1 Year After Hoboken Train Crash: How Has NJ Transit Improved Safety?

HOBOKEN, NJ — It’s almost been a year since a tragic NJ Transit train crash at Hoboken Terminal killed a woman and injured 114 other commuters. But what have authorities done in that time to improve safety at the busy station, which services thousands of riders in the New Jersey-New York area?

On Thursday, NJ Transit officials released a list of “rail safety upgrades” the agency has made over the past year at Hoboken Terminal, as the Sept. 29 anniversary of Fabiola Bittar de Kroon’s passing approaches.

• See related article: Tears For Young Mother Killed In Hoboken Train Crash As Probe Continues
• See related article: Family Of Killed Woman Plans To Sue NJ Transit

Alleged violations at Hoboken Terminal found by federal inspectors just months before the crash included failure to equip trains with required emergency equipment, crew members failing to perform required brake tests on trains, and trains stopping too close to each other.

• See related article: Inspectors Found Safety Issues Prior To Fatal Hoboken Train Crash
• See related article: NJ Transit Train May Have Been Speeding During Fatal Hoboken Crash

The exact cause of the crash has not yet been identified, NJ Transit stated Thursday.

“NJ Transit continues taking immediate actions to better protect our customers, our employees and the public,” Executive Director Steve Santoro said. “The steps we’ve taken so far are moving us in the right direction and we continually raise the bar higher each and every day.”

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SAFETY INITIATIVES AT HOBOKEN TERMINAL

According to NJ Transit, the agency is currently in the process of replacing all stub end tracks at Hoboken Terminal with new sliding friction bumper blocks, as well as advancing a speed control system for trains entering Hoboken Terminal.

Other initiatives this past year include enhanced sleep apnea screening and testing, adding additional personnel to the front of trains entering certain stations and reducing speed limits, all of which had been scrutinized by federal inspectors after the crash.

• See related article: Feds Eschew Test For Sleep Disorder Linked To Hoboken Train Crash

According to officials, NJ Transit’s recent safety efforts at Hoboken Terminal have included:

• In October 2016, NJ Transit implemented an interim measure where any safety sensitive rail employee who exhibits any indication of potential fatigue symptoms is immediately removed from service until they obtain the appropriate documentation attesting to the satisfactory results or the condition is not present. This initiative was formalized as policy in April 2017.
• To date, 350 of 370 engineers and nearly a third of more than a thousand conductors have been screened for sleep apnea. By the end of September, all locomotive engineers will be screened for sleep apnea.
• NJ Transit has advanced the installation of forward and inward facing cameras on trains. To date, nearly 84% of trains now have forward facing cameras and more than 73% of the rail fleet has inward facing cameras, which are focused on the engineer’s actions. NJ Transit expects to have both cameras in the entire fleet by year’s end.
• Rail Operations implemented a new initiative which requires the conductor to ride in the front cab of trains, along with the engineer, when entering terminals in Hoboken, Penn Station New York, Atlantic City, Princeton, Gladstone and the Meadowlands station.
• Speed limits entering Hoboken, Atlantic City, Princeton and the Meadowlands Rail Station have been reduced from 10 mph to 5 mph as a proactive measure.
• Rail Operations has increased the penalty for cell phone infractions, now up to a 90-day suspension for a first time violation.
• The Office of System Safety (OSS) continues to hire and backfill key safety positions including a Deputy Chief Safety Officer, Industrial Hygienist, Environmental Safety Specialist and Safety Education Program Specialist.
• OSS conducted 16 safety blitzes at key grade crossings and stations to educate and reinforce rail safety to customers and the public.
• This past year, the New Jersey Transit Police Department worked with a number of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and emergency responders, providing emergency response training for 750 first responders, and rail safety training for an additional 550 first responders.

Are you satisfied with NJ Transit's response since the Sept. 29 crash at Hoboken Terminal? Let us know why (or why not) in the comments section.

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Main Photo: National Transportation Safety Board