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Commuters crowd on Track 3 at Newark Penn Station Wednesday afternoon waiting for NJ Transit trains to take them home after service from New York has been reduced since a Monday derailment. (Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

New Jersey will stop paying the rent to NJ Transit's landlord at Penn Station New York until Amtrak guarantees the Northeast Corridor is in good repair and may sue to get 2016's payments back.

Gov. Chris Christie directed the state Attorney General to stop making the $2.5 to $5 million in monthly rent and maintenance payments to Amtrak until there has been an independent inspection to verify the Northeast Corridor is in a state of good repair.



"Amtrak's apparent disregard for NJ Transit's customers is unacceptable to me," Christie wrote to Amtrak officials on Wednesday.

He cited Monday's derailment at Penn Station New York, which was originally characterized as minor, but caused damage that closed eight of 21 tracks in Penn Station. That caused NJ Transit to cut back on train service for four days while repairs are being made, causing overcrowding in stations and on trains.



On March 24, a New Jersey Transit train was sideswiped after a minor Amtrak derailment. Several people were treated for minor injuries.

He sent a separate letter to state attorney general Christopher Porrino, asking him to look into filing a lawsuit against Amtrak to refund the $62 million NJ Transit paid for maintenance in 2016.



"The recent derailments at Penn Station indicate that Amtrak does not take it's obligations seriously and has not effectively applied NJ Transit's payments to the proper maintenance of these assets," Christie wrote.

Porrino said Thursday the agency was weighing its options.

"We have a team that is evaluating our options now vis-a-vis Amtrak, and I don't have much more that I can share at this point, but it is something we're looking at very closely and working on as we speak," Porrino said. "It's not something I can get into the details on right now, but we are placing significant resources with respect of the governor's request and we hope to have some answers soon."

NJ Transit officials criticized Amtrak at a Wednesday press conference, telling the agency to "step-up" and properly maintain Penn Station and the Corridor line.

An Amtrak spokeswoman said the agency plans to reply. Amtrak President Wick Moorman said the agency is working on the issue.

"New York Penn Station is our busiest and most important station, and we take our role as host seriously and make every effort to keep it operating smoothly," he said. "We value our partnership with the commuter railroads and share the frustration these recent issues present to all of our customers."

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

