NJ Transit tells Penn Station commuters they’re screwed
Commuters, here is some of the hell you’re in for this summer.
New Jersey Transit on Friday released its summer schedule changes to accommodate Amtrak’s overhaul of the decrepit rails in and around Penn Station — but LIRR riders are still in the dark as the MTA struggles to finalize its plans.
The NJ Transit changes will be in effect weekdays between Monday, July 10, and Friday, Sept. 1.
But while the MTA said it was pushing to inform the public of its changes by June 1, it has yet to say how it will reroute LIRR trains, according to a spokeswoman — just three weeks before the multitrack shutdowns are set to slam Penn Station.
One notable change to NJ Transit: Midtown Direct trains on the Morristown line scheduled to arrive at Penn Station after 7 a.m. will be diverted to Hoboken, where commuters will then have to transfer to New York Waterway ferries or PATH trains.
Only four early-morning trains, originating in Hackettstown, will be spared this diversion. But when those riders return to New Jersey later in the day, they will need to travel to Hoboken to access westbound trains.
New York Waterway will offer special service from Hoboken Terminal to West 39th Street in Midtown every 15 minutes, according to the NJTransit press release.
Midtown Direct customers on the Morris and Essex lines will receive up to a 63 percent discount off their regular fare — and their fares will be cross-honored in Hoboken and other alternative locations — during the rerouting.
All trains on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines will operate on regular weekday schedules with minor time changes to and from Penn Station.
“More than 80 percent of NJ TRANSIT customers travel over a portion of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor at some point during their trip, so in essence, they are customers of Amtrak as well,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Steven H. Santoro said in a statement. “In developing this service plan, the safety of every customer was the top priority. Not only is this plan the safest, but it maintains the maximum number of seats across the rail system.”
A complete rundown of the changes is available here.
The Amtrak construction will take place every day of the week, with some tracks out of commission around the clock, Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman told The Post in April.
Sources said the railroad would try to tackle only four of the station’s 21 tracks at a time, but Moorman would not commit to that.
“I don’t make any guarantees about disruptions,” he said at the time. “Our target is that the minimum number of tracks to be impacted and minimum number of people to be impacted while getting this work done.”
Two derailments at Penn Station earlier this year severely hampered train traffic — especially for LIRR and NJ Transit customers.
The most recent derailment, on April 3, caused an entire week of delays and cancellations as Amtrak scrambled to replace aging timber and switches.
Additional reporting by Max Jaeger