March 4th 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewoood NJ, NJ TRANSIT Rail Operations faces the prospect of a systemwide shutdown should the membership of its rail union opt to participate in a work stoppage. This would result in the complete suspension of NJ TRANSIT rail service, affecting more than 160,000 customers who ride the system on a typical weekday. In the event of such a stoppage,
NJ TRANSIT has developed a contingency plan that would accommodate up to about 38 percent, or about 40,000 seats, of the existing New York-bound customer base.
Regional Park-Ride Service
Park-ride service will operate on a first come, first served basis from five key regional park-ride lots, weekdays only, during four-hour AM inbound (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and four-hour PM outbound (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) peak periods.
- MetLife Stadium to Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York
- PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel to New York City (Academy Bus)
- Hamilton Rail Station to Newark Penn Station for PATH service
- Metropark Rail Station to Harrison PATH Station
- Ramsey/Route 17 Rail Station to Lincoln Harbor Ferry, Weehawken
No midday, evening, weekend or reverse commute service will operate on these park-ride routes.
Park-ride locations were selected based on their size/parking capacity, access to regional highways, and geographical distribution. Access to area PATH stations and ferry service also was analyzed to minimize congestion at Hudson River crossings.
Enhanced NJ TRANSIT New York Bus Service
NJ TRANSIT will enhance peak period service on 29 existing New York bus routes in close proximity to rail stations. The routes are:
- Northeast Corridor: 108, 112, 115 and 129 bus routes
- North Jersey Coast Line: 116 and 133/135 bus routes
- Raritan Valley Line: 113 and 114X bus routes
- Morris & Essex Lines: 107X and 114X bus routes
- Montclair-Boonton Lines: 191X and 324 bus routes
- Main/Bergen County Lines: 145, 160L, 160T, 160P, 163P, 164SX, 190P/D, 190R, 190X and 192X bus routes
- Pascack Valley Line: 151, 162, 163L, 165P, 165R and 165T bus routes
In addition, to accommodate Atlantic City Rail Line customers, NJ TRANSIT will enhance service on the 554 bus route, which operates between Atlantic City and Lindenwold. At Lindenwold, customers can connect with PATCO service to Philadelphia. PATCO will cross honor Atlantic City Rail Line tickets and passes to/from Philadelphia (8th & Market St. Station).
To lessen traffic congestion and delays at the Lincoln Tunnel and to take advantage of the proximity to connecting PATH and ferry service, NJ TRANSIT will make the following service adjustments in the event of a rail stoppage:
- The 156R, 158 and 159R bus routes serving the River Road corridor will terminate at the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal in Weehawken on weekdays, enabling cross honoring with connecting NY Waterway ferry service. Weekend service will operate on its regular route to/from New York.
- The 126 bus route in Hoboken will operate on a reverse routing on weekday mornings, beginning at Willow Avenue and 19th Street and operating south to Hoboken Terminal for cross honoring with PATH and ferry service. In the evening, the 126 bus route will operate from Hoboken Terminal back to Willow Avenue and 19th Street. Weekend service will operate on its regular route to/from New York.
Ticketing
- All existing valid rail tickets and passes with an origin or destination of New York will be accepted for travel on all park-ride service, and will be cross-honored on NJ TRANSIT buses and light rail lines, private bus carriers, PATH, NY Waterway and Seastreak.
- Customers who do not already have a ticket or pass may purchase round-trip tickets to/from New York during morning hours on site from the park-ride locations. Round-trip tickets for regional park-ride service also will be available via MyTix, a mobile ticketing feature on NJ TRANSIT’s mobile app.
- Fares from regional park-rides are based on the existing fares from those locations. Adult, senior/disabled, and child fares will be available as follows:
| ORIGIN |
DESTINATION |
ADULT
ROUND TRIP FARE |
SENIOR/DISABLED
ROUND TRIP FARE |
CHILD
ROUND TRIP FARE |
| MetLife Stadium |
Port Authority
Bus Terminal |
$11.00 |
$4.90 |
$4.90 |
Ramsey/
Route 17 |
Lincoln Harbor
Ferry Terminal |
$24.50 |
$11.40 |
$11.40 |
| Metropark |
Harrison
PATH Station |
$21.50 |
$9.80 |
$9.80 |
| Hamilton |
Newark Penn Station
for PATH connection |
$32.50 |
$14.70 |
$14.70 |
| PNC Bank Arts Center |
New York |
$36.00 |
$18.00 |
$18.00 |
Cross-Honoring
NJ TRANSIT rail tickets and passes will be cross-honored on all NJ TRANSIT bus and light rail lines as well as on private bus carriers and PATH trains. Passes also will be cross-honored on all NY Waterway service, including Weehawken, Hoboken and North Hoboken, as well as on Seastreak service into Manhattan and PATCO service at Lindenwold Station to/from Philadelphia (8th & Market St. Station).
