Alright, so here’s the deal – due to some drama with the locomotive engineers, the rail service in New Jersey is pretty much dead in the water. Governor Phil Murphy and NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kris Kolluri are trying to keep things afloat by launching a contingency bus service starting Monday. The engineers decided to go on strike instead of agreeing to a new contract, leaving around 350,000 commuters high and dry.
Honestly, I’m not really sure why this strike happened in the first place, but it is what it is. The negotiators are going to try and hammer out a deal over the weekend, so fingers crossed for that. In the meantime, they’re asking folks to work from home if they can to ease the strain on the system. They’re also beefing up bus services to help out, but let’s be real, buses can’t really replace trains, can they?
So, starting Monday, there will be some regional Park & Ride services available for those in need. The buses will run during peak hours, shuttling people to and from places like Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York and Newark Penn Station. If you’re looking to hop on one of these buses, make sure you have your ticket ready – they won’t be accepting rail tickets on the buses. But hey, at least they’re trying their best to make things work, right?
