HOBOKEN –NJ Transit announced Tuesday that electric powered trains will resume service to Hoboken Terminal starting Sunday, March 24. New rail schedules will also take effect on that day.
After Hurricane Sandy flooding, electric power issues resulted.
“This marks significant progress in post-Sandy recovery,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein. “Starting March 24, we will be adding 21 additional trains to the current schedules, which will restore nearly all rush hour service to Hoboken and result in the long-awaited return of standard one-seat service to Hoboken for Gladstone customers.”
NJ Transit spokesman John Durso said in late January that an interruption at a substation in Kearny had caused the electric power issues. “There are normal electric trains running on diesel, and when they run on diesel they run slower, so we need to adjust all of the schedules,” said Durso.
There have been generators still running in Hoboken Terminal.
“We are using equipment we normally would not be using,” Durso added in January.
The full press release also said:
Starting March 24, NJ TRANSIT will operate an additional 21 trains on the Morris & Essex, Montclair-Boonton, and Main/Bergen County lines, marking the restoration of regular rail service into and out of Hoboken Terminal. In January, NJ TRANSIT restored full rail service into and out of New York Penn Station when compared to pre-Sandy levels.
In addition, NJ TRANSIT will restore 19 trains that have been operating partial length trips to their complete trips.
“The addition of this rail service will add further system capacity, and reflects the tremendous progress made in the aftermath of the worst natural disaster ever to strike the Garden State,” Mr. Weinstein continued.
Systemwide, NJ TRANSIT’s rail division will reach 97 percent of its pre-Sandy service level with the March 24 schedule change, operating 679 of the 700 weekday trains scheduled prior to the storm, compared to the 658 trains operating today. Weekend service was restored to near pre-storm levels as of December 3, 2012.
Highlights of the March 24 changes include:
• Morris & Essex Lines: 15 additional trains
o Full restoration of morning peak period inbound service to Hoboken from the Gladstone and Morristown lines
o Full restoration of evening peak period outbound service from Hoboken to the Morristown Line west of Summit and from Hoboken to the Gladstone Line
• Montclair-Boonton Line: Two additional trains
o Restoration of a morning peak period train from Montclair State University to Hoboken
o Restoration of an afternoon departure from Hoboken to Denville
• Main/Bergen County Line: Four additional trains
o Full restoration of evening peak period outbound service from Hoboken.
The agency will continue to monitor ridership trends and continue to adjust future timetables to meet the needs of NJ TRANSIT customers.
Flooding from Hurricane Sandy and the resulting exposure to saltwater destroyed NJ TRANSIT’s Mason Substation —a critical component of NJ TRANSIT’s infrastructure that provides electric power for trains to operate into and out of Hoboken Terminal each day.
With no electric power available, diesel-powered trains have been substituted for electric-powered trains into and out of Hoboken, particularly along the Gladstone Branch of the Morris & Essex Lines. Approximately 24 electric-powered trains that operated along the Gladstone Branch pre-Sandy have been replaced by diesel-powered trains.
Starting March 24, electric trains will be restored to the affected lines to coincide with NJ TRANSIT’s restoration of electric power to Hoboken Terminal. Customers are encouraged to review new timetables, which will be available online at njtransit.com later this week.