The commuters who are traveling in New Jersey every day will need to have the patience of a saint this week due to the many delays that will prevent them from getting to work or at home on time.
It was reported that New Jersey Transit trains that go in and out of New York’s Penn Station have been delayed for as much as 30 minutes because of Amtrak’s power problems on Tuesday, July 22.
Nevertheless, the story wasn’t over this morning either, much to the passengers’ annoyance. This time, the Journal Square, PATH and New York routes were the ones that were affected.
According to NJ transit, there will be delays on the Northeast Corridor, the North Jersey Coast, Morris & Essex, Raritan Valley and Montclair -Boonton lines.
Even so, commuters who are in a hurry can choose other variants. There are rail tickets available for PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street in Manhattan, according to Port Authority. People from Newark have the option to use the fare gates from the center platform. Cross-honoring is also available at New York Waterway from Hoboken Terminal.
Commuters are advised to be prepared for very busy rides on Wednesday morning. This situation is mostly expected to occur at Journal Square, where an accident led to the closure of all the bus terminals, thus preventing people from circulating along Sip Avenue.
The transit problems were not without incidents. Early in the morning, a bus driver coming out of Platform D, who attempted to turn right into Pavonia Avenue did not know that the road was closed. When he realized it, he tried to move backwards, but a backhoe at the building site started to move. It first hit a light pole which hit another one and caused a domino reaction that resulted into complete chaos, according to Steve Coleman, a Port Authority spokesman.
This is the fourth time this week when delays have been caused and it seems ironic that such discomfort is caused to the commuters, not long after the fare has been increased by 9 percent and services have been cut to cover a budget deficit.
This, in turn, provoked many complaints from people using the trains. Their dissatisfaction stems from the fact that they need to pay more for improper seating and schedules.
Social media websites are now filled with comments about the delays. They are especially directed towards Governor Chris Christie, who gave up a tunnel that could have been very useful during rush hours in 2010. He did not make any comments regarding the current situation.
Image Source: truth-out