NJ TRANSIT BOARD ADVANCES RAIL STATION AT MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY

New Station to Benefit New MidTOWN DIRECT Service

NEWARK, NJ September 21, 2001 -- A new rail station on the Boonton Line -- offering direct service to midtown Manhattan -- is coming to the campus of Montclair State University (MSU).

The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors today amended an existing contract with J.H. Reid of South Plainfield to build an 800-foot center-island high-level platform and reposition track and overhead catenary wires to accommodate the new platforms -- located across the tracks from MSU's Yogi Berra Stadium.

J.H. Reid is currently completing work on the Montclair Connection, which will provide Boonton Line and Montclair Branch riders with direct service to midtown-Manhattan next spring. NJ TRANSIT plans to award a separate contract later this year for a future parking deck and station facilities at the MSU site, which will be fully accessible to passengers with disabilities.

"The new MSU Station is part of the Corporation’s overall effort to improve regional access to public transportation," said NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman and State Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein. "This station will provide an additional quality of life benefit for commuters by shaving valuable time off their trip between New Jersey and New York."

"Montclair State University Station will help to provide us with the commuter capacity we need for the long-term success of MidTOWN DIRECT service operating via the Montclair Connection," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh. "I would like to thank Montclair State University for joining with us to deliver a project that will benefit regional commuters and the university."

The new platforms and station will serve as a key transfer point for NJ TRANSIT's expanded MidTOWN DIRECT service -- offering service to Penn Station New York -- on the Boonton Line and Montclair Branch. MidTOWN DIRECT trains will operate directly to Penn Station New York beginning in spring 2002. Boonton Line passengers west of MSU will transfer at the university station to MidTOWN DIRECT trains. Passengers from MSU and stations east of the university station on the Boonton Line and Montclair Branch will have a one-seat ride to midtown Manhattan on MidTOWN DIRECT trains.

In addition to serving as a transfer location for MidTOWN DIRECT customers, the new station will be supported by a 1,000-space parking deck -- which offers convenient access from Routes 3 and 46. A future design-build contract will be awarded for the construction of the parking and station facilities.

Today’s contract amendment -- not to exceed by $5 million -- is funded by the State Transportation Trust Fund.

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing Bus, rail and light rail services for 383,900 daily commuters on 240 bus routes, two light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 26 light rail stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.