Changes will be coming to train schedules on New Jersey Transit (NJT) during the second half of February and the first half of March, as the agency and Amtrak prepare for the cutover from the current century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River to the newly constructed Portal North Bridge. Officials from both railroads gave a briefing on Jan. 15, describing the scope of work and some of the changes that will affect riders in the Garden State over the four-week period. It concerns a segment of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC), but NJT operates most of the trains that use it.
NJT CEO Kris Kolluri said the railroad will be running on a single-track segment between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction and stressed the importance of maximizing capacity during this period, making sure that all communities maintain rail service, and emphasizing safety. Between service reductions on Amtrak and NJT, the number of moves will be reduced almost by half, including sending many trains that have been originating/terminating at New York Penn Station to or from Hoboken Terminal.
“While the transfer, or ‘cutover,’ of Amtrak-owned [catenary] and electrical systems will ultimately deliver substantial benefits, it means customers on all rail lines except the Atlantic City Rail Line will experience temporary adjustments to rail service beginning Feb. 15 and continuing for approximately four weeks,” NJT said. “Expect modified train schedules to include some train consolidations or cancellations, and others with changed departure times and/or stopping patterns. NJT worked closely with Amtrak and regional partners to develop a customer-focused service plan prioritizing capacity, continuity and safety.”
“We understand that this work will disrupt the way our customers travel during the cutover period, which is why every element of our service plan was designed to keep people moving as safely and efficiently as possible,” Kolluri said. “While the disruption is temporary, the benefits, including a far more reliable and resilient commute along the Northeast Corridor, will last for generations.”
NJT has posted information about the project on a new section of its website as a “Major Service Update” on the Portal North Bridge Cutover under the headline “Portal Bridge Cutover: What it Means for You” with a project summary. It includes a link to a 20-slide “Stakeholder Briefing” that also provides a project outline of the project and a summary of the presentations (download below), along with information on schedule changes that will occur during the four-week project.
The “Overview” section begins by saying: “Amtrak will perform a critical series of construction and operational activities to transfer, or ‘cutover,’ rail operations from the existing Portal Bridge to the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River. This cutover represents a major milestone in the Gateway Program and is essential to advancing long-term reliability and capacity improvements along the Northeast Corridor … While this work will ultimately deliver substantial benefits, the cutover process is complex and operationally intensive, requiring temporary but significant changes to rail service. NJ Transit has worked closely with Amtrak and regional partners to develop a customer-focused service plan that prioritizes capacity, continuity and safety throughout the transition.”
According to NJT, the new schedules will become effective Feb. 15. The agency expects the project to be completed by March 14, with the current schedules going back into effect the next day. The agency also said that customers should expect “modified train schedules, largely including earlier departures, reduced service frequencies on certain segments, longer travel times due to operational constraints, [and] some train consolidations or cancellations.” There will be additional customer support, including staff at Hoboken and Secaucus.
According to NJT’s schedule information, there will be some reductions in service on most lines, where weekday and weekend schedules will change while work continues. Main/Bergen, Port Jervis, and Pascack Valley Line trains originate/terminate at Hoboken, and schedules on those lines will remain essentially intact, although connections at Secaucus will change for some trains. Hourly service on the Raritan Valley Line and the North Jersey Coast Line will continue to run outside peak commuting periods (about every two hours south of Long Branch). There will be slight service reductions, and trains will leave at different times past the hour than on the regular schedules. Trains to/from Trenton (or shorter turns) on the NEC will also have new schedules. Weekend connections at Trenton to/from Philadelphia on SEPTA trains will be less convenient than under the “regular” schedule. Raritan Valley Line trains that currently run to/from Penn Station New York on weekdays will be cut back to Penn Station Newark for the duration, so riders will not have a one-seat ride to their destinations along that line.
The biggest change will occur on the Morris & Essex (M&E), Gladstone and Montclair-Boonton Lines. Since 1996, some trains on those lines have run to or from Penn Station New York in Midtown Direct service, while other trains run to or from Hoboken. On weekdays, all trains on those lines will originate or terminate at Hoboken. For riders bound for New York City, NJT tickets will be cross-honored on PATH trains (only at Hoboken and 33rd Street Station, as a substitute for Penn Station), ferries to 39th Street on weekdays, and the #126 bus, which runs between Hoboken and Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal. The agency advises riders to purchase Hoboken tickets, rather than New York tickets. Hoboken fares are about 25% lower than New York fares. Midtown Direct trains will continue to run between Dover and Penn Station New York on weekends, but trains will leave each station at a different time after the hour than on the “regular” schedule. Convenient Hoboken connections to and from the M&E will not be available at Newark Broad Street Station during the outage, and NJT suggests changing trains at Secaucus.
“The cutover of the Portal North Bridge represents more than just work to connect railroad infrastructure; it signifies a whole new level of reliability on the Northeast Corridor and New Jersey that has never previously existed,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said. “In just a few short weeks, we will reward the patience of Amtrak and NJ Transit customers by helping eliminate a cause of long delays and unreliable commutes. The new modern, high-level fixed span bridge will make future Amtrak and commuter trips more reliable, safer and smoother with increased service and train speeds. Thanks to a strong partnership between Amtrak and NJT, the project remains on schedule and on budget.”
Amtrak will reduce service in the impacted area. “Amtrak and NJ Transit coordinated on our respective schedule changes and agreed to our service plans before announcing them publicly,” spokesperson Jason Abrams said. “Less service for Amtrak, too. We adjusted more than 280 trains in total.” On weekdays, Acela service will be reduced from 20 trains to 18, Northeast Regional service will be reduced from 44 trains to 40, and there will only be 10 weekday Keystone trains between New York and Philadelphia, down from the current 24. Full Keystone service will continue to operate between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, and there will be no change in long-distance trains. The reduced schedule will begin Feb. 14 and run through March 15.
Some longtime riders on the Morris & Essex, Montclair and Gladstone Lines will soon have a month to repeat the experience of the way they commuted (or otherwise went into the New York City) 30 or more years ago. There will be a similar outage in the fall for cutover of the second track, possibly in October.
