ASSEMBLY, No. 2707

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 3, 1997

By Assemblymen WISNIEWSKI, DeCROCE, Bucco and Charles

An Act concerning transportation funding and supplementing P.L.1984, c.73 (C.27:1B-1 et seq.).

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. The Commissioner of Transportation shall annually include in the list of proposed projects submitted to the Legislature pursuant to section 22 of P.L.1984, c.73 (C.27:1B-22) a request for funding, as needed, to provide 50 percent of the non-federal share of the costs to install and maintain automatic train control systems on Class III railroad carriers, as defined by regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission at 49 C.F.R. Part 1201 General Instructions 1-1, who operate on rail lines that are owned and used by the New Jersey Transit Corporation for regular rail passenger service. The Legislature shall annually appropriate from the revenues and other funds of the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority those amounts needed to effectuate this purpose.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would authorize the Department of Transportation to provide 50 percent of the non-federal share of costs to install and maintain automatic train control systems on certain rail freight railroads that operate on rail lines owned and used by the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT) for regular rail passenger service.

    A complementary bill, Assembly Bill No. 1620 of 1996, directs that NJT's highest priority capital project be the installation and maintenance of automatic train control systems on corporation trains. As a result of such equipment installation, certain rail freight lines operating on NJT rail lines would then be obligated to install and maintain similar, compatible train control equipment on its trains.

    To help offset the estimated $30,000 to $160,000 cost to install such equipment on rail freight locomotives, this bill would authorize the use of monies from the annual Transportation Trust Fund Authority capital appropriation to provide a share of the costs that would be incurred by rail freight lines.

Provides State share of costs to install and maintain automatic train control systems on certain rail freight train lines.