New Jersey

NJ Transit is nearly $1 billion short. Taxing corporations like Amazon, Tesla could fix that.

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2024

Press Room

NJ Transit is nearly billion short. Taxing corporations like Amazon, Tesla could fix that.

3-minute read

Loretta Weinberg
| Special to the USA TODAY Network

Public transit is not just a way to get around — it’s the backbone of New Jersey’s economy. Across the state, millions of residents rely on NJ Transit buses and trains for their daily commutes, medical appointments, shopping trips, and cherished family moments.

During my 30 years serving in the state Legislature, I heard from countless constituents who shared their stories about the pivotal role that reliable bus and train service plays in their lives.

From parents who rely on the morning bus to get their kids to school on time to workers whose job prospects hinge on catching the right train, the reliability of bus and train service can be the difference between a smooth, productive day and one filled with frustration and setbacks.

Yet, despite NJ Transit’s importance to families and the state, the future of the agency is in jeopardy with a nearly $1 billion budget deficit projected for next year, even after the agency voted to raise fares by 15%. This budget crisis is unprecedented in its size and scope, but it was also entirely predictable.

Fortunately, Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed Corporate Transit Fee offers a ray of hope. This fee targets the biggest and wealthiest corporations, ensuring that those with annual profits exceeding $10 million contribute their fair share to NJ Transit.

Taxing corporations is the fairest way to fix NJ Transit

NJ Transit price hike: What to know about rates going up on July 1

NJ Transit’s board unanimously approved a fare increase of 15% on July 1 and 3% every year after that.

The agency has never had a dedicated source of state funding, and it stands as the only major transit agency in the country without one. Instead, its operating budget is cobbled together year after year, relying on high fares, tax dollars diverted from other state programs, and the agency’s own capital fund meant for new and improved physical infrastructure.

Creating a dedicated funding source from the Corporate Transit Fee presents a fair and common-sense solution that will benefit commuters and businesses alike. The fee is targeted and only applies to profits, not revenue, so the few corporations that pay it remain wildly profitable.

And because the fee is collected on profits earned in New Jersey, not just on companies headquartered here, it is primarily paid by large multinational corporations and retailers that will continue to do business here. This will not stop companies like Tesla from selling cars in New Jersey, nor will it stop big retailers like Amazon from delivering packages here.

The corporations that pay this fee will also directly benefit from a reliable, state-wide transit system and the access it provides to New Jersey’s highly-educated workforce and customer base.

Opinion: Businesses will leave NJ if they face more corporate taxes — even to bail out NJ Transit

We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past

I fought for years to find permanent dedicated funding for NJ Transit but, each time, short-sighted thinking led the state’s leaders to adopt temporary solutions. Years of underfunding and expiring federal pandemic aid have now left the agency facing an existential fiscal crisis. Without new state funding, the agency will have to make catastrophic service cuts and even more fare hikes, leaving commuters stranded and doing untold damage to the state’s economy.

And this isn’t theoretical. My constituents experienced this first hand throughout the Christie administration when their fares were increased and service was cut, leading to riders paying more for worse service where delays, cancellations, and overcrowding became the new norm.

Now, lawmakers are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past instead of learning from them. NJ Transit has already approved a 15% fare hike to take effect this summer, putting transit out of reach for low-income riders without fixing the agency’s budget shortfall.

With New Jersey ranking second in the nation in the percentage of commuters using public transit, it behooves the most profitable corporations to pay their fair share for this critical infrastructure that they benefit from.

Reliable mass transit is a necessary part of New Jersey’s economy. It means reliable access to job opportunities, customers, education, health care, and more. Reliable service even benefits those who drive by keeping hundreds of thousands of cars off the road, reducing both traffic and air pollution.

New Jersey and its commuters deserve a world-class transit system. Asking the world’s biggest corporations to help pay for it is a no-brainer.

Loretta Weinberg is the former state Senate Majority Leader and represented parts of Bergen County in the New Jersey Legislature from 1992 to 2022.

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New Jersey

Nightmare at NY Penn as train fire halts NJ Transit, Amtrak service for hours

Published

5 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Nightmare at NY Penn as train fire halts NJ Transit, Amtrak service for hours

New Jersey and New York City commuters are facing extensive delays in and out of New York Penn Station Friday, with intensifying ripple effects, after an Amtrak work train car on one of the hub’s tracks caught fire.

The FDNY says it was called to the Midtown scene on 31st Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, around 1:30 a.m. Nearly 100 personnel responded. Five civilians were evaluated at the scene by EMS, officials say.

It’s not clear what sparked the fire involving Amtrak’s contractor maintenance vehicles in one of the Hudson River Tunnels. It was knocked down well before 6 a.m., but service on New Jersey Transit, Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and more was expected to see heavy impacts well into the morning rush, with Hudson River trains operating at reduced capacity. Amtrak said it didn’t expect to lift its suspension until at least noon.

Travel Advisory: Due to unforeseen track and signal maintenance resulting from a now extinguished fire in the New York area, all services traveling south of New York (NYP) are temporarily suspended. This suspension is anticipated to be in place until noon at a minimum. Services…
— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) May 29, 2026
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New Jersey Transit and LIRR also announced delays and cancellations. Cross-honoring and diversion programs were in effect as the situation developed. Complete LIRR service at NY Penn had resumed by around 7 a.m., Friday said, though equipment issues were causing cancellations. Get the latest transit information here.

Video from outside Penn Station showed smoke billowing in the pre-dawn hours, as emergency personnel stood by with stretchers awaiting any potential victims.

Amtrak is investigating the cause of the fire.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause,” the agency’s latest announcement said, pledging to provide updates as new information becomes available.

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New Jersey

Violence reported at Delaney Hall in N.J. Calls to shut it down are growing

Published

18 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Press Room

Violence reported at Delaney Hall in N.J. Calls to shut it down are growing

How are detainees at Delaney Hall being treated?

A statement issued by DHS said detainees receive comprehensive medical care and all are treated well.

“They are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Certified dieticians evaluate meals,” the department wrote.

The release accused Sherrill, Booker and U.S. Sen Andy Kim, as well as U.S. Reps. Rob Menendez, Nellie Pou, LaMonica McIver, Frank Pallone and Analilia Majia, of continuing “to peddle falsehoods about ICE facilities,” and “spreading smears about ICE law enforcement and the Delaney Hall ICE facility in New Jersey.”

Sinha said the assertion that individuals being arrested and taken to Delaney Hall are dangerous criminals is false.

“This is an administration that has repeatedly lied to us about what’s going on in immigration enforcement and immigration detention facilities,” Sinha said.

He added while Sherrill does not have the legal authority to enter Delaney Hall unannounced, that fact that she was denied entry is concerning.

“The federal government has denied her repeatedly, and it makes you question, ‘What is the federal government trying to hide?’” he asked. “They have no allegiance to any rule of law or semblance of democracy; they’re trying to rewrite the Constitution for people who are noncitizens.”

On Thursday, Sherrill issued a statement saying the New Jersey Department of Health attempted to conduct a inspection of Delaney Hall, but officials were only allowed to inspect only a limited part of the facility.

“We will review and share the department’s findings from the limited portion it was allowed to inspect, and we will continue to pursue all appropriate avenues for demanding transparency and ensuring humane conditions for the individuals being held at the facility,” she said in the statement. “As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view.”

Sinha said a hunger strike among those inside the facility is continuing because they are being given spoiled food and inadequate medical care in deplorable conditions.

“People shouldn’t have to starve themselves to make their dignity known; people shouldn’t have to starve themselves to have their rights protected, but that’s what’s happening here,” he said.

Reports of escalating violence

Late Thursday afternoon there were reports of violence escalating within Delaney Hall.

Nedia Morsy, the director of Make the Road New Jersey, an immigration advocacy group, issued a statement saying multiple sources within the facility reported ICE agents attacking detainees and causing serious injuries.

“Right now there are ICE agents inside of Delaney Hall violently beating the hunger strikers,” Morsy said in the statement. “Someone will be killed if no one intervenes and shuts this down. These masked agents are acting as if they’re above the law. This is a modern-day concentration camp, and history will not forgive silence in this moment. We need to shut down Delaney Hall and free everyone inside.”

Resistencia en Accion, another immigrant rights group, also released a statement, calling for violence against detainees to end.

“We express our utmost disgust with the violence perpetrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents today, May 28. Reports at approximately 1:40 p.m. reveal that ICE agents attacked the hunger strikers inside with batons and tear gas. Family members outside received calls from inside, confirming that there were people screaming, and according to their loved ones inside, unconscious detainees and blood on surfaces. ICE is the sole responsible actor for the escalation that has led to several wounded people inside and outside this week,” the statement reads.

WHYY News reached out to DHS late Thursday seeking comment about the reports of violence at Delaney Hall. A written statement was emailed to WHYY that said ICE agents had responded to a physical altercation involving detainees.

“In accordance with established ICE policies and their training, staff used the minimum amount of force to safely deescalate the situation,” DHS wrote. “Following the incident, all affected detainees were promptly evaluated by on-site medical personnel and were cleared with no serious injuries.”

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