NJT and Contingency Planning - Not?

[jis]

Interesting article in The Register today:

Only a few months before superstorm Sandy devastated hundreds of New Jersey’s commuter locomotives and railcars, state officials were confident that the state’s passenger rail fleet was well protected from extreme weather.

Only a few months before superstorm Sandy devastated hundreds of New Jersey’s commuter locomotives and railcars, state officials were confident that the state’s passenger rail fleet was well protected from extreme weather.

They were so confident, a review by The Record shows, that they decided it wasn’t even necessary to study ways to weatherproof NJ Transit’s rolling stock against unruly new climate patterns.

At a symposium of state and federal transportation officials in March, NJ Transit executive David Gillespie said he had told climate-change consultants working for the agency to skip any analysis of potential impacts on train cars and engines.

The reason for the omission, Gillespie explained, was that no impact was likely. “The mitigation plan that we have for movable assets — our rolling stock — is that we move it out of harm’s way when something’s coming,” said Gillespie, one of the featured speakers at the symposium titled Adapting to Climate Change. “Generally, we’ve had enough time to do that.”

Why do a study if you already know that it is not needed? Clearly NJT really had no contingency plans and were winging it, and many things fell through the cracks. I think it is now upto them to prove to us otherwise.

You can read the whole article here.

An interesting paragraph in it states:

The $45,000 study, which was completed last spring, has not been released. The Record requested a copy under the state open records law; officials said the study was being reviewed for possible redactions before release."

Redaction??? You mean it is so off the wall that they are now ashamed to share it with those that paid for it, lest it expose their incompetence further?

 

[Ryan]

The reason for the omission, Gillespie explained, was that no impact was likely. “The mitigation plan that we have for movable assets — our rolling stock — is that we move it out of harm’s way when something’s coming,” said Gillespie, one of the featured speakers at the symposium titled Adapting to Climate Change. “Generally, we’ve had enough time to do that.”

Thanks, I needed a laugh this morning.

 

[afigg]

They were so confident, a review by The Record shows, that they decided it wasn’t even necessary to study ways to weatherproof NJ Transit’s rolling stock against unruly new climate patterns.

At a symposium of state and federal transportation officials in March, NJ Transit executive David Gillespie said he had told climate-change consultants working for the agency to skip any analysis of potential impacts on train cars and engines.

The reason for the omission, Gillespie explained, was that no impact was likely. “The mitigation plan that we have for movable assets — our rolling stock — is that we move it out of harm’s way when something’s coming,” said Gillespie, one of the featured speakers at the symposium titled Adapting to Climate Change. “Generally, we’ve had enough time to do that.”

Oops.

The $45,000 study, which was completed last spring, has not been released. The Record requested a copy under the state open records law; officials said the study was being reviewed for possible redactions before release."

Redactions? Is this a public transit agency or the CIA? Or perhaps an attempt at CYA is the more appropriate acronym.

 

[greatcats]

As a former NJT employee, I am not surprised. I remember the New Year's Eve some years ago when all the trains were free and it turned into a late night debacle with passengers running wild, inadequate police coverage, the crews locking themselves in the cabs of trains, and the bosses were at a party. A huge fiasco that was, and the end of free rides on New Year's Eve. I will refrain from making more wisecracks.

 

[jis]

The NJT Sandy saga continues. Now what was redacted back then has been un-redacted and the picture that comes out ain't pretty....

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/08/20/nj-transit-draws-political-ire-as-depths-of-sandy-issues-come-to-late/

 

[George Harris]

"unruly new climate patterns" HOGWASH!!! We have been having hurrincanes and floods as long as there have been people here. Some years are worse than others. To use "climate change" as an excuse for being caught with your pants down in an event that could have happened with or without any "climate change" is simply trying to pass the buck. I would be that any look at the 100 year flood maps would have shown all the areas underwater that these people were supposedly so surprised to see go under water.