NJ Transit trains are the worst in the nation, racking up the most breakdowns of any transit system during 2018.

NJ Transit retook the terrible train “crown” from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, known by locals as the “T” which had the most breakdowns in 2017 and in 2016, according to Federal Transit Administration data released Monday.

For commuters, the figures are bad news, and meant NJ Transit trains returned to the dismal ranking it had in 2015 as worst in the country based on FTA National Transit Database information. Those statistics are reported to the FTA annually by transit agencies.

NJ Transit was ranked first for 375 total mechanical failures in 2018, which meant the train could not complete or start a trip. Denver Regional Transportation District trains were a close second with 373 breakdowns. The “T” placed third with 273 and the Long Island Rail Road placed fourth with 168 breakdowns. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority placed fifth with 165 breakdowns, followed by Metro North with 116 trains that broke down.

This represents a decline for NJ Transit, which showed slight improvement in 2017 and 2016.

NJ Transit buses fared better than trains, coming in at seventh worst in the nation. They performed better than bus services in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Miami, and Atlanta. NJ Transit buses had 9,850 total mechanical failures in 2018, less than the 11,516 that New York MTA buses experienced last year. SEPTA buses were ninth worst with 7,280 breakdowns.

Last year represented a decline for NJ Transit buses, which were ranked ninth worst in 2017, according to FTA data. The agency is in the middle of a five-year program to replace cruiser style commuter buses, though its fleet of urban “transit” style buses are getting older. In 2015, NJ Transit buses were the fifth worst in the nation for breakdowns.

NJ Transit’s light rail lines came in at 14th worst with 263 total breakdowns last year.

But NJ Transit officials said the data needs to be taken in the context of the size of their transit system, which is the largest statewide system in the nation.

“The data should be normalized by train mileage, said Nancy Snyder, an NJ Transit spokeswoman. “We operate the second most commuter rail train miles in the country, behind only Metro-North.”

NJ Transit trains ran 62 million revenue passenger miles in 2018.

If that is factored in, “NJ Transit is 13th in mechanical failures per mile, and 12th in major mechanical failures per mile,” she said.

Factoring in miles means that the Maryland MTA is worst in the nation for major failures, according to an analysis of the FTA data provided by NJ Transit.

The rankings come a week after NJ Transit’s board approved a $500 million spending program to buy 17 new locomotives and 600 new buses. The 17 locomotives to be replaced are among NJ Transit’s oldest diesel locomotives, built in the 1960s and rebuilt in the early 1990s. In Dec. 2018, officials approved the purchase to buy 113 electric powered multi-level rail cars to replace the Arrow IIIs, the oldest cars in NJ Transit’s fleet.

NJ Transit also approved spending $65.8 million earlier this year to replace 85 articulated buses that are 16 and 17 years old. Officials expect 183 new cruiser buses to be delivered in fiscal year 2020, which started in July. The agency had 182 new cruiser buses delivered in fiscal year 2019.

Older trains and buses are typically the culprits that drag down mean distance between failures or how many miles trains travel between breakdowns.

In addition to the Arrows, NJ Transit also has locomotive-hauled Comet II cars that also are over 40 years old. NJ Transit officials plan to release a five-year strategic plan that would include scheduled replacement of old equipment. The last comprehensive plan for replacing trains and buses was written in 2014.

Bus and trains delays and canceled trips are among the reasons State Senate President Steve Sweeney convened a joint legislative panel to probe NJ Transit’s issues and make recommendations to Gov. Phil Murphy. Those recommendations could include dedicated funding for the agency’s operating budget to end transferring money from its capital budget, intended for buying new trains and buses and funding major projects.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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