The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $18,445,000 in federal funding to rehabilitate and enhance service at Newark Penn Station according to a joint statement made by Democratic U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker and U.S. Reps. Albio Sires, D-8th District; Donald Payne Jr., D-10th District; and Tom Malinowski, D-7th District on Tuesday.
In the press conference, officials said the project includes repairing the station’s Platform D, which services Tracks 3 and 4 and serves as a transfer point for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit for boarding and de-boarding passengers.
“Thousands of New Jersey’s residents and commuters rely on the overtaxed platforms at Newark Penn Station every day to travel in and out of our region,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. “As the densest state in the nation and a major transportation hub, the need for this federal funding is no less than existential.”
New Jersey Transit official said the work will include replacing structurally compromised reinforcement where necessary and applying a corrosion-resistant membrane on the platform surface. The proposed project entails rebuilding platform edges, installing new tactile strips and timber rub rails, repairing and/or replacing the overhead canopy and lighting fixtures, and replacing deck joints throughout the platform.
Newark Penn is owned and operated by New Jersey Transit and provides service for commuters on several New Jersey Transit lines, PATH and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, lawmakers said in the press conference.
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