NJ TRANSIT RECEIVES FEDERAL GRANT TO STUDY NEWARK LIGHT RAIL MODERNIZATION
Funding Will Help Review Station Design And Improve ADA Compliance
July 12, 2022
NEWARK, NJ – NJ TRANSIT is the recipient of a $519,750 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to conduct a modernization study for Newark Light Rail that will examine options for improving station design and customer experience as well as making four stations accessible to people with disabilities. The four stations are the only stations that are not accessible to people with disabilities in the Newark Light Rail system. This study was one of 40 projects from 32 states and two territories selected to share $16.2 million to help reassess, redesign, and improve transportation services in marginalized communities across the country.
“Reliable and accessible public transportation is a lifeline for underserved communities in New Jersey,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “These federal funds will help ensure that Newark Light Rail customers have optimal access to public transportation.”
“NJ TRANSIT will now leverage these funds as a first step in implementing a series of accessibility, service, and customer experience improvements on our vital Newark Light Rail system, which the many residents of our state’s largest city rely on as their primary travel option,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “As NJ TRANSIT continues to aggressively pursue federal grant opportunities, we are pleased to once again be the recipient of a critically important FTA grant.”
This grant will assist NJ TRANSIT in its ongoing effort to engage and expand inclusion for customers with disabilities. This study will look to make Military Park, Warren Street/NJIT, Norfolk Street and Park Avenue stations accessible to people with disabilities as well as identify other customer experience improvements. All stations currently accessible are shown on the system map with the international symbol of accessibility.
The grant is provided through the FTA's Areas of Persistent Poverty (AoPP) program. FTA grants the awards on a competitive basis to state and local governments, transit agencies, and nonprofit organizations to create better transit for residents who have limited or no transportation options. AoPP grants are awarded for planning, engineering, and technical studies or financial plans to improve transit in Census-defined low-income areas. The program also supports coordinated human service transportation planning to improve transit service or provide new services, including paratransit.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 253 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.