NJ Transit finally replacing foggy train windows that keep commuters from seeing their stations

NJ Transit is finally replacing train windows that have become so foggy over the years that Garden State commuters say they can barely make out the stops through the murk.Commuter complaints about the clouded-over slabs of polycarbonate have been rolling in since the fall of 2022, according to the Star-Ledger.But NJ Transit hadn’t settled on a way to fix the problem — caused by reaction to the sun’s ultraviolet rays — until now.“I was on a train yesterday going to New York for a meeting and had the same issue,” NJT CEO Kevin Corbett told the outlet.Older, multilevel rail cars that hit the tracks between 2005 and 2007 are some of the most heavily affected, the outlet said.They’ll also be the first ones to get new windows when they’re called in for their 20-year overhaul — a process Corbett said is happening right now.“Overall we’re looking to, when we overhaul those vehicles, replace the windows,” he told the Ledger.“We’re starting as each train comes in for overhaul.”NJT had tried to repair the affected windows with chemicals and even partnered with Rutgers University to try to engineer a solution to fix the deterioration — but the efforts may have actually made things worse.“The chemical may have exacerbated it, but it’s a UV issue,” Corbett said.

“We were working with Rutgers to fix the existing windows and there is one solution that seems to work OK.”But in the end, NJ Transit found that just chucking the windows was far more cost-effective....