New Jersey Transit to see overhaul of Walter Rand Transportation Center, state funds to green its fleet
New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) is getting a double dose of good news from the state, which revealed plans to pursue a $250-million overhaul of the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden County, N.J., as well as a $15-million commitment to electrify NJ Transit’s bus fleet.
NJ Transit is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the conceptual design, preliminary engineering, final design engineering and construction assistance for the Walter Rand Transportation Center. State and transit officials called it a first step in the redevelopment of the transportation center, which is the largest such hub in Camden County, N.J.
“Any modern city needs a modern transportation hub, and with this investment, we are sending a clear signal that Camden’s best days are ahead,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.
The project will upgrade and enlarge the existing facility to accommodate the development renaissance currently underway in Camden, which is located in South Jersey. The new Walter Rand Transportation Center building will provide accommodations for future transit developments and the potential for new retail, office, housing and hospitality opportunities utilizing Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) design standards.
“The Walter Rand Transportation Center is a vital transit hub and economic engine for all of South Jersey,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett. “The investments committed today by Gov. Murphy will improve safety, support transit-oriented development in Camden, better accommodate growth throughout Camden County and provide improved connectivity to Camden’s medical, educational and industrial development areas. These investments will also give us an opportunity to integrate the center with battery-electric buses, building on our aggressive efforts to transition toward a zero-emissions bus fleet.”
Earlier this week, Gov. Murphy committed $100 million through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Funds toward “clean, equitable transportation projects that will improve air quality and reduce the effects of climate change.” The state has a goal to be 100-percent clean energy by 2050.
Within the funding commitment is $15 million for NJ Transit’s bus electrification efforts, which call for an all-electric fleet by 2040. The agency was assisted by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which allocated $8 million to jump start NJ Transit’s electric bus program through a pilot project in Camden. In September 2020, NJ Transit awarded a contract to renovate its Newton Avenue Bus Garage with electric vehicle charging stations and other infrastructure modifications in anticipation of its first eight electric buses entering service in mid-2021.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
