NJ Transit to halt Atlantic City line for four months during safety upgrade

Positive train control system work expected to be finished by early 2019

WHYY staff

August 3, 2018

NJ Transit will shut down its Atlantic City rail service for four months beginning Sept. 4. (WHYY file photo)

In an effort to meet its end of the year deadline to install Positive Train Control, NJ Transit will shut down its Atlantic City rail service for four months beginning Sept. 4.

Riders from Philadelphia will be able to take PATCO, then switch to an Atlantic City-bound bus at Lindenwold, while crews install the positive train control system. Service is expected to resume in early 2019.

Positive train control enables trains to automatically brake if they’re going faster than they should. NJ Transit has already installed the system on about half of its trains.

“We have made substantial progress on our PTC project, and we’re continuing to ramp up installation. In fact, our PTC project completion percentage has increased from 13 percent to 52 percent in the last three months alone,” said Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit executive director. “As we push to complete installation, I ask for customers’ patience during this process as the end result is a safer railroad for everyone.”

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NJ Transit will also halt off-peak train service on its Raritan Valley Line, which provides service to communities such as Somerville and White House.

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