NEWARK, N.J. — Amtrak and New Jersey Transit are no longer talking about a commuter rail tunnel.
Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham told The Record newspaper the national railroad is not interested in partnering with New Jersey.
Graham told the newspaper there were “exploratory talks.”
The railroad issued a statement on Thursday night saying its primary interest is advancing high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor. The statement concluded by saying any potential joint rail project would require NJ Transit’s commitment to “fully fund all costs associated with creating additional commuter train capacity.”
The announcement came one day after Gov. Chris Christie told the newspaper’s editorial board that Amtrak was interested in engineering work and other plans NJ Transit had completed for the scrapped Hudson River rail tunnel.