NJ Transit train riders urge agency to 'do better.' Here's what the CEO, board had to say

NJ Transit riders were in search of solutions on Wednesday night at the agency's monthly board meeting about what is being done to improve their commutes – but didn’t get a whole lot of answers.

Their asks were simple:

• Improve communication on the NJ Transit app and station boards where track numbers are unreliable and trains disappear from the board; do a better job of informing station staff and rail crew about changes so they can communicate with riders
• Make better contingency plans so there are more buses or trains when cancellations happen and cross-honor with every mode of transportation, including the MTA and ferries
• Do more to prevent overcrowding in stations and on trains, especially when air conditioning isn’t working
• Communicate with customers how these improvements will be achieved

But the phrase most repeated was: “Do better.”

Gregory Fabiano, an Elizabeth resident, said he has had five-hour commutes some days and has raised his concerns to every member on the board but received no response.

“There is no accountability, there is nobody telling us what’s going to happen,” Fabiano said. “You can’t even dignify us with a response. … You have the sphere of influence to make sure these changes are happening, you have the power to make it happen.”

More: NJ Transit riders' irritation grows with summer of delays, canceled trains

Except for Francis O’Connor, the board chairman, who assured commuters they are listening and take to heart their concerns, no other board members spoke up Wednesday in response to the asks, issues and complaints of rail riders.

NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett began his remarks by apologizing to customers about “the recent impacts to rail service, which clearly has not met ours, much less our customers’, expectations.”

He acknowledged the disruption customers experienced when the agency pre-emptively announced a number of trains that would be cancelled due to “heat-related” equipment issues. But he quickly shifted to updates with Amtrak and the work the two agencies have undertaken in recent months to dive into root causes of why Amtrak’s wires have tangled with NJ Transit’s power equipment atop the train. A joint review of their investigation is being finalized and will identify projects to prioritize funding for.

But NJ Transit’s mechanical issues were not discussed in-depth, even though several customers sought answers about whether the agency is having trouble maintaining its rolling stock and what is being done to prevent maintenance problems, which has been the leading cause of train cancellations since 2021.

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“I hear a lot discussion about Amtrak and the infrastructure issues, but what I don’t hear is a discussion about rail operations maintenance,” said Adam Reich, a Northeast Corridor commuter. “Riders know what type of equipment they’re riding, we want to know what the trends are and when you are going to fix them.”

Julie Lew described a recent experience of waiting in New York Penn Station for her track number to appear, only to see her train disappear from the board and never reappear. After running around in a panic, she barely made out “Maplewood” over the public announcement system and raced around to find out what track the train was on.

“I ask that you acknowledge there is an issue with relaying gate numbers and changes in service to passengers, investigate the cause of these issues and propose solutions,” Lew said.

During questions with reporters after the meeting, Corbett said they are aware of the DepartureVision and track communication problems and are actively trying to fix them..

“The way it was originally programmed is that if the train is cancelled or stops or doesn’t go any further, when it doesn’t go any further it just blanks the screen so you get that it disappears like a phantom train,” Corbett said, adding that they are trying to figure out a way to enable better GPS tracking. “That’s one of our top priorities.”

Ultimately, straphangers said they wanted to start a dialogue with the agency so these problems can get fixed.

“Just hoping that the board really takes into consideration the three asks in hopes that we can continue making NJ Transit better,” said Sarah Ross, another commuter. “I want public transit to work.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Transit train riders urge agency to 'do better.' Here's what the CEO, board had to say