(The Star-Ledger posted the following story by Joe Malinconico on its website on October 9.)
NEWARK, N.J. — Still can’t get a seat on an NJ Transit train?
Starting Oct. 26, NJ Transit will add 10 new trains to its rail schedules and reshuffle others, changes officials say will produce an extra 2,000 seats during peak periods.
“It’s a sensible, practical, step-by-step series of additions that we applaud,” said Doug Bowen, vice president of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers.
The new trains are part of NJ Transit’s preparations for the weekday debut of the massive Secaucus Junction station. That $600 million station, which has been open on weekends for about a month, will allow commuters to make transfers between the agency’s main rail lines.
But for the new station to work out, transit officials need to make sure there will be enough seats on the trains for riders to make the transfer. On weekdays, NJ Transit expects about 7,500 riders to switch trains at Secaucus.
Over the past 17 months, NJ Transit has added 50 trains to its weekday schedules, providing an extra 20,000 seats for a rail system that had been struggling with overcrowding.
“There are very few trains where people are forced to stand, where there aren’t enough seats,” NJ Transit Executive Director George Warrington said. “Generally speaking, those who are standing now are people who choose to stand.”
Officials said they have been conducting train-by-train surveys to figure out how to deploy their passenger cars to provide seats where needed.
The railroad’s capacity has gained its biggest boost from the shipment of 127 new passenger cars over the past two years. Also, crews turn their trains around and put them back into service more quickly, while cars on less congested trains have been switched to the more crowded ones.
Once Secaucus station opens, officials said they expect to adjust schedules even more.
The 10 new weekday trains are:
Northeast Corridor Line:
— Train No.3826 will depart Trenton at 7:17 a.m., make limited stops and arrive at New York Penn Station at 8:27 a.m.
— Train No.3916 will depart Trenton at 6:22 a.m. and express to New York, arriving at 7:30 a.m.
North Jersey Coast Line:
— New train No.3500 will depart Perth Amboy at 6:17 a.m., make local stops and arrive in New York at 7:13 a.m.. This will allow Train No.3210, the 5:32 a.m. departure from Long Branch that arrives in New York at 6:54 a.m., to go express between Woodbridge and Newark Penn Station.
Pascack Valley Line:
— Train No.1600 will depart Spring Valley, N.Y., at 5:14 a.m., make all local stops and arrive in Hoboken at 6:20 a.m.
— Train No.1614 will depart Spring Valley at 7:24 a.m., make limited stops and arrive in Hoboken at 8:32 a.m.
— Train No.1623 will depart Hoboken at 3:57 p.m., make local stops and arrive in Spring Valley at 5:08 p.m.
— Train No.1637 will depart Hoboken at 6:22 p.m. and arrive in Spring Valley at 7:28 p.m.
Port Jervis Line:
— Train No.50 will depart Port Jervis, N.Y., at 5:55 a.m., operate as an express and arrive at Hoboken at 8:01 a.m.
— Train No.58 will leave from Middletown, N.Y., at 10:31 a.m. and arrive in Hoboken at 12:13 p.m.
— Train No.59 will depart Hoboken at 6:08 p.m. and arrive in Port Jervis at 8:15 p.m.