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Posted by
Olog-hai
on Tue Jan 14 20:58:20 2020
Thought these were not FRA? So why adhere to FRA guidelines?
There are some interesting facts about their MDBF.
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
NJ Transit line’s new eco-friendly engines will mean fewer delays, agency saysPosted Jan 10, 2020
By Larry HiggsThe old, troublesome trains on NJ Transit’s River Line are getting the rail equivalent of a heart transplant.
All 20 trains on the 34-mile long River Line — which runs between Trenton and Camden — are scheduled to receive new diesel engines that meet higher environmental standards and are more fuel efficient, said Nathan Rudy, an NJ Transit spokesman.
The Swiss-built Stadler light rail vehicles on the River Line entered service 15 years ago. This work replaces the original Tier I diesel engines with cleaner, more fuel efficient Tier IV engines, Rudy said.
New engines also should mean fewer break downs, translating to fewer delays. Since 2017, breakdowns on the River Line have gotten worse, according to NJ Transit data. River Line trains traveled 9,362 miles between breakdowns in Jan. 2017. That dropped to 5,909 miles between problems in November, frustrating riders.
“The new engines will meet current federal emission standards, increase fuel efficiency and service reliability, and reduce maintenance costs, and as a result, improve mean distance between failures,” Rudy said.
The worst train related problem happened on June 7 when service had to be limited after inspections found hairline cracks in new train wheels delivered by a manufacturer. Officials pulled trains out of service for emergency inspections out of “an abundance of caution.” Buses augmented light rail service.
Officials touted the environmental benefit of the new engines for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by at least 57%, and cut particulate matter (soot) by 90%.
“NJ Transit service gets people out of cars and is one the best ways to limit state-wide greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kevin Corbett, the agency’s President and CEO, in a statement. “These engines will help NJ Transit reduce its carbon footprint and operating costs through better fuel efficiency.”
In addition to new engines, River Line cars will get better heating systems, auxiliary power to reduce down time, upgraded control and diagnostic features, and a better fire suppression system that will expand the useful life of the River LINE vehicles to 30 years.
Total cost of the project is approximately $700,000, and full installation the new engines should be completed by Spring 2022. There will be no impact on service while engines are installed on the fleet, officials said.
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