Continual efforts to protect and improve Hoboken rail service was approved by the New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) Board of Directors by awarding a contract to upgrade the signal power and yard power in Hoboken Rail Yard.
The improvements include replacing and elevating equipment that was inundated with storm waters from Superstorm Sandy.
“Superstorm Sandy hit our Hoboken Terminal hard, but – as evidenced by our ability to resume most of our service within 24 hours following Tropical Storm Ida – today’s NJ Transit has learned from the hard lessons of the past,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “I am grateful to our board for recognizing the urgent need to protect this historic, multi-modal transit hub from the impacts of future storms for the thousands of customers who travel to and from Hoboken every day.”
DMR Construction of Waldwick, N.J., was awarded the construction services contract for $39.9 million. AECOM will provide construction management services for $4.1 million.
This project will provide storm flood resilient aerial distribution of the Signal and Yard Power Feeders, including aerial distribution of one of the primary 2.4kV Signal Power Feeders, installation of steel monopoles, aerial distribution of 15kV Power Feeders from the new Henderson Substation and the new Depot Substation, and the replacement of Days Yard Wayside Power System.
On Oct. 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy’s storm surge caused significant damage to Hoboken Terminal and Yard. The equipment in the yard consisting of underground cables, pad mounted transformers and wayside power equipment were inundated with storm surge waters.
NJ Transit’s Hoboken Terminal and Rail Yard serves approximately 30,000 customers daily (pre-COVID-19 ridership). This major terminal is an intermodal facility served by nine NJ Transit commuter rail lines, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rapid transit system, bus service and New York Waterway ferry services. The Hoboken Rail Yard is located in the cities of Hoboken and Jersey City in Hudson County, N.J.
NJ Transit’s comprehensive Resilience Program aligns with the mission to make the transit system and infrastructure stronger and more reliable for the people and communities NJ Transit serves each day. Extreme weather events such as Superstorm Sandy helped identify vulnerabilities within the transportation infrastructure of one of the country’s most densely populated regions, the Northeast. The likelihood of more frequent severe weather events underscores the need to build a stronger, more resilient transportation system a high priority for the area.
