Thursday, April 04, 2013

Gov. Christie Must Fire NJ Transit Officials Over Gross Incompetence Before Hurricane Sandy

I am once again reiterating my call on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to fire NJ Transit officials, starting with Executive Director Jim Weinstein.

Weinstein appeared before the State Legislature once again and admitted that the agency not only stored rail equipment in Kearny and Hoboken before Hurricane Sandy, but purposefully moved still more equipment into both low-lying areas before Sandy.
“We brought some additional equipment in there to store during the storm,” Weinstein told members of the Senate Budget Committee during a hearing on the Christie Administration's transportation budget Wednesday morning. At the time, he said, "there was no reason to believe it would flood.”

Weinstein did not say how many rail cars were moved into the vulnerable spot, but that it won’t happen again. More than a quarter of the agency’s rail fleet was damaged during the storm, most at the maintenance facility. “We are informed by the experience,” he said. “We won’t be bringing equipment there in the future in the event we are faced with a similar situation as we were with Sandy.”

NJ Transit Spokesman John Durso, Jr. refused to say how many pieces of equipment were moved into harm’s way, saying "that specific information had not been previously provided due to security-related concerns." Durso has repeatedly cited “security” as a reason not to release details about NJ Transit’s movement of trains during Sandy.

However, he has not explained how security would be breached by making public the number of cars moved to a yard where all the train equipment sits on tracks in clear view to the public.

The flooding at the Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, and at the agency's Hoboken yard - a location that Weinstein acknowledged on Wednesday is close to the Hudson River's waters - damaged 272 passenger cars and 70 locomotives. Weinstein said it amounted to more than $100 million in damage that NJ Transit is hoping will be reimbursed from its insurance and from federal emergency grant dollars.
That was despite all manner of warning from weather forecasters who were predicting dire flooding throughout the New York City metro area - including the Hackensack River, Passaic River, and Hudson River basins. The Kearny yard and Hoboken yard are both squarely in the affected flood zones and yet NJ Transit has repeatedly stated that their experience was that neither yard would fully flood during a storm.

The Hoboken Yard isn't merely close to the Hudson River. It abuts it. The station has been prone to flooding in the past, though not to the extent it was during Sandy. Likewise, the Kearny Yard is surrounded by water. Rivers and waterways can and do flood during severe storms.


View Larger Map

They gambled with money and equipment and lost. More than a third of the rail fleet was flooded and the agency is still scrambling to restore the rail schedule to pre-Sandy levels. The Main and Bergen line is still below its pre-Sandy level, and dozens of railcars and locomotives, including the agency's newest dual mode locomotives are out of service until repairs can be completed. The delay in repairs is exascerbated by the fact that the agency has had problems sourcing replacement parts due to the severity of the flooding to its own facilities, replacement parts in-house, and from the manufacturers.

Christie must fire Weinstein, who has been less than transparent in the agency's failings before, during and after the hurricane hit. Weinstein has tried to bluster his way through all this, claiming that his agency didn't know the areas would flood - but that is a transparent lie to anyone who watched news reports in the 72 hours before Sandy hit. The warnings were there. The worst-case scenarios were already laid out.

And NJ Transit rail operations moved more equipment into the flood zone that everyone was warned to evacuate from.

Even now, they're less than transparent about how many cars remain to be fixed. It took months before the agency put up a site indicating how many cars and locomotives remain to be repaired, and the numbers haven't been updated since.

The agency is touting its ability to get Hoboken back up and running, but it downplays the fact that essential services were not restored for months - like restrooms or a warm waiting area for customers in the heart of winter. It took an outcry. They've managed to restore electrical service to a substation so that electric trains can now run to Hoboken, but the station is still in shambles and the retailers are still displaced due to flood damage.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

One can find lot of such funny sports moments very easily.

That is why we have dedicated this page to help you renew
your spirit and perhaps have a few laughs too. And if you are not ready for it, then believe it, your boredom
will stay.

My website funny pictures and cartoons

Anonymous said...

What's up, this weekend is fastidious designed for me, since this moment i am reading this fantastic informative post here at my home.

Have a look at my webpage: article submitter software

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed, I must say. Seldom do I encounter a blog that's both equally educative
and engaging, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the
head. The issue is an issue that too few people are speaking intelligently about.
I am very happy that I found this in my hunt for something concerning this.


My blog a total noob

Anonymous said...

Wе are a group of νolunteers аnd
opening а new ѕchemе in ouг cоmmunity.
Your ѕіte offeгеd uѕ with valuablе
infο tο worκ οn. Υоu've done a formidable job and our whole community will be thankful to you.

Feel free to visit my blog: gscraper blackhat

Anonymous said...

And as we all know, too much stress can be
harmful to health. This trend brings more enthusiast people to upload the beautiful funny videos to share with others and get
their precious feedback. If you cannot get over
something that went wrong in your life, remember this quote,
'Do not blame yourself for past errors.

Here is my page; visit the next website page

Anonymous said...

I dο believe all οf thе іdеas you
havе οffered to уouг post. Thеy aгe very
convincіng and can ceгtainlу woгk.
Still, the ρoѕts агe too quick for
begіnners. Ϲould уou ρlеаse lengthеn them a
bit fгom next tіmе? Thanks fоr the ρost.


my website; get Cash for surveys legit

Anonymous said...

Hi to every one, the contents existing at this web site are actually awesome
for people experience, well, keep up the nice work fellows.


Also visit my site; mass mailer

Anonymous said...

Hі, I ԁo belіеve this is a gгeat blog.
Ι stumbleduρon it ;) ӏ may return yet again sіnce і have bοoκ marκed it.

Μoney аnԁ frеeԁom іs the best way tο change, maу you bе riсh and continue
to guidе other pеοplе.

Ηeгe is mу webpage - wp squeeze bar

Anonymous said...

What's up, I check your blog on a regular basis. Your humoristic style is witty, keep up the good work!

Here is my web-site; click the following page

Anonymous said...

It's remarkable for me to have a web site, which is helpful in support of my experience. thanks admin

Also visit my weblog ... recipes for paleo dessert

Anonymous said...

It is really a nice and useful piece of info.
I'm glad that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.

Feel free to surf to my weblog: halloween Wallpaper

Anonymous said...

Truly no matter if someone doesn't be aware of after that its up to other visitors that they will assist, so here it occurs.

Feel free to visit my webpage; http://feinz.altervista.org/groups/the-increasing-availability-of-university-scholarships-helps-empower-current-college-freshmen/

Anonymous said...

What's up Dear, are you in fact visiting this web page regularly, if so afterward you will definitely take pleasant know-how.

Also visit my homepage ... click here

Anonymous said...

Why viewers stіll use to read news paperѕ when іn thiѕ
technological globe all іs presеntеd on net?


Here is mу web ѕite - http://wiki.hedgehogcentral.com/

Anonymous said...

I've been surfing on-line greater than three hours lately, but I never found any interesting article like yours. It's lovely worth
enough for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made good
content material as you did, the net shall be a lot more helpful than ever before.


my blog post: bypass sharecash

Anonymous said...

Thus, there are many broad options for getting to know various kinds of news today and that too through the use of various mediums.
" Earlier today some cruise ship struck land in Alaska. Due to the recent horrifying terror attacks and other such couple of events people want to be aware and alerted of the whereabouts of the nation.

Feel free to surf to my web site: http://zoollootv.com/link/46168

Anonymous said...

I've listened to this a dozen or more times and still find it delightful and sooooo original in concept. Both the content and presentation of news are drastically different from what it used to be. If a person is connected with the latest headlines, it will develop an awareness in him with regards to the world which surrounds him.

my weblog ... international news

Anonymous said...

Hey! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any problems with hackers?
My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many months of hard work due to
no backup. Do you have any solutions to prevent hackers?

Also visit my webpage - exercises for vertical jump

Anonymous said...

I visited various websites except the audio feature for audio songs present at this web site is really excellent.



my site; http://pornharvest.com/index.php?m=2523171

Anonymous said...

Traders can check on a weekly basis in order to check and
see where the very best forex news might be found
and how to make a greater profit.

Feel free to visit my website: flex belt review

Anonymous said...

Hey, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues.
When I look at your blog in Firefox, it looks fine but when
opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!
Other then that, wonderful blog!

Also visit my page; Commercial Led Lighting

Anonymous said...

It's actually a great and helpful piece of info. I am happy that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

Here is my homepage: windows live Hotmail