New Jersey Congressman Robert Franks and NJ DOT Commissioner James Weinstein appeared Monday in Newark to announce the formation of the Trans-Hudson Tunnel Coalition, signaling the beginning of an intensive public relations and lobbying effort to sell the need for the construction of a second rail tunnel into the city.

Congressman Franks also introduced legislation in Washington this week that could set the stage for funding the colossal project.

A second tunnel under the Hudson River has been recommended for years by the planning team "Access to the Region's Core," created in 1994 by NJ Transit, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but the newly-created coalition and Franks' legislation gave the project received a much-needed shot in the arm.

It is hoped that the new tunnel will enable the station to accommodate an anticipated 12,000 new NJ Transit riders over the next five years.

NJ Transit unveiled this week an ambitious proposal to spend $1.3 billion to purchase 200 single-level passenger cars, 200 bi-level passenger cars, and 57 locomotives by 2004 to relieve overcrowding on the state's train lines. 2,600 NJ Transit train riders go without seats every day. The plan was discussed at this week's NJ Transit's board meeting.

But as NJ Transit trumpeted capital investments as a panacea for squeezed riders, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) demanded more short-term solutions. At its Monday board meeting, NJTPA passed a resolution opposing the Governor's proposed $45.2 million cut in NJ Transit's operating budget, the largest cut in the Governor's FY 2000 budget (see MTR #206). The resolution mirrored the sentiments of a number of transit advocacy groups who blasted the cuts at a recent press conference. The groups said that an operating budget reduction should not be cut but instead transferred to bus and rail operations to finance service increases.