Assembly candidates call for immediate answers from Port Authority leadership, outline transit policy priorities if elected

Hoboken/Jersey City – Following this week’s dangerous PATH train breakdown that left passengers stranded in a tunnel for over 45 minutes and forced to walk on tracks to safety, Assembly candidates Katie Brennan and Ravi Bhalla are demanding immediate accountability from Port Authority leadership and calling for urgent reforms to protect commuters. 

The incident, combined with the Port Authority’s last-minute announcement of yet another weekend service reduction, highlights the chronic dysfunction plaguing the transit system that thousands of Jersey City and Hoboken residents depend on. 

“What happened this week is completely unacceptable,” said Katie Brennan, housing expert and community advocate. “Commuters were trapped underground with no power and forced to walk on tracks, and to add insult to injury, the Port Authority also announced more service cuts with barely a week’s notice and without any input from people who actually use the PATH. The system is broken and commuters deserve immediate answers.” 

“The residents of Hudson County deserve safe and reliable transit, not a system that treats PATH riders like an afterthought,” said Ravi Bhalla, Mayor of Hoboken. “There needs to be accountability, plain and simple. I’m calling on the Port Authority to hold a public hearing with riders and give an explanation for the constant breakdowns and service cuts. Enough is enough.” 

Demanding Immediate Action

Brennan and Bhalla are calling on the Port Authority to:

• Provide a full public explanation of this week’s breakdown, including what safety protocols failed and how the agency will prevent similar incidents
• Open an immediate public comment period and hold a public hearing allowing commuters to weigh in on the latest weekend service reductions before they take effect
• Follow their own commitment to five-months’ advance notice for all future service changes, with mandatory public hearings for major alterations
• Release detailed data on service reliability, delays, and safety incidents affecting Hudson County commuters

As Mayor of Hoboken, Bhalla has consistently challenged the Port Authority on behalf of commuters, successfully opposing NJ Transit fare hikes and the Turnpike expansion that would have brought more pollution and traffic to Hudson County.

As a community advocate, Brennan has testified before the NJ Transit and Turnpike Authority demanding accountability and transparency. When Governor Murphy rejected $100 million in annual funding from congestion pricing, Brennan was the only Assembly candidate to publicly call out this missed opportunity to improve transit funding.

Commitments to Fixing Mass Transit

If elected, Brennan and Bhalla commit to:

• Fight to fully fund NJ Transit by ending the practice of raiding capital funds for operating expenses
• Pressuring the next governor to appoint Port Authority board members who actually use the PATH and will advocate for better service
• Identifying new state funding for PATH improvements in partnership with New York
• Restoring transparency laws to ensure public agencies can’t hide behind bureaucracy

“The Port Authority and NJ Transit work for us, not the other way around. It’s time they started acting like it,” said Brennan.

“The status quo isn’t working for commuters,” said Bhalla. “Hudson County deserves representatives who will treat this like the crisis it is.” 

The candidates plan to be at the PATH station Monday morning during rush hour to hear directly from frustrated commuters and continue building pressure for immediate reforms.

Both candidates are running in the Democratic primary for State Assembly in New Jersey’s 32nd legislative district, which includes Hoboken and most of Jersey City. The Democratic primary is on June 10.  

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About Katie Brennan

Katie Brennan is a long-time Jersey City resident, community advocate, and nationally recognized affordable housing expert. She has worked in leadership roles at state and local housing agencies in New Jersey and New York, helped secure historic funding for affordable housing in New Jersey, and has successfully advocated for stronger protections for tenants and survivors of sexual assault. 

About Ravi Bhalla

Ravi Bhalla has served as Mayor of Hoboken since 2017, following his tenure on the Hoboken City Council from 2009 to 2017. A nationally recognized civil rights attorney, he has led Hoboken to become a leader in pedestrian safety, climate resilience, and inclusive governance. Under his leadership, Hoboken has implemented innovative solutions to flooding, expanded EV charging infrastructure, and maintained perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.