TRENTON — NJ Transit riders will not see a fare hike for the fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30, 2014, the agency's top official said.

With the declaration at a state Senate Budget Appropriations Committee hearing today, NJ Transit Executive Director Jim Weinstein kept a pledge he made in April 2010 not to increase fares for the next three years.

The promise followed a record-tying fare hike of 25 percent for train and interstate bus riders and 10 percent for light rail and local bus riders, plus the elimination of discounts given to train riders outside of peak traveling hours.

"In addition to getting people to their destinations on time, we also are continuing to fulfill another top customer priority: We are keeping fares stable," Weinstein told the committee.

He said the agency has focused on efficiencies for every transit mode in every department through its "Scorecard" initiative, which includes customer surveys.

"Despite Superstorm Sandy’s widespread damage and disruption, our railroad had the best year ever for on-time performance," Weinstein said. "For the 2012 calendar year, NJ Transit trains got customers to their destinations on time 96.4 percent of the time. This is the highest figure in our 30 years-plus of rail service. And last month, the railroad tied the highest level of on-time performance for the month of March in our history, at 97.2 percent."

He said the 2013-14 NJ Transit budget would grow at 1.9 percent over the previous fiscal year, less han the rate of inflation, and noted overtime in 2012 dropped from the year before.

NJ Transit has been criticized for its decision to leave trains in rail yards in Kearny and Hoboken that ended up flooding during Hurricane Sandy.

The flooding damaged 70 locomotives and 272 train cars, causing an estimated $100 million in losses and leading to smaller train sets and fewer train routes as NJ Transit officials scurried to find replacement parts. So far, 46 locomotives and 109 rail cars have returned to service.

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Under questioning from state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the committee chairman, Weinstein said the Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny had never flooded in the history of NJ Transit and that trains were kept there to avoid what happened during Hurricane Irene — when trains were harbored at a rail yard in Morrisville, Pa., then became marooned after Trenton flooded.

Weinstein said even though the Kearny rail yard is NJ Transit’s primary train maintenance and inspection facility, trains will be moved to another yard in the event of future storms like Sandy.

"We have now learned," he said. "We are informed by the experience and we are identifying alternatives to keeping equipment at the Meadows facility."

Talk of the storm dominated the more than two-hour hearing in Trenton, which featured a who’s who in New Jersey transportation, including Weinstein, state Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson, New Jersey Turnpike Authority Executive Director Ronnie Hakim and Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Administrator Ray Martinez, who was lauded for the agency’s reduced wait times.

It took just 57 seconds for the first mention of Sandy; the storm was blamed for nearly $500 million in Department of Transportation emergency repairs and the Route 35 reconstruction project and $450 million in damage to NJ Transit’s system.

Sarlo questioned the state’s reliance on borrowing to fund the Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for roads and bridges, but Simpson said the state is taking advantage of historically low interest rates. After the meeting, Simpson told reporters an increase to the state’s relatively low gas tax was off the table as long as Chris Christie is governor.

The DOT had its second costliest season of snow removal on record, at more than $50 million, but Simpson said the agency has to mobilize before the snow falls or the ice forms.

"The DOT, under the Christie administration, has a black pavement policy — nothing less is acceptable," he said. "We strive to make sure there is no snow or ice between a rubber tire and the road. That costs money, but as I’ve said before, what is a life worth?"

RELATED COVERAGE

• NJ Transit union leader warns of fare hikes of up to 30 percent, service cuts, employee furloughs

• NJ Transit boss vows: Mistake that led to flooded trains won't happen again

