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New Flyer XD60 Delivery And Discussion Thread


davemackey

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Looks like the XD60s are gonna see service on the 123 & 125 as well. If this article is correct, the rest should be arriving next month.

 

New, bigger NJ Transit buses coming to help routes ease overcrowding, long waits

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New, bigger NJ Transit buses coming to help routes ease overcrowding, long waits

Updated 8:39 AM; Today 8:39 AM

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By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

For too many commuters, the welcome site of an approaching bus can be followed by disappointment when it is too full and displays the dreaded “next bus” sign.

That will change on six NJ Transit routes that frequently see overcrowding and long lines of people waiting at bus stops. Commuters could start seeing the first of the new articulated buses on the road starting this spring, said Michael P. Kilcoyne, general manager of bus operations.

NJ Transit’s board of directors approved a $19.6 million contract Wednesday night with New Flyer of America to build 25 articulated buses. Those buses are the kind that bend in the middle and are longer than a regular transit bus and move more people.

They should be delivered in a little over a year, said Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit president and CEO.

The first 25 will deployed on “high traffic, heavy volume corridors that gets us increased capacity and reduced overcrowding,” Corbett said.

The articulated buses transport a maximum of 100 people, compared to 56 passenger capacity that a regular 40-foot bus can move, Kilcoyne said.

“It should reduce wait times. We can’t add more buses (to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but) we can run bigger buses,” he said.

The buses are being purchased with a $17.275 million Federal Transit Administration grant, awarded last November. The remaining $2.4 million is for spare parts and contingency costs.

Those buses will be added to 85 articulated buses that NJ Transit ordered for $65.8 million from New Flyer to replace 16-17 year old buses. The first 25 of those buses are expected to enter service in mid-April on six high volume routes.

They will allow service to be added to these New York commuter routes: 123 Jersey City-Union City, 126 Hoboken, 128 North Bergen Kennedy Boulevard east, 156 Englewood Cliff-Fort Lee, 158 Fort Lee-Edgewater and 159 Fort Lee.

Currently those routes have frequent commuter complaints about overcrowding, full buses that have to pass bus stops and lines of people waiting. The longer buses will especially bring relief to customers in North Hoboken on the 126 route who watch full buses have to pass them by, Kilcoyne said.

The new articulated buses will feature low floors, wheelchair ramps, USB ports, built-in video security systems, better intercom systems, and LED lighting.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

Edited by DaTransitMan4608
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Just confirmed that NFI Group, owners of MCI and New Flyer, have shut down all production facilities until at least May. This is going to adversely affect the current NJ Transit contracts for both MCI and New Flyer products.

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