NJ Transit riders to face months of 'service adjustments' beginning Monday
New Jersey Transit riders are facing several months of what the railroad calls service 'adjustments' beginning on Monday morning.
A number of trains on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Morris and Essex Lines and the Pascack Valley Line will be discontinued as the railroad continues the installation of Positive Train Control, a critical safety upgrade.
"I'd put up with no trains and buses if they had to, to get Positive Train Control. That's how important it is to our safety," says rider Ira McCown.
NJ Transit's Executive Director Kevin Corbett said, "We are doing everything in our power to install this important safety technology as quickly as possible. I ask for customers' patience during this process as the end result is a safer railroad for everyone."
"If they can make it as seamless as possible, in terms of using technology to make sure that we are up to date of what's going on," said another rider.
Others are not pleased, especially on the Pascack Valley Line running up into Rockland County. County Executive Ed Day says, "This is an utter outrage. Rockland is already the most underserved county in the region and cancelling two of four express trains our commuters have is just adding insult to injury."
Vincent Cotta says, "It's quite annoying actually, like I use the train quite a bit especially going into the city, going out of the city, trying to go upstate New York. So it's pretty important for me to transit well."
These schedule adjustments, NJ Transit officials say, are only temporary and will be restored in early 2019.
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