NJ Transit Update

Improvements to enhance the service experience for NJ Transit users.

Please check the following notification from Paul Wyckoff, Chief, Government and External Affairs about NJ Transit improvements including station improvements, new vehicles, increased service frequency, streamlined service information on mobile devices, and significant capital improvements:

• USDOT issued an improved rating for the Portal North Bridge, a $1.7 billion project– putting us one step closer to replacing this unreliable bridge and reducing delays for our customers. 
  
  
• On schedule to meet the critical December 2020 PTC milestone. We recently submitted, ahead of schedule, our request to the FRA to begin Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) testing.   
  
  
• Hired 700 bus operators since 2018, which will result in nearly 2,000 more passenger trips each weekday -  or more than half-a-million additional passenger trips per year. 
  
  
• Added, extended, or provided enhanced bus service on 12 bus routes over the past two years – on the 1, 86, 119, 123, 126, 128, 158, 166, 409, 412, 413, and 772. 
  
  
• Reduced train cancellations by 35% in 2019 compared to 2018. 
  
  
• Ordered 113 new multilevel train cars to replace the oldest cars in our fleet. 
  
  
• Hired more than 300 engineers and conductors since February of 2018. 
  
  
• Welcomed 16 new police recruits to the NJ TRANSIT Police Department. 
  
  
• Ordered 772 new cruiser buses, with 182 delivered in 2019, and 193 more coming this year. These new buses are five feet larger than the ones they replace, creating more seats for customers.
  
  
  • South Jersey customers are now riding in all-new cruiser buses, and we're rolling out more buses in Central Jersey and North Jersey.
    
    
• First of 110 new articulated buses delivered as part of our ongoing investment in our new fleet. These new buses carry over 40 more customers in comparison to our standard city buses.
  • This represents the first bus fleet expansion since 2006.
    
    
• $700+ million in new equipment purchases, $185 million in new construction work, and $80 million in professional technical services authorized by the board since January 2018. 
  
  
• 25% reduction in customer wait time for Access Link pickup. Window is now 30 minutes instead of the previous 40 minutes.
  
  
• Instituted every 10-minute service on Newark Light Rail between Newark Penn and Newark Broad during morning and evening rush hours, as a direct result of positive customer feedback on the 10-minute service operated during Amtrak's summer work at New York Penn Station. 
  
  
• Upgraded customer environment at 135 train stations, including ADA access ramps, concrete repairs, electrical upgrades, fresh paint, and landscaping. 
  
  
• Upgraded LED lighting at nine stations, including Bay Head, Elberon, Linden, Metropark, Metuchen waiting room, Middletown, North Elizabeth, Perth Amboy, and Rahway plaza area. 
  
  
• Completed platform concrete repairs at six stations, including Elizabeth, Clifton, Linden, Metuchen, New Brunswick, and Passaic. 
  
  
• Completed Raritan Valley Line Summer Spruce-Up at 18 stations, including concrete repairs, fresh paint, lighting upgrades, and repairs to stairs and handrails.
  
  
• First fully ADA-compliant ticket vending machine installed on the eastbound platform at Edison Station, with fresh user interface, all-digital display and touch screen, and a cart-based check-out.
  
  
• 40 elevators and 10 escalators modernized throughout the system, including: Bay St., Cranford, East Orange, Edison, Paterson, Plainfield, Rahway, South Orange, Westfield, and Woodbridge. Elevators & escalators modernized at hub stations: Newark Penn Escalator 11,12 Secaucus Escalators 1,2, 18 NYPS Track 1&2 Escalator 1B.
  
  
• 29 grade crossings renewed throughout the system.
  
  
• Upgrading the customer environment at six bus terminals and park & rides. Upgrades completed at Lakewood Terminal, Old Bridge Park/Ride, North Bergen Park/Ride, and Weehawken Terminal.
  
  
• $30+ million in grant funding authorized to support mobility options for seniors, persons with disabilities, and low-income residents. 
  
  
• $40 million construction contract approved by the board to fill the Long Slip Canal at Hoboken Terminal, eliminating it as a conduit for flood water, allowing NJ TRANSIT to operate train service longer and recover faster from storms.
  
  
• $39.5 million in new FTA funding secured for multiple projects, including new platforms at Newark Penn Station ($18.445 million), advance local ferry service ($6 million), and acquire NJ TRANSIT's first electric buses ($1.5 million).
  
  
• $173.1 million growth in NJ TRANSIT's total operating budget, enabling us to deliver more for our customers.
  
  
• $61 million in non-farebox revenue generated in FY19 through NJ TRANSIT Real Estate, Economic Development and TOD projects, including $14M in advertising, $300K in filming permits and licenses.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 253 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 166 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.

Questions?  Concerns?  

Contact: Paul Wyckoff, Chief, Government and External Affairs

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone: 973-491-7855

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