With NJ Transit employees potentially planning to strike as early as March 13, South Orange and Maplewood are making plans — along with NJ Transit — to provide other sources of travel via jitney, PATH, bus and ferry. Maplewood unveiled its plan last night at the Township Committee meeting. Today, South Orange has posted the following plan on its website.
In addition, South Orange Village President Sheena Collum released this statement:
“At this time, we don’t know for certain if the strike will occur and hope that it does not. However, we are prepared in advance to provide additional support. As information becomes available to us, we will keep residents informed. This is a fluid situation, so check our village’s website regularly (southorage.org). I ask all our commuters to start making plans right now whether it be carpooling, working from home, taking a bus or utilizing our jitneys to go to a light rail station in Newark and then transfer to a PATH train.”
South Orange Prepares for Impending NJ Transit Strike
With over 4,000 passengers departing out of the South Orange Train Station every day, (and additional residents departing from Mountain Station) South Orange will be among the most impacted communities if the impending NJ Transit Rail workers strike becomes a reality. At present, the strike is scheduled to start on Sunday, March 13.
In preparation for a possible strike, South Orange officials have been working to develop contingency plans to assist resident commuters in finding transportation alternatives in and out of New York. Working closely with the South Orange Parking Authority and NJ Transit, the Village has developed preliminary plans as described below. As this is a very fluid situation, these plans are subject to change and will be modified and supplemented as additional information or resources become available.
In the event NJ Transit railway service is suspended due to a strike, the Village has identified three available transportation alternatives for commuters and is currently planning to provide the following support services for each option. (NOTE: If these options are implemented, neighborhood jitney service will not be provided due to the limited number of buses available.)
- PATH Train Service: The PATH train service is operated by the Port Authority of NY & NJ and will not be affected by the possible strike. PATH service runs from Newark Penn Station into NYC at the World Trade Center (direct) or to 9th, 14th, 23rd and 33rd Streets (requires a transfer at Journal Square Station in Jersey City). PATH trains leave Newark Penn Station approximately every 5 minutes during the morning commute. More details on PATH service, including maps, schedules and fare information can be found at: https://www.panynj.gov/path
Village Support: The Village and the Parking Authority are planning to make jitney trips from SOPAC to Newark on 15 minute intervals from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.. Each Jitney has a capacity of 20 passengers, meaning that the Parking Authority could transport approximately 80 residents per hour, or a total of 400 residents over the 5 hour period. The service will be for South Orange residents only and proof of residency may be required. Present plans are for first come first served boarding and the cost is yet to be determined. Return pick up trips will run to SOPAC on 15 minute intervals from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with details on the pick-up location still being arranged. The Village has been advised that our Jitneys (and other municipal or private busses) will not be permitted to drop off directly at Newark Penn Station. As a result, the Village will have Jitneys drop off at an NJ Transit Light Rail (which will not be affected by the strike) station. From there, commuters can take a short light rail ride to Newark Penn Station and transfer to a PATH train to New York. The specific Light Rail Station to be used for drop offs is still being determined, pending an evaluation of the best route and drop off and pick up locations. As soon as the details are resolved and the location finalized, details will be posted on the Village website.
- NJ Transit Bus Service – Transit Bus services will also not be affected by the strike. The currently provided bus service will continue and we are awaiting NJ Transit’s announcement of any increased bus service. Additional bus routes are available from the Irvington Bus Terminal. More details on NJ Transit Bus Services, including maps, schedules and fare information can be found at: https://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=BusTo
Village Support: The Village will post and disseminate any increased or additional bus services that will be provided by NJ Transit as soon we become aware of them. If NJ Transit announces any new regional bus departure locations (i.e. Cody Arena in West Orange) the Village will review options to transport residents to that location, which could in turn impact services to Newark Light Rail due to limited jitneys and resources.
- Commuter Carpooling – One obvious alternative is to drive your automobile. However, given the anticipated increased traffic in the event of a strike, carpooling would be highly recommended. In an effort to facilitate the connection of residents for carpooling, the Village has created a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/socarpool) to provide a networking opportunity for residents to match schedules and destinations. As noted on the Facebook page, this is being provided solely to facilitate connections and the Village assumes no responsibility for any aspect of any ridesharing arrangements that are made.
