NJ Transit gets official OK for safety upgrade extension

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Federal regulators have given official approval to New Jersey Transit for a two-year extension to complete the implementation of a required emergency braking system.

The Federal Railroad Administration sent a letter this week that said NJ Transit met six key criteria by the end of December.

NJ Transit and several other railroad operators around the country had sought and received extensions past the original Dec. 31, 2018, deadline mandated by the federal government.

The system, called positive train control, can automatically stop a train when its engineer is incapacitated or unable to operate controls.