NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett provided welcoming remarks during the forum.
Celebrating and recognizing successful research collaboration between the agency and university, On April 6th NJ TRANSIT and Rutgers CAIT hosted a Research & Technology Partnership Forum featuring some of their ongoing projects.
Leaders from NJ TRANSIT, Rutgers, and industry partners presented their latest work in the critical areas of Environment and Sustainability, Innovative Technology, Transportation Asset Management, & Capital Planning to an audience of approximately 100 transportation professionals — before touring the visualization and rail labs at Rutgers.
The NJ TRANSIT and CAIT partnership has grown in recent years. For example, last month NJ TRANSIT, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and Rutgers CAIT partnered to create the North American Regional Training Center.
Dedicated to advancing sustainable urban mobility in the public transport field, the center will engage international experts to provide high-level courses on the fundamentals of public transport, bus planning, rail operations, railroad maintenance, fare management and more. Housed on campus at Rutgers, the partnership marks the first UITP regional training center in North America.
CAIT and NJ TRANSIT were also previously selected for a $357,000 grant award by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under its Safety Research and Demonstration Program.
One of ten awards given across the country, the funding allowed CAIT and NJ TRANSIT to study pedestrian detection at NJ TRANSIT highway rail crossings to reduce fatalities. Specifically, the team has been using new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to help gather data and support transit agencies in developing trespasser avoidance solutions.
And, during early stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic, CAIT helped NJ TRANSIT investigate the feasibility of using ultraviolet-c light for disinfecting the agency’s bus fleet from COVID-19 in an effort to investigate new technologies to help keep public transit vehicles clean for riders.
Projects like these and many others were presented and discussed during the NJ TRANSIT—Rutgers CAIT Research & Technology Partnership Forum. View some photos from the event in the slideshow below.
