NJ Transit to use record US$505m from capital fund to pay bills

Trenton, New Jersey

NEW Jersey Transit is using a record US$505 million earmarked for maintenance and other capital improvements to plug a hole in its operating budget through mid-2018, continuing the years-long practice of raiding that fund to pay for day-to-day expenses.

Even though the commuter rail system has been dogged by delays and crowding, the agency has increasingly raided an account intended for upkeep and upgrades. Of the total US$7.6 billion tapped by Democratic and Republican administrations since 1990, two-term Republican governor Chris Christie has shifted US$3.4 billion, or 45 per cent.