In recognition of today’s graduation of a dozen train engineers from New Jersey Transit’s training program, Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo (D-Atlantic) and John Armato (D-Atlantic) released the following statement:
“We are thrilled to see a dozen new engineers coming aboard NJ Transit trains this month. Years of short staffing has resulted in countless train cancellations, which has crippled our transit system.
“Atlantic County has been hit particularly hard by the shortage of engineers. The Atlantic City Rail Line was shut down for months during the installation of positive train control safety equipment, in part due to lack of staff. If the agency had adequate staff, it’s possible the rail line wouldn’t have needed to be closed entirely. That would have saved tourists and commuters the headache of finding alternate – often far more inconvenient – transportation for months on end.
“With the AC Rail Line due to reopen in the coming days, the timing could not have been better for more engineers to join NJ Transit. We hope to see some of the new engineers assigned to Atlantic City as the busy summer tourism season begins.”