NJT
In recognition of Autism Acceptance Month, NJT President and CEO Kris Kolluri was joined by New Jersey DOT Commissioner Francis K. O’Connor and Happy Hour 4 Kids, Inc. CEO Jonathan Trichter on April 2 to introduce specially wrapped vehicles—one locomotive and two buses—and special station announcements.
The locomotive wrap incorporates the infinity symbol—often used to represent autism, particularly when advocating for acceptance and inclusion—and the bus wraps feature graphics that incorporate drawings and art submissions from neurodivergent children from around the region, according to the transit agency.
For the third consecutive year, neurodiverse children have recorded train station announcements that are being played this month throughout the NJT system (watch and listen, above). Through a partnership with Happy Hour 4 Kids and the Autism Transit Project, local neurodiverse children were recruited from the public, as well as from NJT employees’ families, to produce the announcements.
Additionally, NJT said it has updated its MagnusCards App, a digital life-skills app available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store to help autistic and neurodiverse persons learn and master life skills, such as using public transportation, shopping, personal care and more. The app now features a rewards system called MagnusBadges. These digital badges are earned by viewing Card Decks. Card Decks, called MagnusCards (available in English and Spanish), use simple and clear instructions, along with pictures, sounds, and rewards to make learning fun and engaging, according to the transit agency. NJT collaborated with Magnusmode to create 15 exclusive NJT MagnusCard decks, covering various aspects of using the transit agency’s bus, light rail and commuter rail services. Users can share their progress on earning badges via social media.
“NJT is proud to support Autism Acceptance Month by fostering meaningful connections between the neurodiverse community and public transit,” NJT President and CEO Kris Kolluri said. “Through partnerships with organizations like Happy Hour 4 Kids, we continue our commitment to making our system accessible and welcoming to all.”
“NJT holds a special place in the hearts of New Jersey children with autism who love trains and buses,” said Jonathan Trichter, founder of special needs schools and the creator of the Autism Transit Project. “Today, NJT will show these kids how much that bond means to them through their participation in the Autism Transit Project. This is the third year in a row NJT is participating in the project and are joined by major transit agencies across the country, including BART, MARTA, MTA, MBTA, Maryland MTA, WMATA, and the CTA. These children learn how to connect with others through their love of transit. When language doesn’t come naturally, they grab onto the announcements they hear in the place they love and use that language as building blocks for communicating.”
Also on April 2, Conduent Transportation (Conduent) announced its contract with NJT for 72 3D fare gates across the Secaucus Junction and Newark Liberty International Airport stations. The nearly 8-foot-tall gates will be installed in the coming months, and the agency will have the option to include them at additional locations, according to the supplier.
NJT in 2024 awarded a five-year contract to Conduent for the continued implementation and improvement of its contactless fare collection system.
“We’re honored to expand our relationship with NJT with their adoption of our 3D Fare Gate Solution,” said Adam Appleby, Group President, Public Sector Solutions at Conduent. “This innovative technology modernizes fare collection and helps ensure fair access to a transit system that benefits the entire region.”
MTA
MTA on April 2 debuted a “reimagined” subway map (click here and scroll down to download). This first new design since 1979 draws from previous versions and simplifies wayfinding to provide “the most essential travel information in an easily readable, bright, bold, and orderly manner,” according to the transit agency.
MTA’s Creative Services Mapping Department designed the new map and utilized a diagrammatic style—like many major subway systems around the world—employing bold, straight lines making it much easier for the eye to follow and more suitable for digital users, MTA said. The white background, bold colors, horizontal writing and use of black dots also make the map more ADA-friendly and easier for people with low-vision or cognitive disabilities to read, added MTA.
For legibility, MTA said designers kept text on one line wherever possible and made better use of open space to alleviate crowding and used a black subway bullet with a white character to provide maximum contrast for easier reading.
The legend on the map now includes accessibility, transfer, and safety information, as well as a QR code that leads users to the MTA website.
The new map is said to preserve the official brand colors established by the 1979 and 1998 Hertz maps, and to use a similar geometric and diagrammatic aesthetic introduced to the New York City Subway with the 1972 Vignelli diagram and revived by its successors, Waterhouse Cifuentes.
According to MTA, the new subway map for weekdays, late nights, and weekends is already displayed on station digital screens and soon will be onboard R211s. Replacing physical maps in the remaining subway cars is slated to be done in phases over the coming weeks. MTA said it plans to celebrate the redesigned map throughout 2025. Both the redesigned map and older versions will be available for download on the MTA website.
MTA noted that riders are also seeing a software redesign of digital subway station screens that increase the frequency of real-time data, updating every five seconds, to better match countdown clocks to real-time train arrivals. “These improvements, based on customer feedback, surveys, and analysis of all 472 stations, prioritize arrival information, streamline the presentation of customer information, and consistently feature white text on a black background for improved clarity and visibility,” MTA reported.
Additionally, crews have increased the number of screens that flash to alert customers when a train is approaching and feature an arrow on overhead digital screens that point to the side of the platform where the train is arriving. New vinyl stickers, MTA said, will also indicate which side of the screen contains information and which side displays advertisements. It noted that screens at all stations are monitored remotely via cloud technology and can instantly alert crews to a malfunction, “eliminating the time-consuming step of manually reporting issues.”
“The new MTA is focused on a quality, 21st century customer experience, and its about time our map caught up,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “The new version is much easier to read while also reflecting all the enhancements we’ve made over the years.”
“The subway map is both an iconic symbol of New York and a tool that everyday riders and first-time users of our system use to get around,” MTA New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow added. “This modern redesign makes it easier to navigate the system—especially during service changes—and has a quintessential New York look that riders will appreciate for years to come.”
“This map rollout is utilizing the dedicated space in every subway car and the thousands of digital screens in the transit system to provide customers with detailed and up-to-date service information,” MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara said. “I want to thank our customers for their input and the creative team for their years of work to update this iconic piece of the New York City Subway system.”
San Diego MTS
A total of 78 Variable-Message Signs (VMS) will be added by the end of spring to 19 stations along the San Diego Trolley light rail system’s Orange Line from the Arnele Ave. Trolley Station to the Courthouse Trolley Station (scroll down to download map). The signs, San Diego MTS said, will improve communication with riders by offering real-time messages—from next-arriving Trolley and service-disruption information to special-event and public-service announcements.
The installation is part of a $2.3 million project that will also equip the Green, UC San Diego Blue, and Copper lines with VMSs, according to the transit agency. It is funded in part by a 2022 Transit and Intercity Rail Program Award from the California State Transportation Agency.
San Diego MTS said it teamed with Psomas, Global Display Solutions, and Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc. for the design, procurement, and installation of the signs, respectively. “The VMS integrate the latest optical bonding technology,” it reported. “This improvement makes the monitors more robust to withstand the elements and have an improved image quality when exposed to sunlight. Additionally, the updated technology allows for close monitoring of the whole unit as well as individual and crucial components to ensure optimal performance.”
Also planned this year are Trolley projects to improve the signaling system between 32nd Street and Massachusetts stations along the Orange Line to increase train speeds; to replace and upgrade grade crossing safety equipment; to reconstruct three pedestrian grade crossings; and to upgrade lighting in parking lots to LED systems, according to San Diego MTS.
