The New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) Board of Directors has approved a contract to initiate the construction phase of the Delco Lead Storage and Inspection Facility Project. The project is part of NJ Transit’s Resilience Program and calls for the creation of an additional storage location for rail cars and locomotives that will provide greater protection against future flooding.
The centrally located Delco Lead along the Northeast Corridor in New Brunswick, N.J., will allow rail cars and locomotives to be safely stored and protected from flooding during extreme weather events. The approved contract also allocates funding for the construction of a new Service and Inspection facility on the adjacent grounds to quickly inspect and return the equipment to service once a weather event has passed.
“With the Delco Lead Storage and Inspection Facility Project, NJ Transit is taking proactive steps to protect our rail assets from the growing threat of severe weather,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “This project will ensure that our rail equipment remains safe while allowing us to more quickly resume critical rail service following an extreme weather event.”
The board authorized NJ Transit to enter into a contract with George Harms Construction Company, Inc., of Howell, N.J., in the amount of $498 million, plus 10 percent for contingencies, for the reconstruction of four miles of the existing Delco Lead track and the construction of an adjacent track – approximately one mile long – from County Yard to North Brunswick. County Yard and Delco Lead, due to their location above the floodplain, provide an ideal storage location for rail cars during extreme weather events.
Additionally, the contract includes the construction of a 1,250-foot-long service and inspection facility. The new facility will be used for inspection and light maintenance of trains, spare parts storage, two 12-car inspection tracks and five 12-car storage tracks. The new facility will allow for the rapid inspection of rail equipment and its timely return to revenue service following an extreme weather event.
NJ Transit notes in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the County Yard and associated four-mile-long Delco Lead were identified as safe-haven storage locations for rail cars and locomotives as the land and yard are above the flood plain, with a minimal number of adjacent trees. Strategically located along the Northeast Corridor, the Delco Lead Project will provide resilient storage for NJ Transit’s rail equipment in the event the Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, N.J., and Morrisville, Pa., yard are evacuated.
A crew quarters and employee parking lot at County Yard will also be constructed as part of the project.
