SECAUCUS—Governor Mikie Sherrill signed Executive Order No. 16 at Secaucus Junction on Tuesday, mandating that NJ TRANSIT deliver a plan for a commuter experience overhaul within 45 days. The directive requires that NJ Transit and Department of Transportation Chair Priya Jain submit a comprehensive improvement plan by May 9, targeting cleanliness, accessibility, safety and digital tracking. The order arrives eight months after NJ TRANSIT logged 634 mechanical failure cancellations and a 70 percent engineer absence spike during July 2025.

The plan must address four priority areas: station and vehicle cleanliness; escalator and boarding area accessibility; lighting, cameras and law enforcement presence; and real-time tracking reliability on the agency website and mobile app. Digital improvements will address tracking failures that have persisted since a July 2023 data feed change disrupted third-party app functionality. NJ TRANSIT must fast-track implementation of highest priority initiatives by June 22.

Sherrill stated that every New Jerseyan deserves a transit system that is safe, clean, accessible and reliable. Assemblymen Clinton Calabrese, Gabe Rodriguez and Larry Wainstein joined the governor alongside NJ TRANSIT President Kris Kolluri and Acting NJDOT Commissioner Priya Jain for the announcement.

Jain characterized the order as a demonstration of the Sherrill Administration’s commitment to improving customer experience, and noted she would work with Kolluri to execute the governor’s vision. The agency’s Customer Advocate will hold three public listening sessions and develop a survey for the website. Results of those surveys are due to Sherrill within 30 days, by April 24.

The directive begins to put into operation recommendations from Sherrill’s February 24 transition team report, which warned that without funding those recommendations would just remain suggestions on paper. The order establishes accountability mechanisms but does not specify new appropriations beyond previously announced capital commitments.

Sources

• Governor’s Office, Executive Order No. 16 signing press release (March 25, 2026)

• NJ TRANSIT, LIVE video of Executive Order 16 signing (March 25, 2026)

• Staff, “Sherrill signs executive order to improve NJ Transit riders’ experiences,” InsiderNJ (March 25, 2026)

• Staff, “NJ Transit kept running old, breakdown-prone trains this summer,” NJ.com (March 6, 2026)

• Staff, “Sherrill touts funding for transit infrastructure,” NJ Spotlight News (March 10, 2026)

• Staff, “Sherrill transition team recommends fixes for NJ Transit,” New Jersey Searchlight (February 24, 2026)