New Jersey Transit, the International Association of Public Transport (or UITP) and the Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure & Transportation on Thursday announced the launch of UITP’s North American Regional Training Center.
This center, UITP’s first in North America, brings bring world-class transportation training to the region and the continent, helping to develop the next wave of leaders in the transit space.
NJ Transit CEO and President Kevin Corbett, along with UITP Secretary General Mohamed Mezghani and CAIT Director Ali Maher, announced an agreement formalizing the partnership on Thursday at the CAIT.
“New Jersey residents will reap massive benefits from this newly forged partnership, which convenes NJ Transit, New Jersey’s premier state university and a worldwide leader in sustainable public transportation,” Gov. Phil Murphy said. “By hosting the first Regional Training Center on the continent, New Jersey will earn worldwide recognition as a North American transportation hub. Just as importantly, the establishment of the training center emphasizes our ongoing commitment to invest in the growth and development of our critical public transportation workforce.”
“It is a privilege for NJ Transit to lead this partnership that is establishing UITP’s first-ever North American Regional Training Center,” Corbett said. “NJ Transit has benefited greatly from its membership in UITP since 2018, which has given us access to industry best practices around the globe, as well as our strong, longstanding partnership with Rutgers CAIT.”
“Healthy infrastructure and transit systems serve as the backbone of the U.S. economy, and require a skilled workforce to maintain, operate and improve them,” Maher said. “The current and future transit workforce will be tasked with addressing climate change impacts, building with resilience and improving the equity of our transportation systems. This North American Regional Training Center serves as an opportunity to share industry knowledge on a national scale and develop the next generation of transit leaders. Rutgers CAIT is excited to leverage its extensive workforce development and technology transfer programs in support of this Regional Training Center and in partnership with NJ Transit and UITP.”
NJ Transit will lead the regional partnership by committing to sponsoring four training programs annually, providing guest speakers for programs when possible and leveraging its experience as a leader in the delivery of public transportation throughout the area.
The Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation at Rutgers will act as a key partner in this endeavor by coordinating with UITP and NJ Transit to provide necessary logistics and administrative support. It will also assist in the marketing of training courses, and by hosting the training sessions.
The four training programs for 2023 are:
- Public Transport Fundamentals for North America, to be held in July;
- Electric Buses: Fleet & Infrastructure Planning, Operations and Maintenance for North America, September;
- Rail Operations and Maintenance for North America, October;
- Ticketing and Fare Management for North America, November.
Courses will be held at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, in the heart of the Northeast Corridor and an easy train ride away from New York City.
