CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS UNVEIL NEW RAIL SAFETY SYSTEM AT PLAUDERVILLE STATION

⿿Another Train Coming⿝ signs installed as part of a pilot program

September 21, 2012
NJT-12-077

NEWARK, NJ — Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Simpson joined NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein today at Plauderville Station in Garfield to unveil a new “Another Train Coming” rail safety device designed to enhance pedestrian safety around the tracks.  The installation is part of an ongoing effort to ramp up rail safety across the state through recommendations from the NJ Safety at Railroad Crossings Leadership Oversight Committee. 

“Ensuring the safety of NJ TRANSIT customers and residents in the communities we serve requires a multifaceted approach, which is what the committee aims to achieve through its ‘E-cubed’ tactics—Engineering, Enforcement and Education,” said Commissioner Simpson.  “While Plauderville Station’s new technological warning system represents the engineering component, it will be supported by an array of other initiatives, including crossing enforcement by the NJ TRANSIT Police Department and NJ TRANSIT’s continuous efforts to educate our school children through our successful Rail Safety Program.”  

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and NJ TRANSIT recently installed the “Another Train Coming” warning system at the Outwater Lane grade crossing, adjacent to the Plauderville rail station.  The warning system consists of active signs in all four quadrants of the rail crossing, with an LED text message that reads, “DANGER, Another Train Coming,” as well as an audio component that repeatedly sounds the same message. The “Another Train Coming” warning system is activated whenever two trains are in the immediate vicinity of the crossing.  For example, if one train is already in the station, and another is approaching on the other track (out of view), the system will provide a warning to pedestrians who might consider crossing the tracks illegally with the gates in the down position.  The system reinforces the fact that just because one train is leaving the station does not mean it is “safe” to walk around the downed crossing gates. The system is designed to provide an additional warning to pedestrians to remain behind the crossing gates even after the one train they may be aware of has left the station.

“Thanks to the leadership of Commissioner Simpson, the system we are piloting at Outwater Lane, in concert with our other safety efforts, will ultimately save lives,” said Executive Director Weinstein.  “Together with NJDOT and the members of the oversight committee, we are delivering on our pledge to do everything possible to enhance pedestrian safety and prevent accidental deaths on the NJ TRANSIT system.”

NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT implemented the “Another Train Coming” warning system as part of a pilot program recommended by the NJ Safety at Railroad Crossings Leadership Oversight Committee, comprised of representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NJ Department of Education, State Police, Motor Vehicle Commission and NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety, NJ TRANSIT Police, NJDOT, NJ TRANSIT and Operation Lifesaver.  Commissioner Simpson convened the committee in the wake of two separate incidents in October 2011 that claimed the lives of three teenagers on NJ TRANSIT tracks.   

At the direction of Commissioner Simpson, the committee was tasked with developing strategies in the areas of Engineering, Enforcement and Education in order to ramp up safety across the State’s rail network, particularly in areas where trains travel through densely populated neighborhoods, with the goal of reducing overall fatalities and accidents at railroad grade crossings.

NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT are conducting the “Another Train Coming” pilot program at Plauderville Station to test the effectiveness of the signs and determine whether this type of system may be used on other grade crossings in the NJ TRANSIT rail system.  The Volpe Center, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is participating in the evaluation and analysis of the warning sign’s effectiveness under an agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration. 

In addition to the “Another Train Coming” signs, NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT made several other enhancements to the Outwater Lane grade crossing, including an additional pedestrian gate, a delineated sidewalk and 300 feet of additional fencing along the railroad right of way.

Among other engineering action items recommended by the committee is a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of “gate skirts,” which create a barrier below an activated grade-crossing gate to deter pedestrians from “ducking” under.  NJ TRANSIT continues testing the gate skirts at Aberdeen-Matawan Station.

In addition, at the direction of Commissioner Simpson and the committee, NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT will deploy variable message signs (VMS) starting in October, rotating them among high-risk grade-crossing locations to remind pedestrians of the importance of obeying warning and safety devices. 

The “Another Train Coming” warning system cost approximately $83,000, funded by the State.

Located on the Bergen County Line, Plauderville Station serves approximately 450 customers on a typical weekday.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 260 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the second largest transit system in the country with 164 rail stations, 61 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.