Weekday Midtown Direct trains serving Millburn and Short Hills stations will stop running to New York Penn Station started Sunday, Oct. 11, and won't return until Nov. 15.
Millburn Township issued a civic alert Thursday, Oct. 8, warning commuters that Amtrak and NJ Transit are transferring rail operations from the 116-year-old Portal Bridge to the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River. The work requires diverting all weekday Midtown Direct service on the Morris & Essex Line to Hoboken through Saturday, Nov. 14.
Weekend Midtown Direct service to Penn Station will continue during the five-week window.
Getting to Manhattan
Commuters arriving in Hoboken can use their NJ Transit tickets and passes on three cross-honored options: PATH trains between Hoboken and 33rd Street, New York Waterway ferry between Hoboken and Midtown's West 39th Street pier, and NJ Transit bus Route 126 between Hoboken and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
NJ Transit cautioned on its cutover page that those alternatives have limited capacity and may see significant crowding during peak hours. The agency recommended commuters who can work from home do so. Those who must travel should aim to ride before 7 a.m. or after 9 a.m. on weekday mornings, or before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. on weekday evenings.
Tickets and passes
Monthly, weekly and FLEXPASS holders on the Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch who normally travel to Penn Station should buy passes to Hoboken via Newark Broad Street for October and November. Those passes will still work for Penn Station travel Oct. 1–10 and Nov. 15–30. NJ Transit is also offering a discounted FLEXPASS option with 20 trips at a 15% discount during the cutover.
Weekday one-way ticket buyers should purchase tickets to Hoboken between Oct. 11 and Nov. 14. On weekends, they should buy tickets to Penn Station as usual.
Systemwide impact
The cutover will cut NJ Transit service between Newark and Secaucus by 50% and reduce service systemwide by 10%, NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said when the agencies announced the plan Sept. 17. Weekday trains on the Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch will drop from 148 to 139.
"If you give us five weeks to do this work, you will not have to worry about this bridge for the next 100 years," Kolluri said at the Sept. 17 announcement, as NJ.com reported. "That is the trade-off."
This is the second and final cutover for the $2.3 billion Portal North Bridge; the first was completed on time in March. Once finished, the old bridge will be retired and all rail operations will run over the new span.
What's next
Regular weekday Midtown Direct service to Penn Station is expected to resume Sunday, Nov. 15, pending safety testing. Full normal service is expected Monday, Nov. 16. Commuters can find updated schedules and details at njtransit.com/portalcutover.
