NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of pain for a new century of service

🚆NJ Transit will cut train service between Newark and Secaucus by 50%

🚆Weekday Midtown Direct trains on three lines will be diverted to Hoboken

🚆The cutover will connect new tracks and signals to the existing rail system

To hear NJ Transit CEO and President Kris Kolluri tell it, riders are six weeks away from a new century.

Temporary new schedules will take effect Sunday as NJ Transit and Amtrak begin the final phase of the Portal Bridge cutover, moving the second and final track from the bridge that opened in 1910 to the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River. The work is scheduled to be completed by Saturday, November 16.

"Our goal here is to get the old bridge decommissioned and out of the way and build a brand new bridge so that bridge will never be a problem for commuters ever again," Kolluri told New Jersey 101.5's Bill Spadea on Friday. "That means we got to put in brand new catenary systems, make sure the signals are connected, connect the brand new tracks to the current infrastructure. When all that's done, we will basically be able to never use the old bridge again, which has served us for 116 years."

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Map shows the location of the Portal Bridge North

NJ Transit service cuts will hit three commuter lines

For five weeks, the work will mean a 50% cut in the number of NJ Transit trains between Newark and Secaucus and a 10% reduction in all service. The biggest single impact for riders will be weekday Midtown Direct trains on the Morris & Essex (M&E), Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line being diverted to Hoboken.

"I still understand that this is a challenge for people for the next five weeks. But as I've said before, we want reliability of service, and the only way we know how to do it is by putting brand new infrastructure in," Kolluri said.

PATH, NY Waterway and NJ Transit buses will cross-honor tickets during the service changes.

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