Bill would allow NJ Transit riders to be reimbursed if train is delayed

A state lawmaker says that New Jersey Transit riders should be reimbursed if their trains are delayed.
The train agency has been plagued by delays and cancellations lately, sometimes due to mechanical issues. Many riders say that they are frustrated and fed up with riding the rails.
"You ever just want to pound your head against a wall? Multiply that by 10 and that's kind of what it is,” says Kevin Kourakos, of New Providence.
New Jersey Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz says she wants to see riders compensated for their time if their trains are delayed.
“They expect when they see a train schedule with a time, that that's the time the train shows up and the time that they're expected to arrive is the time they arrive,” she says.
If passed, the bill would allow NJ Transit riders to be reimbursed if their train is delayed for at least an hour for mechanical reason. Weather, a shortage of engineers or problems with other rail systems like Amtrak won’t qualify.
"We find that we're not putting the money into the maintenance of the tracks and the maintenance of the rails and that's where we have failed,” Munoz says. “We haven't seen an increase in that number. They’re taking money from the capital funds and putting it into the operational funds."
Some riders tell News 12 New Jersey that reimbursement would go a long way toward rebuilding the relationship between NJ Transit and its customers.
News 12 New Jersey reached out to New Jersey Transit for comment on the bill, but did not hear back.
The bill will head to the Transportation Committee for consideration.