National Transit Institute Lands More Than $25 Million Under New Federal Transportation Bill
August 11, 2005
NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The new federal transportation bill signed Wednesday by President Bush authorizes more than $25 million in federal funding for the National Transit Institute (NTI) through 2010, bolstering NTI’s success in attracting federal aid to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Created by Congress in 1992 and established at Rutgers to design and deliver training and education programs for the nation’s transit industry, NTI will have received nearly $70 million in federal funding by the time the new authorization expires in 2010. The $70 million represents one of the highest amounts of federal funding awarded to any unit at Rutgers.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Transit Administration have relied on NTI in recent years to develop and administer anti-terror training programs for the nation’s transit industry, supplementing the program’s $1 million annual appropriation with over $2.3 million in additional funding awards.
“NTI’s track record in bringing home millions of dollars in federal aid to New Jersey and Rutgers is testimony to the quality of work the institute has performed over the years,” said James W. Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. NTI is a part of the Bloustein School. “Finalizing the new transportation bill was a two-year battle, and our congressional delegation deserves much credit for fighting hard for NTI,” Hughes said.
In addition to NTI, the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation at Rutgers received $2 million under the new federal transportation bill.
The $25.2 million included in the new bill retroactively authorizes the $8 million NTI has received the past two years plus another $4.3 million a year through 2010. NTI will use the funding to develop and administer training for the nation’s rail and bus transit agencies. Subject areas cover a wide range, such as human resources, information technology, regulatory compliance, financial planning, procurement and construction management.
About a quarter of the funding is provided for NTI’s system security awareness programs that were used last year to train transit employees in Boston and at NJ TRANSIT in preparation for the Democratic and Republican national conventions, and in Athens, Greece, for the Summer Olympic Games. Almost 70,000 employees at 665 transit agencies nationwide have been trained by NTI. In addition, the New Jersey Office of Counter Terrorism has adapted the NTI course for anti-terror training outside the transportation field.
Contact: Steve Manas
732-932-7084, ext. 612
E-mail: smanas@ur.rutgers.edu
or
Rick Remington
732-932-6812, ext. 552
E-mail: remingr@rci.rutgers.edu