OFFICIALS GATHER FOR OPENING OF RESTORED SHELTER AT HISTORIC BLOOMFIELD STATION

Customer benefits include climate-controlled waiting area

June 30, 2008
NJT-08-050

NEWARK, NJ ¿ U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. and NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles joined Bloomfield Mayor Raymond McCarthy and other officials today to celebrate the reopening of the newly restored shelter at the historic Bloomfield Station on the Montclair-Boonton Line.

"I am pleased to have been able to secure funding toward a project that provides a more comfortable commuting environment for Bloomfield residents," said Pascrell, who secured the federal funding while a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

"This project is a great example of how the Federal Transit Administration and NJ TRANSIT can work together to improve the link between transportation and communities," said FTA Regional Administrator Brigid Hynes-Cherin.

"As a representative of this district, I am proud to have worked on ensuring that sufficient funding levels were directed toward making these improvements at Bloomfield Station," said State Senator Ronald L. Rice, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee.

"This project enabled us to provide an enhanced commuting experience for customers of Bloomfield Station while preserving a historic asset to the Township and the State," said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman Kris Kolluri.

Listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, the inbound shelter of Bloomfield Station suffered fire damage in 1991 and was stabilized in 2004 to preserve the structure for future rehabilitation. The completed project offers customers a restored and reopened shelter, with a climate-controlled waiting area, new lighting and seating.

Also today, Bloomfield Township officials joined Congressman Pascrell to unveil a new vehicle received through NJ TRANSIT¿s Community ShuttleProgram to expand the Township¿s jitney bus service. Communities that participate in the program receive mini-buses¿leased at no charge¿to operate commuter shuttles to train stations and bus corridors during peak hours.

"With connecting bus service and a Community Shuttle stop right at the station, Bloomfield Station is a model of intermodality, where customers can transfer with ease between shuttles or buses and the train," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles.

"NJ TRANSIT¿s investment in Bloomfield Station has not only provided a safer, more comfortable commute for our Township residents," said Bloomfield Township Mayor Raymond McCarthy. "It has restored the historic character of a building that is at the heart of our central business district."

In May 2007, the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors awarded a $1.3 million contract to Watertrol, Inc. of Cranford, NJ to rehabilitate the inbound shelter and restore the boarding platforms.

The project included installation of new windows, floor tiles, lighting and seating, as well as heating and air conditioning in the waiting area. The project also called for the repair and staining of the concrete platform and canopy, strengthening of roof supports and installation of new roofing tiles.

Serving more than 900 customers on a typical weekday, Bloomfield Station is NJ TRANSIT¿s third busiest outlying station on the Montclair-Boonton Line.

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing nearly 865,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 164 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.