NJ Transit ramps up efforts to replace windows on multilevel rail cars in revenue service

New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) is working to ramp up its efforts to replace windows on all of its multilevel rail cars in revenue service. NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri announced the specifics of the plan, which includes completing installation on one-third of the fleet each year for the next three years. 

“When I was appointed to this position, I promised that I would look at [NJ Transit’s] operations in a holistic manner, with a specific focus on service reliability, infrastructure improvements and customer experience,” Kolluri said. “Last week, Governor [Phil] Murphy announced a plan to modernize the entire rolling stock, as of last week Portal Bridge – a critical part of our infrastructure—is almost 80 percent constructed and today we are announcing a plan to replace windows on our multilevels – an important customer experience improvement.” 

NJ Transit says over time, exposure to elements (acid rain, heat, UV rays) has damaged the polycarbonate window coating, causing a cloudy appearance. The agency notes other railroads have experienced similar issues with the windows on their rail cars.

Through a partnership with Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), NJ Transit says it evaluated the current condition of the multilevel rail car windows to determine if the damage could be reversed. It was determined that refurbishing the windows wasn’t a viable option, so the decision was made to replace them.

“NJ Transit understands how the cloudy train windows on our multilevel rail cars impacts our customers’ travel experience,” Kolluri added. “Accelerating the timeline for these window replacements reflects NJ Transit’s commitment to continually find ways to improve the customer experience along every aspect of the journey.”  

The replacement of the windows has already begun. Under NJ Transit’s new timeline, all of the replacement materials have been ordered to ensure work crews will have all the necessary supplies on-hand to complete installation on the entire fleet of multilevel II rail cars in revenue service by Dec. 31, 2025.  

NJ Transit notes the replacement of all windows on the entire fleet of nearly 400 multilevel I and multilevel II rail cars in revenue service will be complete by April 2028. In all, more than 13,000 windows will be replaced.