Amtrak, NJ Transit Search For Cause Of Frustrating Train Delays
NEW JERSEY — It’s been a bumpy ride lately for train commuters traveling between New Jersey and New York City, who have been slogged down by repeated delays and suspensions over the past weeks. But according to Amtrak and NJ Transit, the agencies are teaming up to hunt down the causes of the latest frustrations – and get them fixed.A series of delays have left thousands of commuters repeatedly stranded during a brutal heat wave. The travel woes have been taking place on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), which serves both Amtrak and NJ Transit, and is one of the most notorious bottlenecks in the region.Amtrak owns and maintains the corridor, a situation that is complicating the effort to get trains back on track. See Related: Blame Amtrak For Recent NJ Transit Delays, Lawmakers Say (Here’s Why)With rider frustrations soaring and several elected officials breathing down their necks – including Gov. Phil Murphy and 11 Congress members from New Jersey – the beleaguered travel agencies are renewing their efforts to solve the problem, they announced Thursday.Pooling their resources will help, spokespeople said.“This will be a holistic effort focused on both Amtrak infrastructure — including the electric traction system that powers trains, the catenary (the system of overhead power wires that are part of the electric traction system), signals and switches — and NJ Transit equipment, including the pantograph system that connects to the catenary and draws power for the train,” Amtrak stated.According to Amtrak, immediate actions as part of the joint plan include:TRACK INSPECTIONS – Additional extensive and frequent catenary and track inspections of the approximately 170 track miles between Trenton and New York City to identify any catenary issues that could cause pantograph damage.PANTOGRAPHS – NJ Transit with Amtrak assistance is undertaking visual inspections of all pantographs at key stations and NJ Transit has installed high-resolution cameras to inspect pantographs.EXPERTS – Externally supported reviews with industry experts to assist root cause analysis and development of solutions.CATENARY REPAIRS – Expansion of the helicopter catenary inspection and repair program, which involves taking high-resolution photos of the system, each catenary structure, and their components. The photos are inspected offline to identify priority items for repair.JOINT REVIEW – A joint review of Amtrak and NJ Transit delays and items impacting reliability, which will result in a prioritized set of investments to address sources of chronic delays.OTHER FIXES – Additional longer-term actions to address state of good repair of Amtrak infrastructure, including added resources to expedite testing of transformers in substations; pursuing additional grants to replace catenary, substations and transmission, and signal lines, as well as support capital renewal; and evaluating methods to expand overnight work windows with service adjustments to accelerate renewal and repairs.Amtrak spokespeople said the two agencies plan to issue regular progress reports as the investigation progresses.Ultimately, the goal is to identify when things are going off the rails and make repairs – before service disruptions happen, Amtrak stated.“Once the root causes are identified, Amtrak and NJ Transit will identify or seek additional resources, if necessary, to address issues that are uncovered, while continuing to advance major projects such as Portal North Bridge and the Hudson Tunnel Project, which will replace the NEC’s old and fragile systems entirely with modern and reliable infrastructure for key sections of the NEC in New Jersey and New York,” Amtrak added. See Related: Work On Long-Awaited Gateway Tunnel Finally Begins In New Jersey“NJ Transit recognizes how disruptive these recent incidents have been to the quality of life of every rail customer who depends on the Northeast Corridor, and we are as frustrated as they are,” president and CEO Kevin Corbett said, adding that the agency plans to continue to work with their peers at Amtrak to “identify the root causes of these incidents as quickly as possible.”“We understand the impact the recent events had on both Amtrak and NJ Transit customers and their families, and we share their frustration,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner agreed.“It’s vital we work with NJ Transit to identify the root cause of these disruptions and return to on-time service and the quality experience customers expect,” Gardner said.Send news tips and correction requests to [email protected]. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.The article Amtrak, NJ Transit Search For Cause Of Frustrating Train Delays appeared first on Montclair, NJ Patch.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings