Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Will help the four major transit agencies in New York and New Jersey that sustained the greatest damage from Hurricane Sandy. Nearly one-third of the money is set aside to help the agencies begin investing in resiliency projects to help ensure that their transit assets are better able to withstand future disasters, such as major floods.

The majority of the funds will go to the transit agencies that incurred the greatest expenses while preparing for and recovering from Hurricane Sandy — N.Y. MTA, PATH, NJ Transit and NYC DOT.

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act authorized a total of $10.9 billion, which is now reduced by 5%, or $545 million, because of the mandatory budget cuts known as sequestration that took effect on March 1.

Officials reviewed infrastructure for flood mitigation, but more preventive measures may not have helped because of the age and location of the station.

The new control center will allow PATH trains to operate on four-minute headway, which along new signals and extended station platforms, will add 20% more capacity from current levels. The station is set to open in January.

The new station will accommodate increased ridership at Harrison and eventually along the entire Newark-World Trade Center PATH line, with the addition of longer platforms to accommodate 10-car trains instead of the current eight-car limit.

Railcar operators are being trained in the simulator, which features animated videos and tilting and shaking effects.

In a pilot that includes NJ Transit, MTA and the Port Authority, customers will not have to use cash or fare cards from multiple agencies and will not have to wait in line at ticket machines.

The work, awarded to Skanska USA, includes construction of four rail platforms and the installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; plumbing work, fire protection, architectural finishes, and ADA compliance measures.

Ansaldo STS USA will centralize PATH's communication network into one, fully integrated system.