[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 199 (Monday, December 4, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6084-H6085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ONE SEAT RIDE ACT

  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 1547) to direct the Secretary of Transportation 
to conduct a study on the costs and benefits of commuter rail passenger 
transportation involving transfers, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1547

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``One Seat Ride Act''.

     SEC. 2. STUDY ON COMMUTER SERVICE.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation shall 
     conduct a study identifying the benefits of commuter rail 
     passenger transportation and major obstacles to providing 
     commuter rail passenger transportation that does not involve 
     a transfer for passengers.
       (b) Requirements.--In conducting the study under subsection 
     (a), the Secretary shall--
       (1) consider economic, logistical, and quality of life 
     factors in analyzing the major obstacles to implementing 
     single-seat trips on commuter rail passenger transportation 
     for as many passengers as possible; and
       (2) include in such study an analysis of the costs and 
     benefits with respect to single-seat trips on commuter rail 
     passenger transportation on the New Jersey Transit Raritan 
     Valley line during peak hours and the impact such trips would 
     have on other New Jersey Transit lines.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
     of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
     Urban Affairs of the Senate a report on the study required 
     under subsection (a).
       (d) Commuter Rail Passenger Transportation Defined.--In 
     this section, the term ``commuter rail passenger 
     transportation'' has the meaning given such term in section 
     24102 of title 49, United States Code.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Kean) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia 
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 1547.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1547, which requires the 
Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study analyzing the costs and 
benefits of providing commuter rail service that does not require 
riders to change trains. Furthermore, the Secretary must submit the 
report to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the 
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs within 1 year 
of the legislation enactment.
  The one-seat-ride issue for commuter rail passengers is something 
that I championed both here and in the New Jersey State Senate. 
Examining this issue is a priority for my constituents who rely on New 
Jersey Transit.
  Anyone living in the Seventh Congressional District of New Jersey or 
along the Raritan Valley Line can describe the difficulties of 
commuting to and from New York City. Seventh District residents who 
travel to Manhattan by train are regularly frustrated with unnecessary 
delays mainly due to the aged infrastructure, often making weekly 
commutes hours longer than they need to be.
  Worsening matters, passengers traveling on the New Jersey Transit 
Raritan Valley Line must change trains, almost always on a different 
track, at Newark Penn Station to make trips to the city. During peak 
commute hours, Raritan Valley passengers have very little time to make 
their way, alongside thousands of other rushed passengers, through 
Newark Penn Station.
  These daily transfers make trips longer and increasingly exhausting 
for passengers. The longer commute times cause commuters to spend less 
time with their families, making it more difficult to make their 
child's sporting events, scouting meetings, and cherished family 
dinners.
  According to the Raritan Valley Line Coalition, the RVL makes up 
about 10 percent of New Jersey Transit's daily ridership systemwide.
  Additionally, the impact of a one-seat-ride service has been studied 
in a report published by the Regional Plan Association. The report 
shows its impact on towns surrounding the train line in a positive way. 
Rail lines with one-seat-ride service into Manhattan are more desirable 
and encourage more development of residential housing units, retail 
stores, and offices located near existing train stations.
  Some of the benefits of a town with a one-seat-ride option are that 
towns with the one-seat-ride service have fewer vacancies and a more 
diverse and economically viable selection of restaurants, stores, and 
offices in downtown, and they have increased train service westbound, 
allowing towns along the RVL east and west to flourish.
  My hope is to get, in the future, as many commuters on rail traveling 
westbound in the morning as they do eastbound.
  One-seat-ride on the RVL is something that my constituents and many 
New Jerseyans want to see become a reality before the completion of the 
Gateway Project years down the road.
  I thank Representative Watson Coleman of New Jersey for cosponsoring 
this legislation, and I note this bill passed out of committee with 
strong bipartisan support.
  Madam Speaker, I urge the support of this legislation, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, this bill would direct the Department of 
Transportation to conduct a study of the benefits of one-seat commuter 
rail transit nationwide and the obstacles transit agencies face in 
providing that level of service.
  This bill also would require a cost-benefit analysis for one specific 
rail transit line, New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line. A 
comprehensive study was completed last year by New Jersey Transit on 
this topic.
  The study concluded that the best option to provide better transit 
service for that region is to move ahead with the Gateway Program, 
which will provide more capacity for all New Jersey Transit rail lines 
that go into New York Penn Station.
  Local officials in New Jersey and New York are actively pursuing that 
option and have received substantial funding from the Biden 
administration, including under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 
Act through the Mega Grant Program, the Federal-State Partnership, and 
the Capital Investment Grant Program.

[[Page H6085]]

  Currently, Federal Transit Administration staff are working hard to 
finalize a full funding grant agreement to deliver $6.9 billion for the 
new Hudson River tunnel, which would be the largest capital investment 
grant in history.

  For those who are interested in supporting more New Jersey Transit 
services, or for those Members from other parts of the country who have 
their own transit priorities, one of the best ways to support them is 
for Congress to provide substantial funding through the Capital 
Investment Grant program. Given that, I have a request for my 
colleagues today: In addition to just voting to study the need for more 
transit service, I would encourage them to also support funding for 
more transit service.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and to work 
toward sustainable transit investment, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I 
am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1547 represents an important step in improving 
the commuter experience for all individuals who rely on transit, and 
the bill also ensures, as it reviews the broad issue, that the New 
Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line is examined specifically.
  Madam Speaker, I urge the support of this bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kean) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1547, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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