SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 798

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: FEBRUARY 22, 1996

      The Senate Transportation Committee favorably reports Senate Bill No. 798.

      This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation to study the feasibility and cost of instituting rail passenger service from the City of Camden to the City of Trenton, making use of the existing rail freight lines or rights-of-way, with stops at intermediate points in municipalities bordering, or adjacent to the Delaware River.

      The study is to include, but not be limited to, an examination of the cost of using or modifying existing rail freight lines or rights-of-way for both conventional heavy rail and light rail passenger service, the feasibility and cost of entering into an agreement with Conrail for the use of the existing rail freight lines or rights-of-way and the location and cost of stations at the proposed intermediate stops. The study is to be completed not more than six months following the effective date of this bill.

      Since the Route 130 corridor already has rail freight lines or rights-of-way in existence, it is an obvious candidate for conversion to rail passenger service, linking the urban transportation centers of Camden and Trenton and serving also the Riverfront communities along the Delaware River in Burlington County. The bill also comes at a time when Conrail has indicated that it wishes to sell its rail freight lines in the Route 130 corridor.