The State of New Jersey announced that NJ TRANSIT will receive $843,750 in federal funds to develop a validated forecast and warning system in partnership with Stevens Institute of Technology located in Hoboken, New Jersey. The system will be designed to provide real-time information on the potential magnitude of surge events.
The information the warning system can provide will be critical to implementing time-sensitive and location-specific protocols of NJ TRANSIT’s emergency response plan. Using monitor station water level and atmospheric forecasts, the warning system can provide actionable information. This better advance notice will allow for a more effective relocation of equipment from possible flood areas to safe havens, or earlier customer alerts on the potential for service disruption or suspension. Hoboken Terminal and the adjacent rail yard as well as the Meadows Maintenance Complex were inundated by storm waters in 2012 resulting is a suspension of passenger rail service and millions of dollars in repairs.
Governor Christie said “My Administration is dedicated to ending a cycle of storm-driven damage and repair. Innovative projects like this help us get ahead of events and take steps to reduce or avoid impacts and that’s good stewardship of taxpayer assets and infrastructure.”
“The development of this system compliments the wider program of resilience for which NJ TRANSIT was recently awarded more than $1.2 billion in federal funds and includes safe havens for equipment storage; protection of the rail signal and communications network; a new bridge across the Raritan River; new platforms and track at Hoboken Terminal; and, a dedicated and independent power generation system,” said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman Jamie Fox.
“We’re pleased to be working with Stevens Institute of Technology to develop and implement this new warning system,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim. “Working with a Hoboken-based University to protect the important and historic Hoboken Rail Terminal is a partnership focused on success.”
The funding is provided through the Office of Mobility Innovation, United States Department of Transportation/Federal Transit Administration. The grant was awarded as a result of an application submitted by NJ TRANSIT in the Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency Response and Recovery Research Demonstrations category.
