Agency moves forward with train control system

NEWARK >> New Jersey Transit’s board has voted to secure the final piece of radio frequency spectrum it needs to install an automatic train braking system.

The board voted Wednesday to lease the radio frequency for a positive train control system from New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority for 50 years. The lack of the train control system is one of the things being looked at in last month’s fatal Hoboken train crash.

The agency says it’s on target to install the GPSbased system by a 2018 deadline.

New NJ Transit executive Steve Santoro says that acquiring the radio spectrum “was one of the larger hurdles which we have now crossed.”

The board also approved its $2.11 billion operating budget and $1.68 billion capital program for the fiscal year.