Officials Call For Investigation Into NJ Transit Train Blocking Flood Gates In Bound Brook

BOUND BROOK, NJ — Local legislatures are calling for an independent investigation of the flooding of Bound Brook that occurred after a disabled New Jersey Transit train blocked the town's protective floodgates from closing during Hurricane Ida.

Senator Michael Doherty, Assemblyman John DiMaio, and Assemblyman Erik Peterson (all R-23) will be introducing the legislation for the independent investigation.

"It's extremely concerning that the $300 million floodgate system that was put in place to protect Bound Brook from flooding was defeated by a disabled NJ Transit train that shouldn't have been running," said Doherty. "We need a transparent, independent review of this incident to understand what processes failed during Ida to ensure it doesn’t happen again."

On Sept. 1 at about 9:30 p.m. Raritan Valley Line train 5451 became surrounded by swift-moving flash floodwaters and debris as a result of the unprecedented volume of rainfall in a condensed period of time that far exceeded any of the forecast projections, according to NJ Transit Emma Wright.

"Subsequently, a request was made by local officials to allow the flood gates to close, however, the train was unable to move due to the extreme flooding and debris. We had to wait for the floodwaters to sufficiently recede in order to clear debris and perform the necessary safety inspections on the track infrastructure before sending equipment to the location of the disabled train to tow it from the scene," said Wright.

The Somerset County Emergency Operations Center had previously said on Sept. 1 it was planning to take action and close two flood gates in Bound Brook due to predicted flooding on the Raritan and Millstone Rivers.

"In anticipation of flash flooding and to protect residents, businesses and properties in Bound Brook, Somerset County Public Works is planning to close the flood gate on East Street at 8 a.m. on [Sept. 2]," said the county.

The Queens Bridge, which crosses the Raritan River between Bound Brook and South Bound Brook, may also need to be closed at 9 a.m. Sept. 2.

However, due to the large volume of rain and flooding, the floodgates were closed earlier than anticipated.

DiMaio pointed out there were National Weather Service warnings that stated flash floods were likely along the Raritan Valley Line as a result of Ida, along with numerous reports of actual flooding by the time the train was stuck.

"Why didn't New Jersey Transit or Governor Murphy take the warnings seriously enough? Why didn't anyone think to halt the trains in a safe place after flooding was reported? Because of these failures, Bound Brook flooded yet again," said DiMaio.

"While it took decades to plan and build Bound Brook’s flood control system, it took just seconds for a stuck train to prevent it from working," said Peterson. "Since NJ Transit may bear some legal liability for the flood damage to homes and businesses that resulted, we shouldn’t leave it up to them to tell us what went wrong. We need an impartial, independent review to ensure that the people of Bound Brook get the honest answers they deserve."

NJ Transit declined to comment.

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