Get a first look at the NJ Transit train commuters have been waiting for

The first of NJ Transit’s new Multilevel III railcars that will replace the 1970s era Arrow III trains that commuters love to hate for their balky reliability was unveiled Wednesday with Gov. Phil Murphy touring the railcar in Kearny.
“To say they are a leap forward from the 40-something year-old cars we now operate is the understatement of the decade,” Murphy said after a ceremony inside NJ Transit’s Meadowlands Maintenance Complex. “It’s an extraordinary step forward … they will be faster and more comfortable.”
For commuters the most important feature is the 174 Multilevel III cars will be more reliable than the trouble prone old rail cars they replace, rolling an estimated 400,000 miles between breakdowns, compared to 20,000 miles for the Arrow III’s they will replace, officials said.
NJ Transit mean distance between failures, or how far trains travel between break downs, had plummeted to roughly 50,000 miles for the rail fleet in September, down from a high of 95,000 miles in January, according to agency data.
Generally older trains drag those reliability numbers down, while adding new equipment increases the mileage between failures.
How does that translate to easing the problems that caused this years “summer of hell” of train delays, cancellations and service suspensions that plagued riders between May and August?
“On the summer of hell, we hear you,” Murphy said. “We inherited a mess including ancient equipment.
“This is a statement that were going to give commuters what they deserve in this extraordinary leap forward in the technology of these cars. These will be faster, more on time and more reliable.”
While Murphy said “60% of the problems this summer were Amtrak’s,” NJ Transit data showed mechanical problems were responsible for 116 canceled trains in September, out of a total of 167 cancelations. By comparison, Amtrak issues are blamed for 31 canceled trains that month, which are the most recent figures.
Murphy said NJ Transit and Amtrak officials will have another summit on Nov. 20 featuring a joint partnership between the agencies he announced on July 27. As part of that effort, Amtrak is applying for $299 million in federal grants which includes replacing trouble prone overhead power wire and signal wire between North Brunswick and Newark.
The governor said the state could fund it’s 10% of the local matching funds either through the Corporate Transit Fee, approved in July, or funding that the New Jersey Turnpike Authority already provides to NJ Transit.
Murphy called the new railcars “extraordinary” and an example of progress in dealing with some of the “summer of hell” problems.
“These rail cars will be a game changer for New Jersey commuters,” said Michael Culotta, Federal Transit Administration regional administrator. “It’s another example of how the federal government is investing in transit.”
Passengers will be able to plug in and charge their phones and devices at every seat, where a USB and USC receptacle are available. The new cars have brighter LED lighting that can be automatically dimmed or brightened according to conditions or time of day, officials said.
LED video screens are located at each end of the new cars that display station stops and other information.
The cars are also faster and equipped to travel at a maximum speed of 110 mph, higher than the 100-mph speed limit of the Multilevel I and II cars, officials said.
Passengers who rely on wheelchairs or other rolling mobility devices will find it easier to get on and off the new cars. Each one comes equipped with a bridge plate to make it easier to rollover the gap between the train and station platform. Previously, train crews had to locate and use bridge plates stored on station platforms.
Car 8501, displayed Wednesday is a Multilevel III trailer car that will be part of a train set that include self-propelled electric multiple unit cars instead of being powered by a locomotive. A power car wasn’t on display, the first is being shipped to build Alstom plant for assembly and testing. Then the first four cars will go to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pueblo, Colorado, facility for testing between February and May 2025.
The first Multilevel III train sets are expected to enter service in mid-2025.
The 174-car order of Multilevel III’s cost a total of $958 million, of which $567.5 million was funded by the Federal Transit Administration.
That order breaks down to 113 ordered in December 2018, which are expected to be all be in serve in 2026 allow NJ Transit to retire the Arrow III railcar fleet, NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett said.
An additional 25 Multilevel IIIs ordered as part of the Portal North Bridge project to replace an aging 114-year old swing bridge over the Hackensack River in Kearny are expected to be in passenger service in late 2027, he said.
In July 2024, the NJ Transit board approved purchasing an additional 36 Multilevel III cars, which Corbett said would hit the rails in 2028.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry