Elected Officials Express Outrage Over Proposed Overnight PATH Service Cuts
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Local, state and federal lawmakers want to send a message: don't reduce rail service between New York City and northern New Jersey.
A news conference was held Monday afternoon at Jersey City's Grove Street PATH station in response to last month's recommendations released by a panel appointed by Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Elected Officials Fight To Keep Overnight PATH Service
As 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported, one by one elected officials blasted the proposal to eliminate overnight PATH service.
"We live in a 24-7 global economy," said Sen. Bob Menendez.
Menendez said thousands of people need to work between 1 and 5 a.m. in the city that never sleeps, "And denying them a mass transit opportunity to get to work is in essence denying them a job."
The governors advocate cutting costs on the money-losing rail line by curtailing overnight service.
That's angered residents and mayors of Hoboken, Jersey City and Newark.
Officials Express Outrage Over Proposed Overnight PATH Service Cuts
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer said the move could do serious damage to the local economy.
"What ever savings the Port Authority says they might get, it's going to be an enormous cost to the state of New Jersey," she said.
"We're asking that this proposal come off the table," Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said. "It's not even one of the things to negotiate about. It should never have been included. We want acknowledgement that it is going to be removed."
Customers said the PATH train provides a vital service.
"I think it's ridiculous," one rider said. "People need to commute here and we have a lot of people here who commute over night and I think it's disrespectful to the community members here who need to commute."
"It'll definitely be an inconvenience to people," another rider said.
PATH carries an estimated 73 million riders annually but revenue per rider is low compared to other transit systems around the country.
Cutting service between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on weeknights could save the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey $10 million a year, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported. About 2,000 people ride the PATH train during those hours -- just under 1 percent of daily ridership.
But officials on Monday pointed out the agency has a nearly $3 billion budget.
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