NJ TRANSIT RECEIVES $75 MILLION GRANT FROM THE FTA FOR NEW RAIL MAINTENANCE OF WAY FACILITY
Larger, State Of The Art Energy-Efficient Facility Enhances Rail Equipment Maintenance to Support Infrastructure State-of-Good-Repair Efforts
February 6, 2024
NEWARK, NJ – The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced today that it has awarded a $75 million grant to NJ TRANSIT for the construction of a new rail maintenance of way (MOW) facility in Clifton. The new facility will replace an obsolete and flood-prone MOW facility in Wood-Ridge. The funds are part of the FTA’s Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program.
“This $75 million grant for a new rail maintenance facility in Clifton is a much-needed investment in resilient infrastructure in a flood-prone area of our state,” said U.S. Senator Cory Booker. “This more sustainable, modern facility will help improve safety and reliability for commuters for years to come.”
“Building resilient infrastructure is imperative in a region so devastated by frequent flooding. This $75 million federal grant is a massive step in the right direction and can help keep the trains running on schedule,” stated Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09). “Hurricane Ida caused extensive damage to NJ TRANSIT’S existing Maintenance of Way facility in Wood-Ridge, which continues to serve our North Jersey communities despite the facility’s increased risk of future storm damage. The federal aid we are announcing today will help protect NJ TRANSIT operations in our area and prevent delays along our rail lines.”
“The new facility in Clifton will enable us to better maintain and enhance our rail infrastructure, which translates to better, more reliable service for our customers” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “We are grateful to the FTA for this generous $75 million grant as we continue to modernize maintenance operations to meet the future demands of New Jersey’s growing population and the transportation needs of our customers.”
The current 70-year-old facility, located at 58 Passaic Street in Wood-Ridge, sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Ida in 2021 and continues to be risk prone to destructive weather events. The operations at the site include maintenance of rail maintenance of way equipment that is used to keep the rail infrastructure in a state of good repair systemwide, rebuilding of signal relays, construction of new signal bungalows and crewing of staff that maintains NJ TRANSIT’S Main, Bergen County and Pascack Valley Lines. In addition to the risk of flooding, the existing MOW facility’s lack of expansion potential, projected future needs for more intensive MOW operations, an aging infrastructure and a need for additional space for parking and vehicle storage has demonstrated a need to relocate the MOW facility to a larger and more up to date facility.
The new facility, currently in the preliminary design phase, will be located on NJ TRANSIT property on Kuller Rd. in Clifton, which is at higher elevation.
The new MOW will be an energy-efficient, state of the art facility which will allow the maintenance equipment to remain in a state of good repair which improves on-time performance and safety for NJ TRANSIT’s customers.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 263 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 166 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.