Help Is On The Way For Long-Suffering NJ TRANSIT Riders, Officials Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Transportation officials in New Jersey say commuters should expect their rides to improve in 2019 after months of NJ TRANSIT delays and cancellations.
On Wednesday, the agency announced a new customer experience unit that will send push notifications to customers in a timely fashion and new kiosks at stations to keep commuters informed moment to moment.
Governor Phil Murphy says it's been a herculean effort to upgrade service after years of underfunding. Since taking office he's improved the federally mandated positive train control implementation from 12 percent to now 95 percent complete with an end of the year deadline.
Officials say overcrowding should also decrease with 113 new multi-level rail cars announced for next year. Many trains have been cancelled due to engineer shortages, so NJ TRANSIT said 13 new engineers will graduate in May with four new training classes underway. They say it will replenish their ranks to keep the system running.
NJ TRANSIT also says commuters can expect improvements on the bus lines, with a fleet of new buses as well as drivers on the way.