NJ Transit has launched an internal probe into its preparations for Sandy, including its disastrous decision to store trains in areas slammed by storm surges, a transportation official told The Post.
Nearly a third of the New Jersey transportation agency’s fleet was damaged in the Oct. 29 storm — a potentially multimillion-dollar loss that some suspect could have been prevented.
“If tracks get washed out by the storm, we rebuild,” the high-ranking official said.
“They knew the storm was coming. Why did we lose any trains?”
All of those badly damaged locomotives and passenger cars were stored in yards in low-lying Hoboken and Kearny.
Kearny is bordered by the Passaic River, and Hoboken lies along the Hudson. Both were flooded.
Why some trains were stored in flood-prone areas will now be the key focus of the probe, the transportation official said.
“Put them anywhere. Put them on tracks above ground in Newark,” the official said.
“We have the places.”
The investigation will also look at whether NJ Transit could have done more to prevent its infrastructure from being destroyed.
Every line in NJ Transit — one of the fastest growing commuter systems in the region — was impacted by the storm.
In addition to losing rolling stock, NJ Transit grappled with flooding in tunnels, power outages, and loss of tracks and bridges, which were completely ripped up in the storm.
Unlike the New York City subway — which is largely up and running again — nearly all of NJ Transit is operating modified service.
Officials are hoping to rebuild parts of the system so it won’t be as susceptible to damage during extreme flooding, the source said.
Part of the investigation will look at whether the agency should rebuild certain pieces — like sensitive power substations — on higher ground.
NJ Transit refused to comment on the investigation.
“We do not comment on rumors generated from anonymous sources,” a spokesman said.
The agency has not put a price tag on its storm losses but has said none of its cars were totaled.
Officials with the agency have defended the choice to store trains in Hoboken and Kearny — saying they have stored rolling stock in both places before with no problems.
“We know where to put our equipment,” NJ Transit spokeswoman Nancy Snyder told The Wall Street Journal. “There’s really no way we could have prepared for it any better than we did.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has expressed support for the agency, which he said has done an “amazing job” post-Sandy.
“You can second-guess all you want,” he said. “This is the worst storm in the state’s history.”