NJ Transit commuters who’ve complained about windows on some trains that are so foggy they can’t see what station they’re at are finally getting relief.
The multilevel rail cars with the worst clouded over, opaque windows will have them replaced starting now, as the cars begin to go through mid-life overhauls, NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett said Wednesday in response to an inquiry by NJ Advance Media.
The oldest multilevel rail cars deployed between 2005 and 2007 are approaching age 20, when railcars are typically overhaul.
“I was on a train yesterday going to New York for a meeting and had the same issue,” said Corbett.
The replacement decision ends two years of waiting for the agency to pursue an option to deal with the windows.
The problem that’s lingered since being identified in fall 2022 is not one that can be simply solved by using window cleaner, a squeegee and some elbow grease, since crews already tried hand washing the cloudy windows without success. The issue has affected both generations of NJ Transit’s multilevel cars.
NJ Transit had worked with Rutgers University engineering school on solutions to restore the plastic windows to a state that riders could see through.
When asked if a cleaning chemical caused the problem, Corbett said the issue was blamed on the effect of ultraviolet rays from the sun affecting the polycarbonate train windows.
“The chemical may have exacerbated it, but it’s a UV issue,” Corbett said. “we were working with Rutgers to fix the existing windows and there is one solution that seems to work okay.”
In the end, replacement is the more cost effective choice to get it done when the Multilevel I and II cars are overhauled, a process that is starting now Corbett said.
“Overall we’re looking to, when we overhaul those vehicles, to replace the windows,” he said. “We’re starting as each train comes in for overhaul.”
The multilevel I and II cars also are receiving electronics upgrades so they can integrate with the (new) Multi level III cars, he said.
The first four self propelled Multilevel III cars which are part of a 113 car order made in December 2018 are scheduled to be tested by the Federal Railroad Administration.
Stories by Larry Higgs
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry