INNOVATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM

The majority of rail transit in New Jersey is in the north of the state. Transportation initiatives have also been ongoing, however, in the southern part of the state. In November 1996, the NJ Transit Board adopted an alignment from Camden to Trenton as the initial operating corridor of the Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit System (SNJLRTS). A contractor has been awarded a contract for the design, build, operation, and maintenance of the line, with a total contract duration exceeding 13 years. The project includes a number of innovations, in terms of the light rail system application, the way in which it was specified, and the way in which it will be operated to provide the required passenger service. SNJLRTS is the first application of modern diesel-powered light rail cars in North America, and the first street-running application of such cars in the world. Operation of the light rail passenger service is planned for the daytime, with the existing freight operation transferring to the nighttime, thus representing the newest application of light rail on operating freight tracks. NJ Transit, from the beginning of this project, set certain goals for both the procurement and the project as a whole, by which success would be measured. Primary among these was that reliable service should be provided at minimum project cost. The procurement strategy was developed to carefully manage procurement risks. The key to realizing the project has been reaching agreement for the shared use of the alignment by freight and light rail passenger services. The development of the project, the innovative elements of the procurement, and the steps taken to achieve regulatory and local agreement of the provision of both passenger and freight services sharing the same tracks are discussed.