(The Associated Press circulated the following story by Wayne Parry on July 23.)
NEWARK — NJ Transit is making a $1.5 million apology to rail commuters delayed by last week’s train derailment, at least five incidents in which trains struck people on the tracks, and a weather-related power outage.
Executive Director George Warrington said customers who have monthly rail tickets for July should use them until the end of the month, then mail them back to the agency, which will issue checks for 15 percent of the ticket cost.
“I know this has been a rough month for our customers,” he said at a news conference yesterday. “They expect better and they deserve better. We have learned some painful lessons from our recent experiences.”
The cost of the refunds will come from the agency’s operating budget, but no staff or service cuts or fare increases are planned to offset them, spokesman Ken Miller said.
Last Monday’s derailment in Secaucus injured 25 people and disrupted rush hour service between Newark and New York. Officials blamed a combination of mechanical failure and human error.
Warrington said a conductor failed to properly test for high heat damage about 30 minutes before a wheel fell off, derailing two cars of the 12-car Trenton-to-New York train. He said yesterday the conductor will not be fired, but rather re-trained and possibly asked to help retrain other workers in the proper way to test for heat problems.
Monthly rail customers who want to apply for the refund should mail their July tickets to NJ Transit July Refund, P.O. Box 50051, Newark NJ 07105. About 59,000 riders hold monthly rail tickets.