NJ TRANSIT Riders Face Heavy Delays Between Newark And Penn Station
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some NJ TRANSIT ride had a frustrating commute during the Friday morning rush hour.
Problems with an Amtrak signal stalled traffic in the tunnel, disrupting service between Newark and New York's Penn Station on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Raritan Valley, and MidTown Direct lines, according to NJ TRANSIT.
Some people were stuck on trains in the tunnel for almost an hour, CBS2 reported.
Commuters say unfortunately this is nothing new.
"It's been pretty rough," Fair Lawn resident Ari Ginsberg said. "It's not reliable, you always gotta leave an hour before hand. I'm really hoping things change."
"They got you by the short hairs, how bad it is, because here's the catch on that you can't go nowhere else," one rider said.
Commuters took to Twitter to air their frustrations.
NJ TRANSIT sent a tweet thanking customers for their patience.
This is just the latest in a series of disruptions NJ TRANSIT riders have faced in recent weeks.
Last Friday, a disabled NJ TRANSIT train led to delays at Penn Station and across the area during the evening rush hour. Approximately 1,200 passengers were trapped on board for three hours without lights, water or instructions.
Earlier this month, a NJ TRANSIT train derailed at Penn Station, leading to four days of crowded and canceled trains, making for chaotic commutes. Eight tracks were out of service while crews made repairs, impacting NJ TRANSIT, LIRR and Amtrak riders.
That incident came just 10 days after an Amtrak train derailed and scraped against a NJ TRANSIT train.
The recent train derailments at Penn Station highlighted the need for major work to the area's infrastructure. Half a million people travel through Penn Station each week.
The problems have put more attention on a rail tunnel project shut down by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in 2010.
Christie said the Arc Tunnel Project was flawed and that he pulled the plug over concerns that New Jersey taxpayers would be forced to foot the bill for billions of dollars in cost overruns.
"First off if we had gone forward with the Arc Tunnel it still wouldn't be done," he said on his "Ask the Governor" radio show.
Christie said the tunnel would not have been finished in time to ease the recent problems at New York's Penn Station and that the new Gateway Tunnel Project is far superior.
Meanwhile, NJ TRANSIT also suspended light rail service between Danforth Avenue and Liberty State Park after a Hudson Bergen Light Rail train struck and killed a man in Jersey City. It happened around 8:45 a.m. Friday. Approximately 300 passengers on the train were transferred to another light rail vehicle. The identity of the victim has not been released.
