The operator takes over from NY Waterway, which ran the route for 20 years. According to Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone, the new arrangement offers "significantly more options to residents."

The newly sworn-in governor of the Empire State, who is interested in the “shortest timetable we can follow," says collected proceeds will be used to finance sorely needed major upgrades to New York City’s sprawling subway system.

The work planned for the 86-year-old, art deco-style structure has been highly sought after and lauded by local officials and business executives, who point out that the train station - along with Newark Liberty International Airport - is often one of the first sites national and international travelers see when they arrive in the Garden State.

The Empire State is asking for $10.5 billion out of a combined $14.2 billion allocated for It, New Jersey and Connecticut. If granted,the Garden State could risk missing out on upward of $600 million for NJ Transit, which has seen its ridership levels pummeled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m disappointed,” Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters. “We’re considering our options here because we want to fight for New Jersey commuters and New Jersey taxpayers.”

The service restorations include fares that will shuttle beachgoers between Bay Head and Long Branch on the Jersey Shore, while weekend service is being returned to the Gladstone Branch through Union and Somerset counties.

“We simply cannot expect a robust recovery and return to in-person work to be successful while workers needed in New York City are being penalized simply for going to their jobs,” Sen. Joe Lagana, D-38th District said. “New Jersey is not New York’s piggy bank.”

As of April 22, the agency reached the threshold of personnel it needed, 390, with 393 in total; a level the agency hadn’t met in a decade.

“Any scheme that discriminates against New Jersey commuters will not be supported by me or my administration, and god willing that’s something we can work out,” the governor said.

U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Bill Pascrell said they would press U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg - whose department oversees the Federal Highway Administration - to stop or at least pause the plan to allow for more public input.