Following article is from the Star-Ledger for Nov. 19, 2012. Be sure to follow the link to the Reuters article; then read the NJT response in the next posting below.
NJ Transit parked rail equipment in locations predicted to flood during Sandy, report says
By The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk The Star-Ledger on November 19, 2012 at 1:49 PM, updated November 19, 2012 at 2:25 PM Twenty-four percent of NJ Transit's rail fleet was damaged during Hurricane Sandy after rail cars and locomotives were stored in two rail yards that forecasters predicted would flood, according to a report on Reuters.com.
The decision might cost the transit agency tens of millions of dollars to make the necessary repairs, which could take months, Reuters said.
NJ Transit parked equipment at Meadows Maintenance Complex, near the Hackensack and Passaic rivers and at its Hoboken terminal and rail yard.
A person described as a "senior transportation official" told Retuers that NJ Transit launched a probe of why the equipment was left in a flood prone area. A spokesman for New Jersey Transit and James Weinstein, the agency's president. said no probe was launched.
A storm surge of of 6 to 11 feet was predicted to hit the area. The Kearny yard is between 0 and 19 feet above sea level, the report said.
Nine dual-powered locomotive engines and 84 multi-level rail cars purchased that cost about $385 million were among the equipment damaged.
Link to Reuters article:
Exclusive: New Jersey railway put trains in Sandy flood zone despite warnings