NJ TRANSIT expands DepartureVisionTM to New York, Hoboken

NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein said the agency has expanded its online service DepartureVisionTM to New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal, making access to real-time train departures available at all of its rail stations.

DepartureVision, which
launched last year as part of the new, improved njtransit.com, enables
customers to view train departure screens-including departure time, train
status and track assignment-on their desktop computer or web-enable mobile
device. In addition, users can click on an individual train to see a list of
stations it serves.

"The expansion of
DepartureVision is part of NJ TRANSIT’s ongoing effort to put technology to
work for our customers," said Weinstein. "Now customers can view real-time
travel information for the entire NJ TRANSIT rail system while on the go or
from the convenience of their home or office."

In August 2009, NJ
TRANSIT began a public beta test of DepartureVision that took place over a
period of about eight weeks, using train departure boards at Frank R.
Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction. After collecting feedback from
customers during the pilot period, DepartureVision was expanded to include 163
of 165 NJ TRANSIT rail stations in October 2009, with the launch of the new
njtransit.com.

DepartureVision
complements NJ TRANSIT’s powerful My Transit Alert system, which delivers critical
travel information to customers via cell phone, handheld wireless device or
email inbox. Through My Transit, customers are advised of delays, service
disruptions, schedule changes and more.

Also, the agency launched
a new Developer Resources section of njtransit.com to provide third-party
developers with direct access to service data for use in creating new
trip-planning software applications.

"This is a good example
of our efforts to put technology to work for our customers," said
Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Simpson. 

The new Developer
Resources section of the Web is designed to encourage the use of NJ TRANSIT
schedule data to improve customer access to information through new and
innovative applications, including mobile applications, desktop applications
and widgets.

Following a simple
registration process, developers can download free schedule data in General
Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format. Tables available in the GTFS feed
include stops, routes, trips, stop times, calendar and calendar dates.

"By providing open access
to schedule information in as many forms as possible, we are encouraging
innovation among developers, who can create new tools to make it easier than
ever to access travel information," said NJ TRANSIT Board Member Ken Pringle.