NJ Transit riders are in for five weeks of scrambled commutes in and out of Manhattan, with roughly half the number of regular trains in service and several detours to consider.
The closing of the Portal Bridge between the Newark and Secaucus stations means that weekday trips to Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station will instead be diverted to Hoboken. There, riders will need to switch to buses, the PATH train or ferries to complete their trips. Weekend trains will still travel to Manhattan.
Nearly all NJ Transit rail passengers, with the exception of Atlantic City Rail Line riders, will have to navigate some service disruptions. Some Amtrak lines will also have reduced service.
During the Portal Bridge work, the railroads will perform a number of other infrastructure repairs along the Northeast Corridor that will affect some routes.
Riders can sign up for travel updates on njtransit.com.
Transit officials are encouraging people to work from home if they can. Below is a list of service changes to expect, and how to avoid the worst of it.
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Morristown, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Lines: Weekday trips will terminate in Hoboken. To continue to Manhattan, NJ Transit ticket holders can transfer for free to the 126 bus to Port Authority; the PATH train to 33rd Street; or a NY Waterway ferry to West 39th Street. Ferry service frequency will increase during the morning and evening rush.
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Raritan Valley Line: All weekday trips to Manhattan’s Penn Station will terminate instead at Newark Penn Station. And on Saturday, Nov. 7, buses will replace trains between Cranford and Newark stations, during track replacement work.
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North Jersey Coast Line: Passengers riding between Manasquan and Bay Head will need to transfer to buses until Oct. 25 while maintenance work is performed on the Brielle Bridge.
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Port Jervis Line: Buses will replace weekday train service between Suffern and Port Jervis stations until Nov. 14 because of track maintenance work.
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Acela, Northeast Regional and Keystone: Expect reduced service on these Amtrak lines, especially Keystone, which will cut weekday trips between Philadelphia and New York City to 10, down from 24.
The post Here’s How to Navigate the Portal Bridge Disruptions appeared first on New York Times.
