NJ TRANSIT HUB PERSPECTIVE | SUMMER 2018
Covering a service area of more than 5,300 square miles, NJ TRANSIT is the nation's third largest
provider of bus, rail and light rail transit, linking major points in New Jersey, New York and
Philadelphia. NJ TRANSIT’S commuter rail network consists of 12 lines and more than 160 stations.
The rail system handled an average of more than 307,850 riders per weekday in 2017.
However, years of neglect and underfunding at NJ TRANSIT had led to a growing list of issues,
including delays, equipment breakdowns and overcrowding. In addition, only 11.0 percent of the
hardware required for the Positive Train Control (PTC) system that can automatically stop trains and
prevent collisions had been installed on NJ TRANSIT trains at year-end 2017. A letter from the Federal
Railroad Administration expressed concerns over the agency’s progress in implementing PTC by the
year-end 2018 deadline.
Newly elected Governor Phil Murphy has begun taking steps to turn NJ TRANSIT around. Most
notable of which was a $242.0 million increase in the NJ TRANSIT budget to help the agency upgrade
its services, improve facilities, hire more staff and enhance communication with its customers- one of
the leading complaints voiced by commuters. Murphy’s budget will also enable NJ TRANSIT to avoid
a fare hike for its riders through at least mid-2019. A more efficient mass-transit system is seen as a
critical component needed to drive New Jersey’s future economic growth.