NJ Transit’s River Line light rail service is in the cross hairs of state Sen. Troy Singleton — for the second time in less than a year — over numerous canceled trains this summer.

The Burlington County Democrat and Majority Whip asked for the Senate Transportation Committee to conduct hearings about a spike in canceled River Line light rail trains and NJ Transit’s performance in general. He requested that in a July 25 letter to state Senator John Diegnan, D-Middlesex, chairperson of that committee.

“At this moment, there are no further details on the scheduling of a potential hearing to investigate the persistent delays facing commuters on the River Line and other NJ Transit routes,” Singleton said on Wednesday.

Between Aug.4 and 3: p.m. Wednesday, 47 RiverLine trains were canceled due to equipment availability and 3 for mechanical issues, according to NJ Transit alerts. Cancellations have been high since June.

The River Line had the lowest on-time performance of NJ Transit’s three light rail lines in June at 74.9%, according to agency data. That was a drop from an 83.2% on-time record in May.

Singleton criticized the agency last September when the River Line had to temporarily reduce its frequency of service from trains every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes during the morning and afternoon commuter rush periods on weekdays. Saturday service also was changed to a different Sunday-holiday schedule.

That was done to resolve engine and heating, ventilation and air conditioning problems with RiverLine trains. Regular service resumed in mid- October.

This year, a high rate of daily train cancellations due to equipment being unavailable for trains got Singleton’s attention. He also wants the committee to probe problems NJ Transit has had with North Jersey commuter rail lines it shares with Amtrak.

“These cancellations are not an anomaly,” Singleton wrote. “This is the third summer we find ourselves in a position of demanding answers on service interruptions and statistics for on-time performance.”

River Line trains are operated by Alstom, a contractor that is paid $25.2 million annually to operate the service and maintain diesel-powered light rail cars.

NJ Transit officials said mechanical issues due to high summer temperatures and a problem with a power unit on the trains are among reasons for the cancellations.

“We are working every day to resolve the equipment issues with our contract operator in order to provide the service our customers expect and deserve,” said John Chartier, an NJ Transit spokesperson. “Unfortunately, the excessive temperatures have taken a toll on mechanical components of the light rail vehicles and have impacted service.”

A common fault was identified with the auxiliary power units in the light rail vehicles and replacement units were ordered, he said.

River Line light rail vehicles “are one-of-a-kind models that were custom built to share the lines tracks with Conrail freight trains. That means the lead time needed for customized parts and supply chain issues have contributed to delays in procuring additional APUs,” Chartier said.

The 20 trains that serve the River Line were built by Stadler, a Switzerland-based company.

“In recent months, individual APUs have been received and replaced in the light rail vehicles,” he said. “Staffing in the mechanical division has also been increased.”

The now 19-year-old cars are receiving the rail equivalent of a heart transplant in a process that began in 2020 when old diesel engines started to be replaced with new ones that have cleaner exhaust emissions.

NJ Transit also had an independent team of experts on site to assess and evaluate the light rail vehicles and maintenance program, Chartier said.

“New Jersey Transit, for their part, has provided a response for why these delays are occurring,” Singleton said Wednesday. “But, given the persistent nature of these issues, more must be done to ensure commuters are able to trust and rely on our transit services.”

Unlike North Jersey light rail lines, which may have paralleling bus routes, South Jersey riders have few or no options if their River Line train doesn’t run, he said.

“The River Line is the only rail service in South Jersey serving commuters in this region; there are no other alternatives for rerouting,” Singleton said. “My office has been contacted by disappointed riders who have been extremely inconvenienced by repeated delays and cancellations, often with little advance notice.”

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