SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1983

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  AUGUST 10, 2020

      The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 1983.

      As amended and reported, this bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) to adopt a contingency plan in the event that a rail passenger train or light rail vehicle owned or operated by NJ Transit becomes immobilized inside of a tunnel.  The plan is to provide that NJ Transit exercise due diligence to safely relocate the train or vehicle to a location outside of the tunnel within one hour of the immobilization.  If that is not possible, the plan is to require NJ Transit to exercise due diligence to safely evacuate the passengers from the train or vehicle and relocate them to a location outside of the tunnel within one hour of the immobilization.

     If NJ Transit fails to safely evacuate and relocate the passengers within one hour, NJ Transit is required to issue a report to the Legislature and to appear before any legislative committee, upon request by that committee, explaining why NJ Transit failed to meet the required timeframe. 

      The committee amended the bill to provide that the report that details why NJ Transit failed to safely evacuate and relocate passengers within the required timeframe is to be issued to the Legislature.