Train Delays Two Mornings in a Row

NJ Transit encourages riders to check its website and twitter feed for updates.

For two mornings in a row, local riders of NJ Transit train service into New York City have experienced frustrating delays. However, Amtrak officials say the delays -- both of which occurred due to incidents in Amtrak-owned and -operated tunnels -- were unrelated. The incidents and resulting diversions and delays did point out the need for expanded capacity in tunnels to New York City, an Amtrak spokesman said. This morning at 5:40 a.m., a train lost power in a tunnel en route to New York Penn Station, necessitating that Amtrak close the tunnel. NJ Transit diverted trains to Hoboken and implemented cross honoring of tickets across its system. Yesterday, a track condition in one of the two tunnels resulted in the closing of that tunnel. …

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R. Swanson

2:46 pm on Thursday, March 8, 2012

TCG: you are spot on on all of your comments, especially the conductors - the laziest, most entitled and customer un-friendly group of slouches employed by NJ Transit. They don't make announcements when you need them to (during delays or breakdowns), get irritated when they actually have to ask you for your ticket, and cop major attitudes when you stop them to ask them a question. They want to …   more ›

New Approach Aims to Scare Kids Away from Tracks

Engineers live with images of those killed on the tracks; share stories with teens to keep them away.

The last few years have been deadly ones on the train tracks. Last year alone 30 people died in New Jersey when they were struck by trains. While some of those were killed by accident, by bad decisions to be on the tracks, others were people who wanted to die. No matter how it happens, one person is left with the horror of the victim’s final seconds and the sound of the train hitting someone: The engineer. “It’s the only job where when you are trained you’re told if you’re in this job long enough, you will kill someone,” said engineer Tom Haas, who has twice hit people trespassing on the tracks. “There’s nothing at all that I can do but blow the horn and pray and watch it happen,” he said. Last week, NJ Transit released plans for making …

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Going to the Giants Parade? NJ Transit Knows the Way

The parade will begin at Battery Park and Washington Street at 11 a.m.; NJ Transit and NY Waterway are offering increased service to and from Manhattan.

  NJ Transit will offer extra bus service on 18 routes, increase capacity on select, previously-scheduled trains and add customer service ambassadors at Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal tomorrow to accommodate Giants fans attending tomorrow’s Super Bowl victory ticker-tape parade in Lower Manhattan.  The parade will begin at Battery Place and Washington Street at 11 a.m. and continue northbound up the Canyon of Heroes to Worth Street, followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza. Traveling to the parade Fans celebrating the Giants win can access the parade route from several NYC Subway stations, as well as PATH’s World Trade Center Station. Customers should use 
NJ Transit’s Trip Planner to get the best itinerary, by entering their …

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NJ Transit Following Leads in Track Fatality

Transit police continue to seek to identify the man witnesses say jumped in front of a train two weeks ago.

NJ Transit police are pursuing several leads received after an appeal to the public for help in identifying the man who witnesses said jumped in front of a train at the Millburn Station two weeks ago. Transit Spokesman John Durso on Tuesday continued to encourage anyone who might have any information that could help identify the man to call NJ Transit. The fatality occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at approximately 6 p.m. at the Millburn Station. Eyewitnesses said that the man appeared to be praying before they saw him jump in front of the train, which was passing through Millburn without stopping as it headed eastbound, with no passengers inside. One eye witnesses also said prior to that, the man appeared to be talking on his cell phone, …

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NJ Transit Offers Extra Rail and Bus Service for Holiday Travelers

NJ TRANSIT offering early getaway rail and bus service.

  Whether you’re traveling over the river or through the woods, NJ TRANSIT is gearing up to provide gridlock relief during the approaching holiday season.  Starting Wednesday, Nov. 23 and continuing through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, scores of NJ TRANSIT customer service representatives and volunteers will be deployed at major facilities to assist customers, with rail and bus service adjusted to match Thanksgiving travel patterns.  This year, NJ TRANSIT will once again offer “early getaway” rail and bus service on Wednesday, Nov. 23, for the benefit of customers leaving work early, and to provide additional capacity for customers traveling to Newark Liberty International Airport. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is typically the …

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NJ Transit Trains Experiencing Major Delays

Three lines operating with two-hour delays

New Jersey Transit trains are experiencing major delays Tuesday night due to ongoing Amtrak signal and switch problems near Newark Penn Station, according to an NJ Transit announcement. All Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line trains are currently operating with two-hour delays. Midtown Direct trains are experiencing 20-30 minute delays into and out of New York. NJ Transit tickets and passes will be honored on NJ Transit buses and private carrier buses into and out of Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York. Shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday, Amtrak experienced a problems with signal feeds and switches, which control the movement of trains, in the area of Newark Penn Station. As a result, trains were forced to "…

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Sept. 11—10 Years Later

The Changing Face of Rail, Bus Security

NJ Transit has had to take a new to approach to commuter safety since 9/11.

It was time for a change. After terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and slammed two into the World Trade Center buildings, one into the Pentagon, and another into a field in Pennsylvania, the way professionals approach security for mass transportation needed an overhaul. For NJ Transit, which operates 2,027 buses, 771 trains and 45 light rail vehicles over a service area of 5,325 square miles that meant a change in mindset. “In the past we only focused on crime and great service to customers, but now, here at NJ Transit, what we try to drive home to all our officers is that their main response is counterterrorism,” said Christopher Trucillo, chief of the NJ Transit Police Department.  “I think the dynamic now is that pre-9/11, if an …

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New NJ Transit Train Timetables Take Effect Sunday

Printed versions are available at major stations.

New timetables for New Jersey Transit's Morris & Essex Lines take effect on Sunday, and they're viewable here or available in print form at major stations. On the Gladstone Branch, normal weekday and weekend rail service has been restored, and all substitute busing has ended.

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Maplewood Firm Will Work on NJ Transit Station

Anselmi & DeCicco, Inc. will overhaul Garfield’s Plauderville Station

Maplewood-based firm Anselmi & DeCicco have secured a contract to make major improvements to the Plauderville train station in Garfield, NJ Transit said this week. The improvements on the Bergen line station is one of several Federal stimulus-funded projects officially announced by state officials. According to the announcement, the $7.9 million contract calls for the construction of two 450-foot high-level platforms, as well as a new heated waiting area on the inbound platform, canopies, lighting, electronic signage, closed-circuit television cameras, ramps and sidewalks. “The Plauderville Station project demonstrates NJ Transit’s commitment to improving access to public transportation and making it a viable option for all New Jersey …

NJ Transit Announces DepartureVision

New service gives commuters with hand-held web devices real-time information on train departures.

Have an iPhone? Take the train? NJ Transit has some news for you. Today, they announced a newly publically available beta test of a service that will provide real-time information on train departures for mobile devices, including iPhones, Blackberries and other web-enabled cell phones. The system, called DepartureVision, will allow passengers traveling to Secaucus Junction to view connecting track information before arriving at the station. Full press release is below. NJ TRANSIT TO DELIVER TRAIN DEPARTURE BOARD INFO ON MOBILE DEVICES Launches beta test of DepartureVision™ for Secaucus Junction customers NEWARK, NJ — As part of the agency’s ongoing effort to use technology to improve customer access to travel information, NJ TRANSIT …

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Nick Muson

10:37 am on Thursday, March 31, 2011

The irony is, there wouldn't be any need for this if the trains ran on schedule.   more ›