TRENTON – Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto announced Wednesday that the Port Authority is tabling indefinitely its proposal to eliminate overnight PATH service.
Senator Sweeney and Assemblyman Prieto secured the commitment from Port Authority Chairman John Degnan after they met with Mr. Degnan – a meeting that Senator Sweeney and Speaker Prieto arranged when they each reached out to Mr. Degnan.
“Solving problems requires leadership, negotiation and open communication, and we would like to thank Chairman Degnan for his willingness to work with us to resolve this important issue by working together,” Senator Sweeney said. “This is a victory for the hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans who ride on the PATH system, especially the low-wage workers and young people who rely on the line as their principal mode of transportation.”
“Port Authority reform was never supposed to be about cutting vital rail services for hard-working residents,” said Speaker Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen). “This was a bad idea from the start and I’m glad to see it set aside. I thank Chairman Degnan for his cooperation and look forward to focusing on actual reform efforts.”
“I thank Chairman Degnan for listening to our voices and for taking the idea of PATH overnight service cuts off the table,” said Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer in a statement. “With 56 percent of Hoboken residents using public transportation to commute each day – the highest rate not just in the state, but in the nation – the success of our community and region is intrinsically linked to a robust mass transit system. Going forward, we should be focused on ideas to expand, not cut public transportation options within our region.”
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