NJ TRANSIT PREPARES FOR WEEKEND WINTER STORM

Customers urged to check njtransit.com for latest travel information

December 18, 2009
NJT-09-135

NEWARK, NJ — In response to forecasts for the season’s first significant snowfall on Saturday, NJ TRANSIT has mobilized staff and completed preparations to minimize service impacts and maximize customer safety.

 

Customers are urged to visit njtransit.com prior to starting their trip for the latest travel information.

 

NJ TRANSIT has “winterized” its fleet of buses, train cars and locomotives to operate as efficiently as possible in harsh weather, and has finalized plans to remove snow and ice from station platforms, sidewalks and parking lots and from track switches.

 

A total of 515 tons of salt has been distributed to NJ TRANSIT facilities or stockpiled in reserve.  Snow-removal equipment is ready for use and plowing and snow removal contracts are in place for selected rail and bus facilities.

 

In all, about 100 diesel locomotives, 61 electric locomotives, 1,000 rail cars and nearly 2,200 buses have been serviced and prepared for winter.  Heaters, door mechanisms, engine fluids, windshield wipers and tires have been checked. 

 

In addition, snowplows for diesel locomotives are ready for use if necessary, switch heaters have been tested and jet-engine-powered snow blowers are ready to clear ice from more than 750 rail switches systemwide.  Electricians and signal personnel will be on standby on all rail lines.

 

Overhead power lines, wayside power sources and 12 moveable bridges have also been inspected and readied for the winter.

 

Travel tips

 

  • Customers should check for any travel alerts affecting their trip prior to leaving home by visiting njtransit.com.  The website will be constantly updated and is the best resource for up-to-the-minute information.

 

  • Build additional travel time into your trip to a station, terminal or bus stop.

 

  • Stairs, flooring and platforms can be slippery, so please use caution when walking along wet surfaces or any outdoor surface exposed to the weather. Use extra care when boarding or exiting buses and trains.

 

  • NJ TRANSIT rail will be cross-honoring No. 197 bus tickets and passes all weekend at Harriman, Tuxedo and Sloatsburg stations, and Short Line buses will be cross-honoring in Orange County, New York.

 

 

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 165 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.