NJ Transit launches strategic and capital plans to guide agency through 2030

New Jersey Transit’s (NJ Transit) 10-year strategic plan was unveiled by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and NJ Transit CEO and President Kevin Corbett. The plan, entitled NJT2030: A 10-Year Strategic Plan, is complementary to the Five-Year Capital Plan.

Together, these plans provide the vision for the agency to build the future of transportation in New Jersey and with it, drive a 21st century economy in an accountable, transparent and environmentally-sustainable way.

“Before our current public health emergency, we made critical investments and undertook long-overdue reforms to NJ Transit’s operations which have unquestionably improved reliability and performance,” said Gov. Murphy. “To safeguard that progress, NJT2030 and the Five-Year Capital Plan put forward the vision for how NJ Transit will address a decade-long period of disinvestment, and further transform the agency’s core business functions to regain the confidence of customers, stakeholders and the communities it serves.”

"The issuance of NJ Transit’s first strategic plan and the accompanying capital plan mark an important step in fulfilling Gov. Murphy’s commitment to restore NJ Transit to one of the nation’s leading public transportation agencies,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “Together, they provide the vision and path to deliver a public transportation system that is safe, efficient and reliable for all our customers."

NJ Transit CEO and President Kevin Corbett added, “Through these plans, we will build on the significant progress we’ve already made, support our state’s economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and lay out a path forward for the next 10 years. The initiatives and metrics within these plans hold us accountable to our customers and stakeholders, while guiding our actions and decisions that will deliver a modernized, best-in-class transit system for the people of New Jersey.”

NJT2030: A 10-Year Strategic Plan

As the first strategic plan of its kind for NJ Transit, NJT2030 begins with a vision to transform the agency into an innovative, world-class public transportation provider that meets the travel needs of every customer.

To achieve that vision, NJT2030 establishes five over-arching goals:

• Ensure the reliability and continued safety of the transit system.
• Deliver a high-quality experience for all customers, with their entire journey in mind.
• Power a stronger and fairer economy for all communities in the region.
• Promote a more sustainable future for the planet.
• Build an accountable, innovative and inclusive organization that delivers for New Jersey.

To realize these goals, NJT2030 includes deliverables within the first two years, in years three through five, and years six through 10 of the plan. Highlights include:

• Improving on-time-performance;
• Increasing service on the most congested bus routes;
• Rail and bus fleet replacement, including the advancement of the net-zero emissions bus program;
• Upgrading information technology systems;
• Station rehabilitations; and
• Improving accessibility to the system.

The primary focus of this plan is putting customers at the center of the agency’s decision-making. Based on feedback from customers, elected officials, transit advocates and other external stakeholders, more than 100 specific strategic initiatives have been laid out for NJ Transit to achieve and implement between now and 2030.

NJ Transit has addressed the impacts of COVID-19 in the strategic plan with actions to give customers and transit operators confidence as the state begins its restart and recovery, including enhanced cleaning, social distancing and the use of personal protective equipment among both customers and employees, enhanced communications and greater cooperation with regional transit partners to defend against spread of the virus and share best practices.

NJ Transit: A 5-Year Capital Plan

In addition to NJT2030, the agency is issuing a rolling, unconstrained five-year capital plan, which is a comprehensive capital investment strategy that describes what NJ Transit can achieve with sustained and dependable funding over an extended period. The capital plan includes more than 100 projects touching every aspect of NJ Transit service, including Access Link, bus, light rail and rail designed to establish NJ Transit as a world-class transit system.

The 5-Year Capital Plan establishes five performance indicators called “project values” that help translate NJT2030's goals into metrics applicable to capital projects. The five project values are:

• State of Good Repair
• Customer Experience
• Safety
• Resiliency
• Business Performance

The capital plan provides a path forward to an improved customer experience and a future of healthy, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout New Jersey.

As the state of New Jersey advances Gov. Murphy’s “Road Back” plan for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, investment in NJ Transit’s infrastructure will help power New Jersey’s resurgence – creating new jobs and direct investment at a time when New Jersey needs it most.