The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded NJ Transit $71.4 million through the Federal Transit Administration’s Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program for repair, recovery and resiliency projects associated with Superstorm Sandy.
The funding will be used to advance work on the Morris & Essex Line and North Jersey Coast Line signal and communications systems, repair of traction power and distribution systems that support the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system, and other long-term recovery efforts. In addition, the funding will allow NJT to advance “resilience projects,” including installation of water-tight doors and barriers at the Meadows Maintenance Complex and more resilient signal systems at Hoboken Yard.
“This award means we can start putting another $147 million to work on projects that will allow us to maintain service longer during an event, or, if necessary, restore service sooner,” said NJT Executive Director Ronnie Hakim. “These are projects that reaffirm our commitment and have a real value to our customers.”
To date, the FTA has allocated NJT $1.72 billion of Public Transportation Emergency Relief Funds in response to Superstorm Sandy. These funds have supported critical recovery and resilience projects including NJ TRANSITGRID, the Raritan River Drawbridge Replacement, Hoboken Long Slip Flood Projection, the Train Storage & Service Restoration Project, and the Train Control & Communication Resiliency Project.