Rail Passengers Now Have Heat at the Westwood Station

Waiting at the  became more pleasant this week after a new heating system was installed.

Heat was restored about a month after the .

According to Borough Administrator Robert Hoffmann, who visited the station in the center of Westwood Thursday afternoon, it is warm and comfortable.

"Come next week when the majority of the 400 people that use train station every day are out, they will be waiting in a warm environment," Hoffmann said.

He explained that the radiant heating system is very efficient, and it feels comfortable at what some might consider a low thermostat setting.

"Even though the temperature is set at 62 [degrees], the ambient temperature is probably warmer," he said. "It's a very efficient system."

Hoffmann said that when the heat rises, it bounces off stainless steel reflectors and heats the tiled floor. He said when he visited Thursday and touched the floor, it was much warmer than it used to be.

The thermostat is set to 62 degrees because the station isn't continually occupied and because the doors are opened throughout the day as passengers board trains. "If you have the heat set higher, you're heating the outside," Hoffmann said.

The borough hasn't received a bill for the work yet, according to Hoffmann, but the resolution council members adopted in November allowed for $8,500 to be spent on the project.

The borough had to replace the broken heating system after NJ Transit refused to cover the cost. The system broke down last winter.