New Jersey Transit workers could strike for the first time in more than 40 years this week, potentially disrupting commutes for hundreds of thousands of commuters. According to the New York Times, NJ Transit train engineers have threatened to strike by Friday if their union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, fails to reach a long-delayed contract agreement with the agency. The engineers’ demands include pay parity with engineers at nearby commuter railroads. Should the strike happen, here’s how you can still get to New York City from the Garden State.
The parties also disagree on a number of work rules, including those involving scheduling and staffing levels. However, the dispute now solely focuses on money. As of last week, the union had agreed to 95 percent of NJ Transit’s demands, with the only sticking point being the wages, as reported by the Times.
Kris Kolluri, head of NJ Transit, said the union in March rejected a contract that would have raised the average annual salary of full-time engineers from $135,000 to $172,000. However, Thomas Haas, the union’s general chairman, disputed those figures, calling them inflated and adding that the union would gladly accept a contract offering that level of pay.
NJ Transit maintains that the 450 engineers represented by the union should accept the same contract terms agreed to by the agency’s other unions, according to the Times. Last week, the agency reached a deal with its largest union, which represents 5,500 bus system employees.
The engineers say they should be paid the same as train drivers across the region’s other commuter railroads, including the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. According to the union, those agencies pay their engineers about $10 more per hour than NJ Transit.
NJ Transit’s last strike took place in 1983 and lasted about three weeks. Another strike was narrowly avoided in 2016, when a deal was reached just one day before it was set to begin. This time, tensions appear higher, with the rhetoric between both parties growing more hostile. After the union rejected the previous agreement, Kolluri publicly questioned the mental health of Haas.
Bus service
If a strike occurs, New Jersey’s Park & Ride program will offer weekday peak-hour bus service from four locations starting Monday, May 19:
- Secaucus Junction Bus Plaza to Port Authority Bus Terminal:
Morning pickups run from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Return service from Port Authority back to Secaucus runs from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - PNC Bank Arts Center to Port Authority Bus Terminal:
Morning service operates from 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Return trips from Port Authority to PNC run from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Hamilton Rail Station to Newark Penn Station:
Buses will operate between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., with return trips from Newark Penn back to Hamilton from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Riders can transfer to PATH at Newark Penn. - Woodbridge Center Mall to Harrison Rail Station:
Morning pickups will run from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Return service from Harrison to Woodbridge is available from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
No chartered bus service will run on the first day of the strike. Kolluri told the Times that the buses typically carry around 100 passengers, compared to nearly 1,000 on a full train. As a result, the buses will only be able to accommodate about 20 percent of the 70,000 commuters who rely on trains to reach the city each day.
There will also be enhanced bus service on existing New York bus routes during peak hours that are in close proximity to rail stations, including:
- Northeast Corridor: 108, 112, 115 and 129 bus routes
- North Jersey Coast Line: 116 and 133/135 bus routes
- Raritan Valley Line: 112 and 113 bus routes
- Morris & Essex Lines: 107 bus routes
- Montclair-Boonton Lines: 193 and 324 bus routes
- Main/Bergen County Lines: 145, 163, 164 and 190 bus routes
- Pascack Valley Line: 163, 164 and 165 bus routes
- Northeast Corridor: 108, 112, 115 and 129 bus routes
- North Jersey Coast Line: 116 and 133/135 bus routes
- Raritan Valley Line: 112 and 113 bus routes
- Morris & Essex Lines: 107 bus routes
- Montclair-Boonton Lines: 193 and 324 bus routes
- Main/Bergen County Lines: 145, 163, 164 and 190 bus routes
- Pascack Valley Line: 163, 164 and 165 bus routes
All other NJ Transit bus routes will continue to operate on normal schedules.
Train service
New Jersey’s light rail lines—the Newark Light Rail, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, and River Line—will continue to operate on regular weekday schedules. Access Link service will also run as usual, though riders should anticipate longer travel times due to heavier traffic and increased demand.
Though a pricier option, commuters can also ride Amtrak to New York Penn Station. Many of the rail line’s Northeast Corridor trains stop in Trenton, Princeton Junction, New Brunswick, Metropark, Newark Liberty Airport, and Newark Penn Station, according to NorthJersey.com.
Cross-honoring tickets
Passengers traveling from NJ Transit stations on the New York side of the Main-Bergen and Pascack Valley lines can have their tickets cross-honored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This includes access to Metro-North’s Harlem and Hudson rail lines, as well as the Haverstraw-Ossining and Newburgh-Beacon ferries.
Private bus & ferry service
Boxcar, a private bus service operating six routes across Morris, Union, Essex, and Bergen counties, doubled its service in Bergen County on Monday in preparation for the strike, as reported by NorthJersey.com. The company has also launched shuttle buses from Convent Station, Madison, and Chatham to Jersey City’s Liberty Harbor, Exchange Place, and Paulus Hook, where riders can connect to PATH trains or ferries to Manhattan. Riders can add a ferry ticket through Boxcar for $7.50 as opposed to the normal rate of $9.50 or $10.
By car
As a last resort, commuters can drive into Manhattan, but they should be aware of the $9 congestion pricing toll when entering the borough south of 60th Street between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays. Garden State residents can also carpool through NJ Rideshare, a free ride-matching service that helps individuals find flexible carpool or vanpool options.
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