NJ Transit service remains limited on Morris and Essex line due to down tree
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - There's a First Alert Traffic issue on the rails.
Limited service will continue on New Jersey's Morris and Essex line through Friday due to damage from Monday night's storm.
It was a wild ride for Wednesday morning commuters who use NJ TRANSIT's Morris and Essex line.
Confused riders could be seen running at the South Orange station stop, not knowing where to go in order to catch the next best means of getting to work. Many were wondering if they should catch the provided shuttle bus into the city, or a train that runs once an hour?
CBS2's Elijah Westbrook caught up with a woman at around 7 a.m. as she figured out how she was getting to New York's Penn Station.
"It's a matter of where can you go, or call for someone to pick you up, or figure out how to get home from there," she said.
Much like her, Monique Matthew says she has no other choice but to somehow make it to her job as a teacher in Manhattan. NJ TRANSIT is one of her only ways of getting to work.
"Things happen and we're trying to be flexible, but right now I don't know," Matthew said. "We just have to figure it out. Where there's a will, there's a way. That's my motto."
With no end in sight for how much longer until normal service will be resumed after getting debris and those overhead wires restored, NJ TRANSIT officials say to expect delays and cancelations in the days ahead.
Crews have been working around the clock to remove the damaged catenary structure near Maplewood which was the result of a downed tree from Monday night’s strong winds. Due to the extensive damage caused by the fallen tree, a timeline for full restoration remains in progress. pic.twitter.com/2mMCDtvGTa
— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) March 8, 2022
Limited service will operate on the Morris and Essex line between South Orange and New York and Hoboken. The Gladstone branch of the line remains suspended.
Cross-honoring remains in effect for riders on the Raritan Valley and Montclair-Boonton lines, NJ TRANSIT and private carrier buses.
"The whole morning has been a disaster," said Springfield resident Ben Wolfe.
"Really disappointed it sets me back a lot," another person said.
In the meantime, NJ TRANSIT says customer service ambassadors will be present at South Orange station and others along the line to help riders navigate their commutes.