in motion 2015 NJ TRANSIT ANNUAL REPORT table of Messages ............................................... 04 • Message from the Chairman .................. 04 4 • Message from the Executive Director .... 05 The Year in Review ................................ 06 messages Improving the Customer Experience .. 09 6 • Service ..............................................................09 • Equipment ......................................................... 11 the year • Facilities ............................................................ 12 in review • Major Projects .................................................. 15 • State-of-Good-Repair ....................................... 16 • Technology ....................................................... 18 09 • Recovery and Resiliency .................................. 19 improving • Safety and Security .................................. 21 the customer • Financial Performance .............................24 experience • Corporate Accountability.........................25 28 On-Time Performance ...........................28 • On-time Performance by Mode .............. 28 on-time • Rail Methodology ..................................... 29 performance • Light Rail Methodology ........................... 30 • Bus Methodology ..................................... 31 32 board, Board, Committees commitees & and Management Team ..........................32 management team • Board of Directors ....................................32 • Executive Management Team ................ 36 • Advisory Committees ..............................37 39 fy2015 FY2015 Financial Report .......................39 financial report NJTRANSIT.com twitter.com/NJTRANSIT facebook.com/NJTRANSIT youtube.com/user/ instagram.com/NJTRANSIT TheNewJerseyTransit chairman’s message NJ TRANSIT catastrophic storms. Thanks to the leadership of Governor continues to play Chris Christie and the New Jersey Congressional delegation, an important role much-needed federal funding was secured to advance in New Jersey’s storm-hardening projects, including plans to fill in Long transportation Slip Canal at Hoboken Terminal and replace it with new system, providing tracks and boarding platforms, create more storage and a vital link for service restoration facilities, build a new train bridge over residents and visitors the Raritan River, storm-harden signal and communications traveling to jobs, healthcare facilities, shopping centers, systems and create a first-of-its-kind transit grid that would entertainment venues, schools and other important allow segments of the rail system to continue operating if destinations. Thanks to an abundant offering of bus, rail, commercial power is lost. light rail and Access Link services, the Corporation also helps New Jersey reduce traffic congestion and serves as Additionally, we continue to be good stewards of taxpayer an economic engine for our communities, the state and the dollars by regularly evaluating existing service and making surrounding region. adjustments to better match service with ridership demand. We also created an extra layer of transparency this past year During Fiscal Year 2015 (FY2015), NJ TRANSIT customers by creating a growing web library on NJTRANSIT.com with continued to provide valuable information by participating on-time performance and ridership information, Scorecard in quarterly Scorecard customer satisfaction surveys. metrics and survey results, Board of Directors materials, our The feedback gathered in these surveys is used to make rail and bus fleet strategy, financial statements and more. strategic business decisions that have a positive impact on service quality. In the past year alone, feedback gathered in Finally, there is no doubt that transportation challenges the surveys led to a variety of improvements and customer remain, including the urgent need for a new rail tunnel amenities, including improved bus flow and reduced between New Jersey and New York. In a truly bipartisan and waiting lines at Port Authority Bus Terminal, and expansion regional effort, Governor Christie and New York Governor of mobile ticketing and WiFi availability. Customers Andrew Cuomo have expressed their support for Amtrak’s have embraced these new initiatives, so much so that Hudson River tunnel project and are working proactively NJ TRANSIT set a new ridership record in FY2015. with their respective congressional delegations to secure necessary federal funding that will ensure our region’s Meanwhile, new developments continue to emerge around financial interests are protected. many of our transit facilities. In the past year alone, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ TRANSIT In closing, I want to thank the Governor, our State identified two new communities that will serve as Transit Legislature, the New Jersey Congressional delegation, Villages — Park Ridge in Bergen County and Irvington in my fellow Board members, our host communities and Essex County. These communities will join a host of others Executive Director Ronnie Hakim and her entire team for who receive special incentives for commercial and residential their support. Also, let me thank the nearly one million daily development projects that create attractive, vibrant and NJ TRANSIT customers who choose to ride our service and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods around transit facilities. grow with us each day — your partnership and patronage is greatly appreciated. Our Board of Directors made some significant decisions this past year to enhance the customer experience and keep the transit system in a state of good repair. Their actions included purchasing new buses and Access Link vehicles, increasing the seating capacity of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and Newark Light Rail vehicles, purchasing new bus shelters Jamie Fox and approving bridge inspections and rehabilitation work. Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman The Board also remained focused on projects that strengthen and protect our rail system from future 04 | 2015 NJ TRANSIT annual report executive director’s message The theme for In the area of technology, our customers enjoyed an this year’s annual expansion of MyTix, which allows them to purchase and report — Innovation display tickets and passes on mobile devices. We also in Motion — largely wrapped up development on a new NJ TRANSIT mobile symbolizes app that launched in FY2016, providing customers NJ TRANSIT’s ability the ability to purchase tickets, plan trips, obtain real- to excel in rapidly time service information and more in one convenient changing business application. More customers can also stay plugged in to and customer-focused environments. Innovative ideas WiFi, which is now available at more than 75 stations and led the way for us over the past year, including our ability terminals. to place more user-friendly technology into the hands of customers, thinking outside of the box to dramatically FY2015 was the first full year of operation for our new change the travel experience for New York bus customers, Office of System Safety (OSS). The OSS has taken working with a manufacturer to provide more seating space NJ TRANSIT safety to a new level, with more frequent on two light rail systems and protecting our rail system facility inspections, employee training, educational “safety from future storms. blitzes” at stations, banner-sized safety messages on railcars, and a new cutting-edge “Chicken on the Tracks” One of our most innovative success stories of Fiscal Year safety video for middle school and high school students. 2015 (FY2015) was the overhaul of bus operations in and We also worked with the New Jersey Department of out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) in New York. Transportation to install new safety features at the Midland You can imagine the complexities of operating bus service Avenue grade crossing in Elmwood Park to help prevent in and out of one of the largest bus terminals and cities in vehicles from stopping on the railroad tracks. the world, particularly during peak periods. In partnership with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, New Finally, innovation is definitely playing a role in our efforts York City DOT and our bus union, we threw out a decades- to strengthen and protect our rail system from future old playbook in September 2014 and totally changed the storms. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Chris way buses flow around and through the terminal. The Christie and with the help of the New Jersey congressional plan had its share of risks, but it paid off when customers delegation, we are using federal funding to advance applauded our success. More changes were implemented several major projects, including the transit industry’s in early FY2016 that continue to streamline operations and first power grid capable of providing our rail system with enhance the customer experience. electricity when commercial power is unavailable. Meanwhile, a pilot project using new computer software and innovative bus planning techniques helped us better In closing, I want to thank the Governor, our elected leaders, maximize bus capacity and achieve staff efficiencies on Chairman Fox and the rest of the Board of Directors, our select routes, enabling us to serve more customers with customers and transit partners for their extraordinary existing resources while reducing operating costs. This support. I would also like to thank the NJ TRANSIT executive successful bus planning initiative will now be expanded to management team and the 11,000