NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri unveiled a plan Wednesday to replace every cloudy window in its fleet of multilevel rail cars within three years.
The $18.5 million dollar plan will replace 13,000 windows in the agency’s multilevel I and II rail cars, an effort started last year by Kolluri’s predecessor Kevin Corbett.
Kolluri decided to accelerate window replacement under his three-point plan to improve the customer experience, cutting the replacement time from as high as eight years to three.
Replacement of all windows on the entire fleet of nearly 400 multilevel I and multilevel II rail cars will be complete by April 2028.
Besides hearing from commuters about the problem, Kolluri said he also heard about the problem at home.
“My wife is a daily rider on NJ Transit. When pillow talk turns into cloudy windows on multi levels, you know you have a problem to fix and that’s one of the reasons I’m so glad,” Kolluri said. “I can tell my wife we are finally taking care of it.”
The announcement deals with a problem riders have complained about since 2022, windows that clouded over and were rendered opaque.
The non-transparent appearance, which looks like a very dirty window, was blamed on the effects of years of exposure to elements, acid rain, heat, and ultraviolet rays, officials said. Over time, its left the windows clouded and hard to see through.
Customer Advocate Franck Beaumin said complaints about the opaque windows was the first issue riders brought to him
“When I started in March, this was the first comment I received, so I’m glad to see this,” he said while standing inside one of the cars.
“One of the ways passengers know they’re on the right train and on the right line is to look out the window,” he said. “It’s also about knowing where you are and enjoying the trip.”
On Wednesday, Kolluri detailed plans while standing next to an entire train of multi levels with new windows. The plan calls for replacing the windows in one third of the fleet each year over three years.
“This is a project that is long overdue,” Kolluri said.
NJ Transit tried different cleaning solutions and worked with Rutgers engineering school to find a way to salvage the old glass, until the decision was made last year to replace them.
The oldest multilevel I cars are approaching their 20th year in service. Some, 209 cars are having their trucks - the structures that contain wheels and brakes rebuilt by Alstom, but NJ Transit will replace those windows, Kolluri said.
NJ Transit has changed cleaning protocols to use chemicals that won’t degrade the new polycarbonate plastic windows, said James Sincaglia, general manager of rail operations.
He looked out of a replaced window while inside one of the cars at a train of multi levels that still had their opaque windows.
“Before and after,” he said. ”It’s terrific."
Rail car windows have to meet federal standards for holding up when hit by a projectile and in case of a derailment. They also must be flexible enough so that passengers and rescuers can remove them to access the train in case of a derailment or a crash, according to Federal Railroad Administration standards.
The two most common rail car window materials are tempered glass and a polycarbonate plastic. Metro-North Railroad and NJ Transit use a single pane of polycarbonate glazing almost a half inch thick, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
The accelerated window replacement program delivers on the final of three priorities to improve the customer experience that Kolluri said he wanted under way in his 13 month tenure as CEO.
Other customer service initiatives that addressed Kolluri’s priorities of station cleanliness and better information for customers were announced last week. Both involve the deployment of customer service and station cleanliness teams in bright shirts.
Stories by Larry Higgs
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry
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