(The following appeared on The Star-Ledger website on January 9.)
NEWARK, N.J. — Six of NJ Transit’s 32 diesel-powered trains have been outfitted with upgraded starters to prevent engines from being left idling overnight in rail yards and causing unnecessary pollution and fuel consumption, according to a report in The Record.
Diesel train engines are particularly difficult to start in cold weather and NJ Transit often leaves the locomotives idling when they’re not in use, officials said. NJ Transit received $537,000 in grants to add the new starters to the six diesel engines. The move is expected to save $835,000 in diesel fuel annually, officials said.