Monday's night's storm wreaks havoc on morning and evening commutes on NJ Transit
NEW YORK -- A tree that came down during Monday night's stormy weather is still causing big problems on one of NJ Transit's busiest rail lines.
As CBS2's Christina Fan reported Tuesday, service remains suspended on the Morris and Essex line.
NJ Transit said crews are working diligently to repair overhead wires in Maplewood, but the damage from the storm proved to be too substantial.
For the second time Tuesday, riders were scrambling to find a work-around.
It was a headache for many Penn Station in the city, as harried commuters weighed their options on how best to get home.
"Morris line remains suspended until further notice. OK, I guess I'll be taking the bus in a few minutes," one woman said.
"I'm taking another line. I wish my wife is going to come and pick me up," a man said.
The chaos for passengers taking the Morris and Essex line began in morning, after a tree crashed onto the tracks near Maplewood on Monday night. Not only did the tree fall on one of NJ Transit's busiest lines, it also took down overhead wires and a catenary pole.
Officials say the damage to crucial power infrastructure was so significant, there still isn't an ETA for repairs.
The Gladstone line is also impacted and suspended.
"Thankfully, I watched the news, you guys, and I was able to see that the trains were down," a commuter said.
The disruption forced thousands of commuters to scramble on Tuesday morning. Ben Wofle of Springfield was one of them. He parked and paid at the Summit train station, only to find the train wasn't running. He then had to detour to Newark Penn Station.
"The whole morning has been a disaster, to try and drive down here and some of the construction. I used to park in the garage across the street. I got the last available spot," Wolfe said.
"Really disappointed, it sets me back a lot," one commuter said.
"It was a little bit of a crazy morning," Jacolyn Cabrera said.
Cabrera lives in Chatham and showed up to her station only to learn service was suspended.
"I took an Uber to Secaucus and then I finally got on at Secaucus and I was able to come to Penn Station," she told CBS2's Alice Gainer.
It tacked on an extra hour or so to her commute.
"It's a challenge for, you know, us to also move to a bus or things like that, so you know, it's just a bit of a dance," Cabrera said.
NJ Transit says it will continue cross-honoring tickets on the Raritan Valley and Montclair-Boonton lines. Parking lots from Newark to Secaucus were packed as commuters switched to alternative options, many delayed getting into work.
"There weren't any seats available this morning, which is rare, as opposed to always finding a seat, and the platform on, for example, Newark Broad was so packed," one person said.
NJ Transit says limited service will operate on a modified scheduled between South Orange and Penn Station New York and Hoboken on Wednesday. Schedules will be available at njtransit.com. The Gladstone Branch will remained suspended until further notice.
Tickets will also be honored on NJ transit buses and PATH at 33rd Street and Hoboken.
Customer service ambassadors will be at South Orange rail station to help customers Wednesday in response to customer complaints that they showed up to their stations unaware there was an issue.