Murphy said. "This audit is to include a critical review of NJ Transit's funding, leadership structure, personnel hiring, and customer service."
The audit will also look at the agency's relationship with Amtrak and its use of positive train control, an automatic system made to prevent train collisions and derailments.
Murphy said NJ Transit had more accidents last year than any of the 10 largest commuter railroads in the country. He also said the agency increased fares 36 percent over the past eight years, while customer experience got worse.
But when we asked his spokesperson what would happen if the results of the audit call for a fare hike, the spokesperson said the governor's office won't comment on hypotheticals.
"I'm hoping that the results will provide enough information to put forth both a short-term and a long-term plan to make sure that New Jersey Transit is in the best financial situation, as well as having the best and brightest employees so that it can continue to run reliable service," said Janna Chernetz of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.