NJ Transit offers direct updates on bus, train delays
By THOMAS BARLAS
Staff Writer, 609-272-7201
Published: Friday, November 14, 2008
The nation's largest statewide transportation system is adding a Web-based program to alert customers of delays on its bus and rail systems.Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, allows for direct feeds from NJ Transit's Web site to media and personal Web pages.Subscribers get information on service delays of at least 15 minutes, along with cancellations, suspensions and closings affecting a specific train, bus route, light rail line or boarding location. The information is updated continually from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends.RSS is an offshoot of My Transit, an existing NJ Transit service that sends travel alerts to customers' e-mail, cell phones and mobile devices. My Transit debuted in 2001 as the first service of its kind in the nation to provide such alerts and has since served as a model used by other transit agencies.RSS is also the latest is a series of communication technology programs on which NJ Transit and the state Department of Transportation, or DOT, is relying on to keep travelers moving on New Jersey's increasingly crowded roads and public transportation network.
The most recent program was MyNJ511, something that the DOT calls a free "personalized traveler service" that sends real-time traffic alerts to motorists' cell phones, e-mail addresses and personal digital assistants. Subscribers can get information on accidents and construction on the Atlantic City Expressway, Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, interstates and roads that include Routes 30, 40, 49, 50 and 322. "We are working to use new technologies and all the technological resources that are available in order to reduce congestion and to increase safety on the roads," DOT spokeswoman Erin Phalon said. "As we become aware of new technology that could help us meet those goals, we are going to make it available to the public."NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said RSS is also sort of a courtesy service to customers."When people take NJ Transit or any public transportation system, they're giving up the flexibility of having a car and going all the places that the car affords them," he said. "What they ask for in return is that we provide them with ... travel information in real time that they can use."For instance, an aging Delaware River bridge used by the Atlantic City rail line sometimes causes service delays when it gets stuck in the open position, suspending rail service between Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and the Cherry Hill station in Camden County, Stessel said. Alerted riders could use an alternate travel system, such as PATCO's high-speed line, she said.E-mail Thomas Barlas:TBarlas@pressofac.comTo subscribeIndividuals and organizations can
subscribe to NJ Transit's RSS updates at:www.njtransit.com
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