Powertrunk TETRA assists NJ transit for Super Bowl support

NJ TRANSIT’s (NJT) TETRA network, provided by PowerTrunk Inc., saw significant use in the days leading up to and on the day of Super Bowl XLVIII in support of NJT bus and light rail transportation operations around the event.

Although the full statewide roll-out of the NJT TETRA network is still in progress, the system went live operationally for several users in early 2013, particularly in the area surrounding Newark, and the build-up in anticipation of the need to support the high public transit demand for the Super Bowl was a high priority for NJT from the start.  Special attention was particularly paid to assuring indoor TETRA network coverage for NJT’s Secaucus Junction Station, and also across the Hudson River in New York City for NY Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, since these were the major transit hubs for thousands of spectators traveling to and from MetLife Stadium. 

In addition to deploying in-building TETRA systems with distributed antennas, NJ TRANSIT's Super Bowl Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was equipped with PowerTrunk MDT-400 TETRA radio equipment integrated with Telex IP-223 gateways for use with the Telex C-Soft console solution.  This, together with about 300 PowerTrunk HTT-500 TETRA portable radios, allowed NJT Customer Service "ambassadors" and Bus Operations representatives to communicate over the network.

"For the week of preparation leading up to the Super Bowl, the TETRA network handled over 11,000 calls per day, which is slightly more than double what had been seen in the network up until then", says Jose Martin, PowerTrunk's CEO.  "The amount of call traffic actually decreased meanwhile the game was in progress, but then immediately spiked again sharply upwards as soon as it was over and everyone started their journeys back home."