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Yesterday, the New Jersey Transit board gave agency officials the green light to purchase 50 additional multi-level vehicles (MLV) from Bombardier Transportation to help accommodate growing ridership. The cars feature up to 20 percent more seating capacity than single-level cars.

With the latest order, NJ Transit will take delivery of 329 MLVs from Bombardier. Of those, 150 already have been delivered, enabling the agency to retire the oldest cars in the fleet. The MLVs now operate on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Morris & Essex Lines, the Montclair-Boonton line's MidTOWN DIRECT trips and the Raritan Valley Line.

The $76 million contract extension will be covered by state funds. The additional cars are expected to be delivered by spring 2010.

Meanwhile, NJ Transit also expanded a joint ticketing agreement with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). NJ Transit will sell tickets to more than 125 new destinations.

The agency previously only sold SEPTA tickets to three destinations in Center City Philadelphia. Under the new agreement, tickets are available for Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware county locations, as well as popular destinations, such as Philadelphia International Airport.

Joint SEPTA/NJ Transit tickets now are available through NJ Transit's rail ticket vending machines and rail ticket windows throughout the system. NJ Transit tickets are available at SEPTA ticket windows at the Suburban and Market Street East stations, and ticket vending machines at 30th Street Station.