With inconsistency becoming the only consistent thing about NJ Transit train service recently, South Orange and Maplewood residents who commute to New York City via NJ Transit trains are desperate for solutions.
As painstakingly detailed in the Facebook group SOMa NJ Commutes, local residents have piled on trains, piled off of trains, been re-routed to Hoboken, stranded in Penn Station, found themselves stuck unmoving between stations, packed in sweaty hoards on platforms, and left frustrated, befuddled and enraged again and again as Amtrak overhead wire issues in the Hudson tunnels and what feels like cascading incompetence on the part of NJT have left them bemoaning their fate.
Now, in a move reminiscent of the 2017 Summer of Hell, South Orange Council members, led by Mayor Sheena Collum, are holding an online forum on Wednesday, June 26 in an effort to draw attention to the issue, collect information, share war stories and workarounds, and strategize for improvements.
“South Orange Commuters, I’m sorry things have been so miserable,” wrote Collum on Facebook. “I’m paying attention, and I hear you loud and clear. Come join me and other officials next Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. via Zoom to discuss what we can do to better advocate for you. I made it a virtual meeting just in case you’re stuck on a train.”
Link to Register: https://shorturl.at/FV3ey
Village Green will continue to follow this story.
Featured photo by Jay Fox via SOMa NJ Commutes.
Related:
With Many NJT Trains Suspended, ‘Boxcar’ Buses Temporarily Available in Maplewood — at a Cost
A Commuter’s Lament: ‘Does the Person Who Runs NJT Ever Take NJT?’
New Jersey Transit service was disrupted once again on Monday evening, with travel suspended in and out of Penn Station for nearly an hour because of a report of a problem with Amtrak overhead wires in one of the Hudson River tunnels.https://t.co/I55WXdFuff
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 25, 2024
