Ahead of major track work at Penn Station, New Jersey Transit revealed its new service plan, outlining changes to specific train lines and offering alternatives for getting to and from the city.
While weekend riders will not be impacted by the track work, many weekday commuters will be getting to and from the city using a brand new schedule between July 10 and Sept. 1, 2017.
Midtown Direct passengers bear the brunt of the service changes, with the majority of trains terminating at Hoboken instead of Penn Station. Customers will then have to transfer to the NY Waterway Ferry, NJ Transit buses or the PATH.
See below for a full breakdown of NJ Transit’s plan for what Gov. Andrew Cuomo has dubbed the “summer of hell” at Penn Station.
New train schedules
Visit njtransit.com/theupdate for the full timetables on all lines.
Midtown Direct trains on the Gladstone Branch: All trains will be diverted to and from Hoboken on weekdays.
Midtown Direct trains on the Morris & Essex Line: Only four early morning trains will take customers directly to Penn Station. All trains after 7 a.m. on weekdays will be diverted to and from Hoboken. Here are the four trains that will still terminate at Penn Station on weekdays:
– 6602 train arriving at 5:44 a.m.
– 6604 train arriving at 6:29 a.m.
– 6696 train arriving at 6:54 a.m.
– 6306 train arriving at 6:58 a.m.
Midtown Direct trains on the Montclair-Boonton Line: Trains will mostly operate on a normal weekday schedule with a few time changes. Trains will not stop at Broad Street during peak hours. NJ Transit is warning customers to check station stops on this route, as they may have changed.
Northeast Corridor: Trains will run to and from Penn Station on a regular weekday schedule with a few time changes.
North Jersey Coast Line: Trains will run to and from Penn Station on a regular weekday schedule with a few time changes. But Hoboken-bound trains will terminate service at Newark Penn Station.
Raritan Valley Line: Trains will run on a regular weekday schedule with a few time changes.
Main/Bergen, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis Lines will run on a regular weekday schedule, but connecting PATH trains may be different at Hoboken Terminal.
Ticket discounts
There is one silver lining for commuters during Amtrak’s summer track work: discounted tickets.
NJ Transit is offering Morris & Essex Midtown Direct customers up to 63 percent off the regular fare to New York. The discount will be calculated based on the origin and destination of the customer’s travel along the line.
Below are a few notes to know regarding discounted ticketing:
– Morris & Essex Midtown Direct customers should buy tickets that terminate at Hoboken instead of Penn Station.
– Customers with Hoboken tickets will still be able to use them on the four early morning Morris & Essex trains that terminate at Penn Station.
– All discounted tickets will expire on Sept. 1, 2017, which is projected to be the final day of service changes.
– Discounted monthly tickets will be available starting June 19.
– Discounted weekly tickets will be available beginning June 29.
– All other discounted tickets will be available starting July 9, when the service changes go into effect.
– Discounted Morris & Essex tickets will not be accepted on other rail lines.
Transportation alternatives and cross honoring
Hoboken Terminal cross-honoring options:
– NY Waterway Ferries will operate to and from Hoboken Terminal on a special service route to the West 39th Street ferry terminal.
– PATH trains at Hoboken, 33rd Street and World Trade Center only.
– NJ Transit 126 bus to and from Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Newark Broad Street Station cross-honoring options:
– Take the Newark Light Rail to Newark Penn Station. From there you can take the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and the Raritan Valley Line to Penn Station. But you do need to buy a separate ticket once you arrive at Newark Penn Station.
– Newark Light Rail service will be enhanced, with trips available every 10 minutes from 6:10 to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
– Express bus service to Port Authority Bus Terminal on a private bus carrier.
NJ Transit and private bus carriers:
Morris & Essex Midtown Direct tickets will be cross-honored on NJ Transit buses, as well as on DeCamp, Lakeland and Community Coach buses.
Ferry Service alternative:
NY Waterway will offer enhanced ferry service to and from Hoboken Terminal every 15 minutes between 7 and 10 a.m., and then again between 4 and 8 p.m. NJ Transit train tickets will be cross-honored during those times.
NJ Transit bus service alternatives:
– There will be enhanced bus service during peak hours on bus routes 107, 108 and 126.
More buses will be on standby for supplemental service from the South Orange station on Sloan Street, with express service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal if there’s overcrowding on the 107.
– Additional buses will also be on standby at Newark Penn Station for the 108 route.
– Additional service will be offered on the 126 route from Hoboken to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, particularly at stops between 9th and 19th streets.
– During morning peak hours, private bus carriers will offer additional express service from Newark Broad Street to Port Authority Bus Terminal.
For the latest updates from NJ Transit on its summer service plan, head to njtransit.com/theupdate.
