[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H3800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HIGHLIGHTING THE STRUGGLE OF RAIL COMMUTERS IN NEW JERSEY'S SEVENTH 
                         CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

  (Mr. MALINOWSKI asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, today I rise to highlight the struggle 
that rail commuters in New Jersey's Seventh District face each day.
  Public transportation is vital to my State, where twice as many of us 
depend on it than the national average.
  Right now, though, the 23,000 people who rely on the main rail line 
that cuts through the heart of my district, the Raritan Valley Line, 
are the only commuters in northern New Jersey without one-seat ride 
access to Manhattan during peak hours. To get to New York, they must 
transfer to Newark, adding at least 25 minutes to their commutes.
  Now, you might ask, why am I bringing this local issue to the House? 
Why can't New Jersey solve it by itself?
  Well, I will tell you why. Because every rail passenger trying to get 
to work along this economic corridor that is so vital, not just to my 
State, but to the economy of the United States, must squeeze through a 
crumbling, 110-year old bottleneck of a tunnel under the Hudson River 
that is owned and operated by the Federal Government, and the Federal 
Government won't fix it.
  The Raritan Valley Line Mayor's Alliance, representing over 30 
mayors, has been working to get one-seat ride. We need to do our part 
by passing an infrastructure bill this year that will fund the Gateway 
tunnel.

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