It has happened. First time in 42 years, the NJ Transit engineers have gone on strike. No trains will be running from this point on unless a deal is struck.
The NJT Strike page was updated to reflect the stoppage of service.
https://www.njtransit.com/railstoppage
Sucks that it had to come to this, but withholding labor is one of the few levers workers can pull. I sincerely hope NJT takes a long hard think about treating their employees better and the engineers come out better off.
Solidarity with the engineers
I heard that apparently the strike will cost NJT around 4 million per day in lost revenue. Giving the engineers a living wage would cost them less. NJT has some serious clowns in the executive offices.
Right, it literally doesn’t make economic sense.
Meanwhile, NJT will still place the strike at the feet of the engineers and spin the story as, “Look how these selfish workers caused such a problem for the public!”
I was 100% expecting Murph to declare a state of emergency and use it to argue to a sympathetic judge that congestion pricing should not apply during the strike.
Why he has not done so is known only to him and God.
He really should kill the wasteful 11 billion dollar turnpike widening scheme and use the money saved to save NJ Transit. The biggest gripe many have with him is that he “promised” to fix it and 8 years pass he has done nothing but make blunders and waste money. Money was blown on a unnecessary HQ (that costed $500 million which included renovations and other upgrades), the $914 million boondoggle for new railcars that still haven’t been delivered and fare increases. In addition, he turned down free money (that would of been over $100 million) from NYC as part of a settlement for his congestion pricing lawsuit the MTA offered that could of had the benefit of keeping the engineers from striking.
lol damn! When you summarize it all so succinctly, Jersey’s a fvckin mess!
Preach!
Big News: Strike’s over. The Engineers have reached an agreement, and rail service resumes Tuesday morning to ensure tracks and equipment are in working order.
https://www.njtransit.com/restart
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/nyregion/new-jersey-transit-strike-agreement.html (Paywall Bypass)
Any word on the specifics of the agreement?
Not yet. The regular employees have to vote (and approve ot) first and then the details will be released.
Some pictures surfaced of NJ Transit’s new electric-powered multilevel trains actually undergoing testing in Colorado. These are years overdue, much like the new Acela trains, and will likely have worse acceleration than the trains they are replacing, since not every car is powered and they are much heavier.
It’s nice that Denver has a lightly used electrified commuter-rail system that can be used for these types of exercises…. but shouldn’t the testing be done in a climate similar to that of New Jersey?
The testing isn’t done on Denver’s system. There’s an actual test-track out in Pueblo that permits high-speed testing. The New Acela trains were also tested out there at some point too.
It’s ridiculous US passenger trains are tested in an area that is not even served by passenger rail. To board an Amtrak train Pueblans have to drive either north to Denver or south to Trinidad.
I wonder how much time, energy and effort is wasted shuttling these trains to Pueblo for testing and then to wherever they are put into service.
Not as bad as the Bayonne box…
MAIN-BERGEN COUNTY-PORT JERVIS LINE
- Both Kingsland Station and the current Lyndhurst Station will permanently close after Train 1701 operates early Sunday, June 8.
- The new Lyndhurst Station – located just east of the current station – will open for service when Suffern-bound Train 1705 (6:41 AM) and Hoboken-bound Train 70 (6:59 AM) make their station stops on Sunday morning, June 8.
- There are slight adjustments to numerous trains that operate via the Main Line due to the closure of Kingsland Station. Check schedules for details.
The only public hearing for the Turnpike Widening Scheme is due to be held on June 18th. Many critics are saying that this should of happened when it was being planned, not after they decide to go forward and get approval for certain components.
Opponents finally got to speak their mind about the Wasteful Turnpike Widening Scheme. This will likely be the only time they get this opportunity.
The HBLR’s planned extension study is delayed once more. Whomp whomp. Lets see how many enviornmental studies and red tape this takes when it actually takes place… Why can’t they fast track this instead of the Wasteful Turnpike Extension? NJ needs a new, Pro-Transit governor.
