From left, NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri, Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca and Committee Member Dean Dafis at the Maplewood Train Station on the first day of NJ Transit’s schedule changes to accommodate work on the Portal Bridge.
NJ Transit President and Chief Executive Officer Kris Kolluri was at the Maplewood train station Tuesday as commuters adjusted to a change in schedule to accommodate work on the Portal Bridge.
“We appreciate their patience,” Kolluri said. “This is the first day of a new schedule. We understand it is disruptive but at the end we will have a new bridge for the first time in 100 years.”
Midtown Direct customers are being diverted for the next four weeks to Hoboken where they can take the PATH, midtown ferry service and NJ Transit buses to get into Manhattan.
Kolluri said the disruption was a necessary evil but at the end of it, NJ Transit trains will be running across a new bridge that will mean fewer delays or related problems.
“This is the most important thing we can do,” Kolluri said.
The following are highlights of the new schedule:
• Weekday Midtown Direct trains on the Montclair-Boonton, Morris & Essex (M&E), and Gladstone Branch lines will be diverted to Hoboken.
• Weekend Midtown Direct trains will operate to/from Penn Station NY.
For Midtown Direct customers with Hoboken as a destination on their tickets/passes, the following options will be available for travel between Hoboken and Midtown Manhattan:
• Cross-honoring will be in effect with PATH at Hoboken and 33rd Street only;
• Cross-honoring with NY Waterway ferries will be in effect on weekdays between Hoboken Terminal and W. 39th St. in Midtown Manhattan. Ferry service to Midtown Manhattan will be enhanced during the morning and evening peak periods.
The adjusted train schedules, as well as links to alternate public transportation options by rail line, can be found at njtransit.com/portalcutover.
Boxcar bus company launched portalcutover.com, a tool for commuters to see their new schedule and to request emergency service in their area.
Boxcar buses drop people off across 42nd Street and north on Madison Avenue. They also offer mirroring evening service. All of this information can be found by downloading the Boxcar app in your local app/Google Play store, or email support@boxcar.com.
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