NJ TRANSIT celebrated the groundbreaking of the County Yard and Delco Lead Storage and Inspection Facility Project. 

The project is part of NJ TRANSIT’s Resilience Program and will create an additional resilient storage location for railcars and locomotives that will provide greater protection against future flooding. 

Impact of the Delco Lead Facility

The centrally located Delco Lead, along the Northeast Corridor in New Brunswick, will allow railcars and locomotives to be safely stored and protected during extreme weather events. 

The project also includes the construction of a new Service and Inspection facility on the adjacent grounds to quickly inspect and return the equipment to service once a weather event has passed.

“This groundbreaking marks another significant milestone in NJ TRANSIT’s mission to create a more resilient and reliable transit system,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “By investing in resilient infrastructure, NJ TRANSIT is not only protecting critical assets, but also ensuring we can continue delivering reliable service to our customers when they need it most.”

Building the Facility

In September 2024, the George Harms Construction Company, Inc., of Howell, New Jersey was awarded the contract — in the amount of $497,977,585.35, plus 10% for contingencies — for the reconstruction of four miles of the existing Delco Lead track, and the construction of an adjacent track — approximately one mile long — from County Yard to North Brunswick. County Yard and Delco Lead, due to their location above the floodplain, provide an ideal storage location for rail cars during extreme weather events. 

Additionally, the project calls for the construction of a 1,250-foot-long Service and Inspection Facility. 

The new facility will be used for inspection and light maintenance of trains, spare parts storage, two 12-car inspection tracks, and five 12-car storage tracks. The new facility will allow for the rapid inspection of rail equipment and its timely return to service following an extreme weather event. 

In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the County Yard and associated four-mile-long Delco Lead were identified as safe-haven storage locations for rail cars and locomotives as the land and yard are above the floodplain with a minimal number of adjacent trees. 

Strategically located along the Northeast Corridor, the Delco Lead Project will provide resilient storage for NJ TRANSIT’s rail equipment in the event the Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, NJ, and Morrisville, Pa. yards are evacuated. 

A crew quarters and employee parking lot at County Yard will also be constructed as part of the project.