the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In advance of upcoming Amtrak track work at Penn Station New York this summer and resulting service adjustments, NJ TRANSIT is inviting customers to interact with senior management and operations personnel at the latest “We Are Listening” forums at Hoboken Terminal on Wednesday, May 15th from 4:30-6:30 p.m. and Penn Station New York Thursday, May 16th from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Continue reading NJ TRANSIT TO HOST CUSTOMER FORUMS IN HOBOKEN AND NEW YORK
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Governor Phil Murphy and NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Kevin Corbett recognized NJ TRANSIT’s latest Locomotive Engineer Training Class for passing and graduating the Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee (NORAC) and physical characteristics exams. The Governor presented each trainee with a certificate of achievement, as the class wraps up its final days of on-the-job training.
Continue reading GOVERNOR MURPHY RECOGNIZES LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER TRAINEES GRADUATING CLASSROOM TRAINING
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Beginning June 17, 2019, NJ TRANSIT will be temporarily diverting select Midtown Direct rail service on the Montclair-Boonton Line and one North Jersey Coast Line train to Hoboken, in order to accommodate vital Amtrak repair work that will take two tracks at Penn Station New York (PSNY) out of service. Other temporary service adjustments will include Morris & Essex Line Midtown Direct trains no longer stopping at Newark Broad Street station during the morning and evening peak periods, and a limited number of Midtown Direct reverse-peak trains will operate from Hoboken. Please see below for impacts to specific trains and suggested alternates.
Continue reading EXPECT DELAYS BUT NO SERVICE CHANGES FOR MAIN/BERGEN LINE DURING AMTRAK PENN STATION SUMMER WORK
Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT is delivering on its commitment to improving the customer experience across its rail, bus and light rail systems with the creation of the first Customer Advocate & Chief Customer Experience Officer in the agency’s 40-year history.
NJ TRANSIT has named transportation advocate and customer experience leader Stewart Mader to fill the role. The position is dedicated to monitoring and improving the customer experience statewide at every customer touchpoint.
“As NJ TRANSIT continues to rebuild itself as a world-class mass transit agency, restoring safety and reliability to the thousands of commuters who use its service daily, the voices of its riders must be heard,” said Governor Philip Murphy. “I applaud NJ TRANSIT’s leadership for prioritizing those voices, and putting customer service at the forefront of its operations by selecting Stewart Mader as the agency’s first Customer Advocate and Chief Customer Experience Officer, who will use his deep experience advocating for mass-transit in our region to monitor customer experience and feedback, and integrate the unique needs of commuters into the agency’s decision making process.”
Continue reading CHAIR OF THE PATH RIDERS COUNCIL NAMED FIRST CUSTOMER ADVOCATE & CHIEF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OFFICER BY NJT
file photo by ArtChick
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, on April 10th ,Governor Phil Murphy announced $1 million in Transit Village grants to revitalize areas around transit facilities. Five municipalities will receive grants for quality of life improvements.
Under this multi-agency smart growth initiative, municipalities that have transit facilities within their borders can seek to be designated as a Transit Village by developing plans for dense, mixed-use redevelopment that includes housing near their transit facility. The initiative creates incentives to revitalize areas around transit stations to create attractive, vibrant, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods where people can live, shop, work and play without relying on automobiles.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hasbrouck Hts NJ, NJ TRANSIT bus operator Ruben Valle was stopped at a red light in Hasbrouck Heights when he saw a female pedestrian struck by a car making a left turn in front of him. Ruben, a former EMT, quickly put the bus in park, asked his passengers to call 9-11, and ran out to provide assistance. Ruben told the conscious but injured pedestrian to stay still, and after another passerby came to stay with her went back to the bus for traffic cones.
Continue reading NJ Transit Bus Driver Saves Injured Pedestrian’s Life in Hasbrouck Heights
photo courtesy of NJ state police
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, State Police Office of Target Hardening to Deploy Troopers to Transportation and Religious Centers
Beginning this week, troopers from the Office of Target Hardening will conduct security operations as well as public awareness contacts at transportation locations and religious facilities throughout the state in preparation of religious holiday gatherings. So, what does this mean?
Continue reading NJ State Police Deploy Troopers to Transportation and Religious Centers
“So. This photo is from the second N.J. Transit “If You See Something, Say Something” Commercial. They both depict three different suspicions “people” leaving things behind and / or taking photos of surveillance cameras. All three suspicious people? You guessed it. White males. Nice message N.J. Transit!!! Personally, I’m appalled. “
photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The construction of additional parking spaces has begun at the Ridgewood train station.
Update on train station parking lot construction, work to begin 4/8/19
The train station parking lot construction will begin on April 8, 2019, for the next 3-4 months for renovation and addition of 35 parking spaces.
Continue reading Construction Starts at Ridgewood Train Station
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
East Rutherford NJ, The transit crisis that stranded fans attending WrestleMania 35 at MetLife Stadium this weekend threatens the success of future events, including the World Cup, the American Dream complex and other potentially-lucrative events, such as future Super Bowls and WrestleManias, Senator Paul Sarlo said today.
Continue reading Transit Chaos at WrestleMania Underscore Need to ‘ Complete the Loop’ To Secaucus Junction
“To claim that Ridgewood has a bad commute relative to other nice / safe / high quality of life suburban towns around NYC is simply not true. I have been commuting since 1986. When I commuted from Hoboken / Manhattan it was shorter but who wants to raise a family in Hoboken or Manhattan? And who can afford a neighborhood you would raise children in Manhattan other than Russian oligarchs and billionaires? The Ridgewood train is served by Main and Bergen lines making it uniquely more convenient than other train lines. Prior to the midtown connection some opted for the bus to PA so that new connection is yet another option making Ridgewood better than most other NYC commuter suburbs. I would be curious to what town(s) have such excellent train/bus service to NYC that it is cheaper and better than Ridgewood? Certainly not the LIRR or Metro North to Connecticut. I suppose Greenwich CT is OK but not noticeably better than Ridgewood and they have to switch to the 4-5-6 to get downtown so really that whole train service is heavily preferenced to midtown. Garden City LI for example is OK too I suppose but they have no choice but one line into Penn and then subway downtown which I guess is not as bad as coming down from Grand Central. At least we have about the same convenience to both midtown and downtown. And please tell me the suburban town that is so much cheaper and nicer with a fast convenient commute and high quality of life? Not near NYC, that is for sure. This is just another one of these things that the town-complainer posts stupid uninformed comments about in his or her eternal dislike of Ridgewood. I wish I had a dollar for every time this same person leaves a comment saying they are moving out. I think they do it 10 or 20 times a week. “
“All of this is driven by the ever increasing need for more and more fees to feed the out of control spending“
Another factor is supply and demand. As more people apply for parking permits, price has to rise. It would be against basic rules of market economy to do otherwise. We may not like it, but what’s the alternative?
With all honesty, the train is still the best way to get to the city. For the most part it’s punctual, there are always seats and it’s comfy. Where else can you get a better option? Summit/Millburn have an easier way to get to Penn St direct, but many Ridgewood commuters go to Hoboken stop instead.
Ridgewood is a beautiful, welcoming village. And hey, if the parking is too pricey, why not ride a bicycle during warner season (free) and Uber/Lyft when it’s cooler (~$7 one way)?
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving
“Right walk or leave early. As a resident who pays ever increasing taxes, over $200 a month to park in a lot for residences some of whom pay $35-55k year in taxes. All to get on a train that cost $300 a month that the commute has increased by at least 30 minutes a day, requires a switch to midtown, and are trouble prone.
The illusion of buying in RW as it is a commuter village is also becoming a tough sell. We bought here as the village used to support commuters and accomdate some of their requirements. All of this is driven by the ever increasing need for more and more fees to feed the out of control spending
Ridiculous planning and leadership”
Village Manager Heather A. Mailander
Ridgewood NJ, The train station parking lot is being reconfigured to create additional parking spaces. W have been informed that the construction will begin on Thursday April 4th not Wednesday, April 3, 2019, with 30 to 40 parking spaces, both metered and unmetered, being temporarily unavailable from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. The construction will last approximately three to four months. In addition, meters in the train station lot will be replaced with a central parking kiosk to receive payment. Payment may also be made by Parkmobile.
As a reminder, the premium parking permit (the hang tag which is used in the train station lot) may be used in all parking lots, except the Hudson Street parking lot. The premium parking permit is not valid in the shoppers/diners parking spaces nor is it valid in the Central Business District Employee parking spaces.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, All 14 Assistant Conductors that enrolled in NJ TRANSIT’S pilot conductor-to-engineer training program have successfully completed classroom instruction and testing. The first class of its kind at NJ TRANSIT, 100% of the Assistant Conductors will be moving onto phase two to begin on-the-job training in the field.
“This class of Assistant Conductors did an incredible job of learning an immense amount of material,’’ said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Kevin Corbett. “The hard work and dedication this class has shown is evident by their impressive success rate. I wish them well on the second phase of their training and look forward to having them operating their own trains in revenue service before the end of this year.”
Continue reading NJ Transit Announces 100% PASS RATE FOR FIRST PHASE OF PILOT LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER TRAINING PROGRAM
