Governor Phil Murphy Allocates $240 Million for NJ Transit Dual-Power Locomotives and Direct Rail

NEWARK, N.J. — Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett announced on Monday the awarding of a $240 million rolling-stock procurement contract financed through the reauthorized New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) to purchase twenty-five Bombardier ALP-45DP dual-power locomotives, restoring direct "one-seat" passenger rail service from Hunterdon, Somerset, and Union Counties directly into New York Penn Station.

The dual-mode locomotives operate on diesel power along non-electrified track segments throughout Central New Jersey before switching seamlessly to overhead 25-kV AC electric catenary power while in motion, allowing trains to safely traverse the subterranean North River Tunnels into Manhattan where diesel engines are strictly prohibited.

Eliminating the Newark Transfer and Saving Commuters 40 Minutes Daily For decades, over 25,000 daily Raritan Valley Line commuters were forced to disembark at Newark Penn Station during peak rush hours to board connecting electric trains, creating severe platform crowding and adding 20 to 30 minutes to daily work commutes.

"New Jersey is a commuter state, and our residents deserve a world-class public transit system that gets them to work and back home to their families quickly, reliably, and safely," Governor Phil Murphy said during an announcement at Newark Penn Station. "By investing $240 million in brand-new dual-mode locomotives, we are fulfilling our promise to Raritan Valley Line riders, eliminating the exhausting Newark transfer, cutting nearly an hour off round-trip commutes, and modernizing New Jersey Transit for the 21st century."

Locomotive Engineering and Service Enhancements The $240 million procurement includes:

• 25 Dual-Power ALP-45DP Locomotives: Featuring Tier 4 ultra-low-emission diesel engines paired with high-torque electric traction motors.
• Regenerative Dynamic Braking: Feeding electrical power back into the rail grid during deceleration to reduce overall fleet energy consumption.
• Automated Positive Train Control (PTC) Systems: Fully integrated collision avoidance avionics communicating with Amtrak dispatch centers.

Commuter advocacy coalitions, suburban mayors across Westfield, Plainfield, and Somerville, and rail labor unions commended the governor's procurement, emphasizing that direct Manhattan rail service revitalizes transit-oriented downtowns across Central Jersey.