Ranks of Locomotive Engineers Continue to Grow; Improving Reliability and Service for Customers 

ISELIN – Governor Phil Murphy and NJ TRANSIT President and CEO Kevin Corbett today recognized NJ TRANSIT’s latest Locomotive Engineer Training Class for completing their formal classroom training and passing the Northeast Operating Rules of Advisory Committee (NORAC) and physical characteristics exams. The class of 17 engineer trainees will complete their field training and begin their final check rides later this month. The trainees completed a rigorous 78-week long program and passed extensive testing, including a final exam of more than 800 questions.

The class will bring the total number of new engineers that have joined NJ TRANSIT since 2018 to 76 and brings the total active roster of engineers to 373. Over the two-year period between 2019 and 2020, NJ TRANSIT will have graduated seven classes of locomotive engineers – the same number of classes that graduated in the previous five years combined.

“We have spent the better part of 30 months turning NJ TRANSIT around, improving performance and responsiveness, and adding to the ranks of highly skilled engineers who share our commitment to creating a new culture of success at NJ TRANSIT,” said Governor Murphy. “At a critical juncture in our state’s history, this class will help millions of commuters build their own comeback stories and will serve an integral role in our ability to rebound from this pandemic stronger and fairer than ever.”

“The graduation of another class of locomotive engineers is evidence of the commitment and investment the Murphy Administration continues to make in NJ TRANSIT,” said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “This class deserves special recognition for its commitment to the program during one of the most difficult periods of time in our state’s history.  Their dedication is critical to NJ TRANSIT having the personnel we need to get our rail customers where they want to go, when they want to get there.”

“With the continued support and leadership of Governor Murphy, NJ TRANSIT continues to recruit, hire, and train more locomotive engineers than ever before,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin Corbett. “At the outset of the of the pandemic, we made the decision to maintain our critical training schedules for the LETP by quickly moving many of the program elements online. As a result, and we are now fast-approaching a full roster of engineers, which will improve service reliability and the customer experience, particularly as we reemerge from the pandemic.”  

“This class of engineers represents the future of NJ Transit,” said Senator Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. “NJ Transit is the backbone of our state’s economy, and when it runs efficiently and fully staffed, our whole state runs better.  These Graduates will be an integral turning point for this organization in restoring the public's trust in one of our state's largest agencies.”

The next locomotive engineer training class is set to graduate in January of 2021.