Monmouth & Ocean Freeholders Release MOM Rail Line Poll

“Say YES to MOM”
www.sayYEStoMOM.com

January 23, 2008 CONTACT: Matt Stanton
Tel: (908) 218-1455
Cell: (973) 699-3115


Monmouth & Ocean Freeholders Release MOM Rail Line Poll

Poll of Monmouth, Ocean & Middlesex Counties Residents Reveals
Unprecedented Support for MOM Rail Line;
500 Residents Surveyed; 8 out of 10 Respondents Support Monmouth Junction Alignment
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TOMS RIVER, NJ, JANUARY 23, 2008 – Today, at the Ocean County Administration Building in Toms River, representatives from the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Monmouth and Ocean counties joined forces to release the results of the poll focused on measuring public opinion about the proposed Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Rail Line. The poll, commissioned by Monmouth and Ocean counties, was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates in December 2007 and surveyed 500 residents of Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties – 150 residents in Ocean County, 150 residents in Monmouth County and 200 residents in Middlesex County.

“This poll revealed a number of key facts about the MOM Rail Line,” said Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry. “The most significant finding is that public support for the Monmouth Junction Alignment of the MOM Rail Line is strong, constant and across the board – Middlesex 78%, Monmouth 79% & Ocean 81%. While the typical hot button issues rose to the top, it is clear that the residents of all three counties not only want rail service now, they want the Monmouth Junction alignment. Not surprisingly, increasing property taxes as the number one issue of concern to residents of all three counties. Directly behind property taxes was traffic congestion.”

“Not only do the residents of three counties support the MOM Rail Line and want the Monmouth Junction alignment, recent ridership projections performed by NJ TRANSIT clearly demonstrate that the residents of all three counties will use it,” said Monmouth County Freeholder Deputy Director Robert Clifton. “As reported in the media earlier this month, NJ TRANSIT’s first round of ridership projections estimates that over 33,000 people would be the average daily ridership for the Monmouth Junction alignment. To put that into perspective, that’s equivalent to today’s daily ridership of the Coast Line…..8,000 more daily riders than the Raritan Valley Line….. twice the ridership than the Montclair-Booton Line…..five times the ridership of the Pascack Valley Line….. and ten times the ridership of the Atlantic City Line. This line is real, viable and essential to the long-term viability of this region.”

“For over a decade, Monmouth and Ocean counties have been unified in our support for the proposed MOM Rail Line and the Monmouth Junction Alignment,” said Ocean County Freeholder James Lacey. Unfortunately, the federal process required to advance significant public transit projects, like the MOM Rail line, take a great deal of time and patience. As I travel throughout the region, I get approached by area residents all the time who tell me …….enough with the studies, stop studying and start building.”

Freeholder Lacey added, “Collectively, all three counties have been granted a unique opportunity as part of this DEIS process…..and that is the creation of the MOM Working Group. We owe a great deal of thanks to NJ TRANSIT’s former Executive Director George Warrington, as well as the current Executive Director, Richard Sarles, for recognizing the importance of this project, the need for public transit within this region and creating the MOM Working Group. We are engaged in this process and urge area residents to visit www.sayYEStoMOM.com to learn more about the project, voice their support and get involved.”

“It’s very clear to me that when you look at the findings of this poll, together with the recent ridership projections by NJ TRANSIT, we have a real rail project on our hands,” said Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly. “The 33,000 projected daily riders of the Monmouth Junction alignment represents over 10% of today’s TOTAL daily rail riders …the daily ridership for the entire NJ TRANSIT rail system. The poll, together with the ridership projections tell us loud and clear…if we build it….they will come. However, while we are mindful of the obvious challenges – getting the approval of the Federal Transit Administration (“FTA”), securing the necessary funding and moving beyond local opposition - the real challenge will be working closely with the municipalities to identify sites along to right-of-way where we can build the rail stations and the appropriate parking spaces to support the ridership demand.”

Leaders in Monmouth and Ocean Counties have been consistently advocating for the Monmouth Junction alignment for many years. This support has been based on the belief that the Monmouth Junction offers the greatest access to major employment centers, helps retain jobs and boosts the state's economy, serves the largest number of riders, best reduces traffic congestion, improves air quality and provides service to the "smart growth" areas in the State Development and Redevelopment Plan.

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Support the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex (MOM) Passenger Rail Line Now!

Welcome to the "Say YES to MOM" Coalition’s website and thank you for visiting. Please take your time to review the site and learn more about the proposed Monmouth Ocean Middlesex passenger rail service and how you can help support the Monmouth Junction Alternative. This is a critical time in the life of the project and your opinion matters. If you support the Monmouth Junction alternative and want to get involved, join the coalition now by clicking the "SIGN UP" button now.

Sponsored by:

Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Monmouth-Ocean Development Council
New Jersey Business and Industry Association
Jersey Shore Partnership
Central Jersey Rail Coalition
New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers