Multilevel cars begin service
By: Lauren Otis
WEST WINDSOR In the dark, as it pulled into Princeton Junction station, the 5:43 p.m. westbound NJ Transit train from New York City at first looked like any other. But as the shiny new cars glided along the platform and came to a slow stop they revealed the uniqueness of this particular train in the two rows of glowing windows, one above and one below.
Train 3861 is the first, and so far only, multilevel train in the NJ Transit fleet. It made its debut on the Northeast Corridor earlier in December. The train with its radically new seating configuration the upper and lower levels have seats which are not only wider and have more knee room, but no longer have the dreaded middle seats of other NJ Transit cars and such accoutrements as improved lighting and automatic flush toilets, already appears to be a hit with passengers.
"I thought it was pretty unique," said Dave Marciniak of Bordentown as he emerged from the train after a day in New York. "I first got on the train and I said holy cow. It threw me for a loop, it was pretty wild," Mr. Marciniak said.
Traveling back from New York after a day trip with her daughters Caitlin, 24, and Michaela, 19, Ellen Hansen of Cranbury said they all sat on the upper level and the ride was "very comfortable."
Ultimately, many more commuters and day-trippers will be able to experience the comfort of the new multilevel trains, as NJ Transit begins to take delivery on more of the new rail cars manufactured by Canadian firm Bombardier Transportation.
"We start getting more in the late winter," in late February and March, said Joe Dee, a NJ Transit spokesman. For a few months, NJ Transit will receive seven new cars a month and thereafter 10 cars a month until it has received the full order of 234 multilevel rail cars by the end of 2008, Mr. Dee said.
According to NJ Transit, the new rail cars are the culmination of four years of planning and design, which included extensive input from rail customers. The new cars have 15 to 20 percent more seating capacity than existing single-level cars, wider aisles, more toilets, and mezzanine levels between the seating areas with "padded leaning stations" for standing passengers.
The 234 multilevel car order consists of 86 coach cars with 132 seats and restrooms, 33 cab cars with 127 seats and restrooms, and 115 coach cars with 142 seats and without restrooms. The new trains are to ultimately serve travelers across NJ Transit’s system.
"More New Jerseyans are making trains part of their lives. By adding more capacity to our railroad, we’re helping to serve our state’s growing number of commuters and making an investment in the future of our state," stated U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in a NJ Transit release.
"At a time when rising gasoline prices are on everyone’s mind, improving and expanding safe and efficient options for commuters is of utmost importance," stated U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

