Authorities are using new resources to launch measures to combat railway problems

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This year has been a difficult year for rail riders in New Jersey. The “Summer of Hell” was marked by delays and outages due to aging infrastructure and system failures.

In June, Governor Phil Murphy convened a meeting with NJ Transit, Amtrak and relevant stakeholders that resulted in the creation of a joint action plan. Officials say the changes have contributed to a noticeable reduction in similar incidents over the past five months and that service quality has returned to “typical levels.”

Last month, the state received $300 million in direct federal funding through the bipartisan infrastructure bill to make improvements to NJ Transit and Amtrak infrastructure. An additional $144 million was awarded for projects in New York that will also benefit New Jersey riders – a modernization and expansion of New York Penn Station to increase capacity.

“This $300 million in Federal Railroad Administration grants will provide needed improvements to Amtrak’s infrastructure, improving reliability for NJ Transit riders and Penn Station, the gateway between New Jersey and New York “This will mean change,” Murphy said in a Nov. 15 statement. “Since taking office, I have been committed to improving NJ Transit. But government investment alone is not enough – as we rely on shared tracks with Amtrak.”

The governor said the funding will help the state improve resiliency along the busiest rail route in the country. “Enables upgrades that increase the speed and volume of trains and improve more than a century-old infrastructure, including the trouble-prone overhead line systems,” Murphy said.

“This significant and historic investment in New Jersey’s rail infrastructure will deliver long-overdue improvements for commuters, businesses and families across our state,” said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. “This funding will invest directly in New Jersey’s rail infrastructure to improve the overhead line system that caused the major service disruptions we experienced last summer.”

The funding round provides money for catenary upgrades on a 23-mile section of the Northeast Corridor line in North Jersey, replacement of a substation in Kearny, signaling system upgrades along a 26-mile section of the NEC, and final planning and preparation pre-construction work for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement project.

“New Jersey commuters are tired of experiencing ‘summer from hell’ year after year,” said U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11. District and 2025 gubernatorial candidate. “While this grant is a step in the right direction, our work to improve transportation for New Jersey commuters is far from complete.

“Grants to support critical Amtrak work to modernize aging infrastructure on the NEC, as well as funding to expand and rebuild Penn State New York, are critical to restoring service reliability on the nation’s busiest rail corridor and improving the customer experience .” for future generations,” she said.

What was done?

Following this announcement, Murphy met again with Amtrak and NJ Transit on November 20 to hear the latest progress.

Amtrak and NJ Transit have released a joint report detailing their efforts since the “Summer of Hell.” Officials say a number of improvements have been achieved over the past five months through the implementation of the above-mentioned joint action plan, including:

• Amtrak conducted an inspection of the overhead line system over 240 miles of track on the Northeast Corridor between Trenton and New York and replaced approximately 2,000 hardware components in that area. The rail operator also conducted helicopter inspections of the entire NEC catenary system between Trenton and the North River Tunnel just outside New York’s Penn Station and performed 839 hardware replacements due to deficiencies found in the more than 2,000 catenary structures identified using the results The inspections were recorded using photos taken.
• Photo inspections of tunnels and tracks within New York’s Penn Station were also carried out using a special high-rail vehicle. And Amtrak identified and repaired electrical traction components and replaced overhead wiring to ensure reliability.
• NJ Transit and Amtrak increased equipment inspections and used high-definition video on locomotives to document the interaction of NJ Transit equipment with Amtrak cables. The New Jersey operator also conducted visual and hands-on inspections of approximately 82 route miles of the trolley system within its territory.

“This summer, I brought Amtrak and NJ Transit together to address unacceptably long, disruptive NJ Transit rail delays that have been an ongoing problem throughout the spring and early summer,” Murphy said Nov. 20. “With today’s meeting, we are proud to announce that Amtrak has now completed the inspection of all 240 miles of overhead line systems between Trenton and New York City.”

“While we are pleased with the progress that has improved reliability for tens of thousands of NJ Transit rail customers, our collective efforts will continue,” said Kevin Corbett, president and CEO of NJT. “It is important that we maintain the same level of attention that we have shown over the last five months. In addition to the work we are doing to provide our pantographs with fiberglass protection to protect them from impact damage to the NEC overhead line, NJ Transit will continue to support Amtrak’s efforts to complete work to modernize the most vulnerable infrastructure along the NEC accelerate.”

“Our partnership with NJ Transit and our shared commitment to Governor Murphy to ensure our mutual customers have safe and reliable rail service is producing results,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner. “Amtrak and NJ Transit will continue to conduct inspections, make short-term repairs and seek increased funding to fully modernize all aspects of our infrastructure over the long term, including our electric traction system, overhead line, signals, switches and more.”

The path ahead

In the progress report, Amtrak and NJ Transit also outlined some additional future actions.

NJ Transit management will continue to review all NJ Transit delays of six minutes or more daily. NJT will also meet weekly with Amtrak to review common operations and advance possible solutions.

Amtrak is undertaking various short-term projects to improve its overhead line service without impacting service. And operators will work together to expand night and weekend working windows – leveraging service adjustments to accelerate infrastructure renewal and repairs.

The rail issue has sparked fierce opposition from both leaders on both sides of the aisle – a rare feat in these politically divided times – and from passengers. Lawmakers have called for action, held hearings, and more. The summer system collapse added fuel to the fire as it unfolded against the backdrop of a new corporate transit fee to bridge NJ Transit’s budget deficit and a fare hike criticized by the business community.

A recent hearing in Trenton prior to the release of the progress report became heated as lawmakers asked Corbett and Gardner for answers about the shortfalls.

“It was a rushed formality that took less time than commuters waste every day standing on freezing platforms waiting for canceled trains,” said Rep. Christopher DePhillips, R-40. district, which requested another hearing. “Commuters deserve real solutions, not empty promises from officials who seem out of touch with the real frustrations NJ Transit is causing.”

“Drivers deserve a legitimate legislative hearing. It wasn’t,” he added.

The situation will continue to attract attention through these next actions. Officials hope these steps and next steps — combined with funding — will help get things on the right track.

“And while the fundamental challenge to our mass transit system continues to be aging infrastructure, we believe these completed repairs and upcoming infrastructure investments will make it easier for New Jersey residents to get where they need to go when the time is right.” they have to go get there,” Murphy said.