The resolutions were passed at the eleventh hour, as NYC EDC has begun work on the NYC side of the SIRR to serve Howland Hook Container Terminal, and hopes to operate the line by December. Union County's authority to apply for the $4.3 million would have expired on July 1.

The revitalization of this line, as well as the Arthur Kill Lift Bridge, is vital to offering Howland Hook shippers a choice of moving goods by truck or rail. Unfortunately, the bi-partisan vote was held up while the officials discussed a last minute protest from one of the towns through which the line runs.

A change in party majority among Union County Freeholders last fall brought the rail project under renewed scrutiny. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign detected that the link might be in trouble this spring and initiated a series of meetings with individual Freeholders and the entire Board.