NEWARK, N.J. — Amtrak and NJ Transit have committed to work together to address operational issues that have been plaguing both services on the Northeast Corridor, including more frequent inspections of their equipment and the 170 miles of track they share between New York and Trenton, N.J.
The two agencies made that pledge after a Thursday meeting with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy at Murphy’s Newark office. Amtrak, in a press release, said the increase in inspection and maintenance “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.”
The meeting and agreement come just two days after New Jersey members of Congress asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for an investigation of the problems [see “New Jersey congressional delegation seeks investigation …,” Trains News Wire, June 26, 2024]. In at least one of the incidents that led to that letter, NJ Transit blamed delays on Amtrak catenary problems while Amtrak said the problems were with NJ Transit equipment.
NorthJersey.com reports there have been eight incidents since April where Amtrak wires and NJ Transit pantographs became tangled, and that Amtrak board chair Anthony Coscia said the two operators recently “discovered an issue in the interface between Amtrak’s infrastructure and NJ Transit’s trains that have caused these issues to occur.”
Specific aspects of the companies’ plan include:
— Additional “extensive and frequent” catenary and track inspections between New York and Trenton.
— Visual inspections by NJ Transit with Amtrak assistance of all pantographs at key stations, along with installation by NJ Transit of high-resolution cameras to inspect pantographs.
— Reviews with industry experts to assist analysis of root causes of the problems and development of solutions.
— Expansion of a program of catenary inspection by helicopter, used to identify priority items for repair.
— A joint review of delays and “items impacting reliability,” to develop priorities for projects to address sources of chronic delays.
— Longer-term actions including additional resources for testing transformers in substations; pursuing grants to replace elements of the electrical system and support capital renewal; and seeking ways to expand overnight work windows to accelerate repairs.
“We’re bringing in outside expertise,” said NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett, according to NorthJersey.com, “as well as being totally open and working together.”
Amtrak also pointed to ongoing major projects such as the Portal North Bridge as longer-term solutions, since they will include new electric-system infrastructure replacing some of the current aging catenary and superstructure.
Murphy said he called the meeting “for obvious reasons. … The performance of late, across the board, has been unacceptable. People don’t care why it happened. They want to get home; they want to get to work; they want to see their kids; they want to get to school — whatever it is.”
Murphy said both agencies have experienced “decades of underinvestment,” the website Gothamist reports. “But … the absolute commitment to both organizations from our office and from me personally is to get stuff fixed.
“We understand the impact the recent events had on both Amtrak and NJ Tranist customers and their families, and we share their frustration,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said in the company’s press release. “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.”
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