NJ TRANSIT continues to advance a resiliency project that will create a safe haven for rail cars and locomotives during extreme weather events and allow the agency to more quickly resume service following a weather event. The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors has approved a contract to initiate the construction phase of the Delco Lead Storage and Inspection Facility Project.
The project is part of NJ TRANSIT’s Resilience Program and calls for the creation of an additional storage location for rail cars and locomotives that will provide greater protection against future flooding. The centrally located Delco Lead along the Northeast Corridor in New Brunswick will allow rail cars and locomotives to be safely stored and protected from flooding during extreme weather events. The approved contract also allocates funding for 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.
“With the Delco Lead Storage and Inspection Facility Project, NJ TRANSIT is taking proactive steps to protect our rail assets from the growing threat of severe weather,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “This project will ensure that our rail equipment remains safe, while allowing us to more quickly resume critical rail service following an extreme weather event.”
With today’s action, the Board authorized NJ TRANSIT to enter into a contract with George Harms Construction Company, Inc., of Howell, New Jersey, in the amount of $497,977,585.35, plus 10 percent 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 contract includes 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 rapid inspection of rail equipment and its timely return to revenue service following an extreme weather event.
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, County Yard and associated four-mile-long Delco Lead were identified as safe-haven storage locations for rail cars and locomotives as they are above the flood plain with minimal adjacent trees. Strategically located along the Northeast Corridor, this project will provide resilient storage for NJ TRANSIT’s rail equipment in case Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, NJ or Morrisville yard in PA need evacuation.
A crew quarters building and employee parking lot at County Yard will also be constructed as part of this project.
NJ TRANSIT is recognized as America's largest statewide public transportation system providing over 925,000 weekday trips on 263 bus routes, three light rail lines, twelve commuter rail lines alongside Access Link paratransit services. It ranks third largest among U.S transit systems with its network including 166 railway stations linking key points across New Jersey extending into New York City & Philadelphia.
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