In our Spotlight on Business report, New Jersey's budget starts to take on some of the funding issues plaguing NJ transit.

Although a 15% fare hike will still go into effect on Monday despite outcry against it.

Joining that outcry is Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, who today called for a pause on the fare increase until commuters have more reliable service.

Well, that's not likely to happen, but it's an issue that's actually led to a rare moment of bipartisanship for New Jersey's congressional delegation, who are all calling on Amtrak to take responsible for the recent failures.

Keeping close tabs on this issue is our Washington correspondent, Ben Hulac.

Ben, great to talk to you.

Right now we have, it seems like here in new Jersey, transit issues top of mind for just about everybody.

we've got a 15% fare hike for NJ transit coming into effect on Monday.

Funding issues, budget coming out.

That's top of line.

But you're down in Washington and even there, transit issues in new Jersey are driving the conversation.

What are New Jersey's congressional delegates doing from Washington right now as it relates to all of these transit issues we're having?

Right.

As I reported this morning, every member from the whole state delegation is pretty furious.

They don't have, frankly, a lot of leverage.

They can work the phones.

They can talk to administration officials, they can press the white House.

Mike, Cheryl, I believe, was asking today for the fare hike to be paused.

But these are ultimately decisions that are in the hands of Amtrak and NJ transit.

You've been, in connection with Congressman Frank Pallone throughout the week.

We know he reached out to Amtrak earlier this week.

What are those conversations sound like, especially given the fact, as you said, that they don't have a whole lot of control.

The pallone may be making the most headway of the delegation.

And he had a call with, Steven Gardner, an Amtrak executive, on Monday night alone.

And I talked Tuesday.

And he has, really been furious with Amtrak pressing the agency to build out the northeast Corridor that connects Trenton in New York faster.

but Amtrak has, according to him, told, told him that is Frank Pallone, that the state really has to apply for grant funding for a lot of what they need to do across the state.

And that to Paloma's point takes time is delayed.

The delegation here really would like the money that was allocated under the big 2021 infrastructure law to to get out there to be, plunged into all of the rail networks across new Jersey.

Yeah.

Let's break down some of those numbers a little bit.

Typically, we know federal funding goes to roads and road projects, but in this in this case $66 billion went to passenger rail.

And that was nationally.

It looks like New Jersey's share is going to be about $6 billion somewhere in that mark.

Is that money specifically for Amtrak to be able to make necessary upgrades.

How much of that money do they have access to and is it enough?

I put that question to Amtrak.

they did not give me a clear answer.

They the funding really runs out fast.

Some of the infrastructure here dates back to the 1800s.

We're talking rail from the time of Abraham Lincoln.

So the US just lags so far behind other advanced nations of investing in Israel.

And 66 billion might sound like a lot, but that is nationwide.

And even though the Northeast Corridor is the busiest leg of Amtrak across the country, that money goes fast.

we're talking old bridges and tunnels that need to be upgraded for safety purposes.

For efficiency purposes.

The price tags are all in the billions or the tens of billions.

new Jersey, you're right.

Maybe about 6 billion.

But those numbers are a bit hazy when you talk to Amtrak and, folks in and out, a lot of uncertainty all the way around as we look at what’s to come for transportation here in New Jersey.

Ben Hulac, Washington correspondent for us down in Washington.

Thank you.

My pleasure.

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