NEWARK – In response to customers’ calls for more capacity, NJ TRANSIT has rolled out the first expanded light rail vehicle on the Newark Light Rail system.
This is the first of 10 expanded vehicles to come for the Newark Light Rail following prototype testing. With twenty vehicles in the Newark Light Rail line, nearly half will be the expanded type. Customers will enjoy a more comfortable ride as the larger vehicles provide a 50 percent increase in the number of seats per car.
This is the second expanded light rail in the NJ TRANSIT system. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail has been using a prototype of the extended light rail car for almost three years with great success.
“Listening is an important tool when it comes to Customer Service, and that’s exactly what we did through our Scorecard process. The roll out of this new expanded vehicle on Newark Light Rail allows for 50 percent increase in capacity per car, which will help us to alleviate crowded conditions particularly at the platform level,’’ said NJ TRANSIT interim Executive Director Dennis Martin.
To address the need for increased capacity, NJ TRANSIT partnered with Kinkisharyo International, LLC, the original vehicle manufacturer of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail’s existing fleet, and Twenty-First Century Rail Corporation to find an innovative, cost-effective solution that would not significantly impact the system’s infrastructure or require a costly investment in new rail cars.
Kinkisharyo came up with a design for an expanded vehicle that adds two additional sections to the existing light rail vehicle, increasing the number of sections from three to five. The additional sections increase the car length by thirty-seven feet and expand seating capacity from sixty-eight to one hundred and two seats, as well as provide additional standing room.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation’s largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 938,500 weekday trips on 257 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service.
