(The following article by Tom Davis was posted on the Bergen Record website on January 27.)
BERGEN, N.J. — Mechanical problems forced delays on the Pascack Valley Rail Line this past week, frustrating North Jersey commuters and underscoring the need to improve the single-track line.
NJ Transit said it’s correcting problems that disabled trains last Friday and Monday, and delayed others that followed.
Some riders said a “near-mutiny” erupted around 7:30 a.m. Monday when the doors of a disabled Pascack Valley train failed to open automatically at its Hoboken stop.
The same train broke down a half-hour earlier, in Westwood, and was being “shoved” by another train, said NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel. Electrical problems caused the malfunction.
“It’s really bad. I got to work late,” said Roseanne Angelino of Westwood, who is a nurse in New York City. “My boss is not thrilled.”
Stessel said the Friday and Monday incidents were “isolated,” and said the Pascack line, which carries more than 3,000 riders daily, has returned to normal since the disabled equipment was removed from service.
On Wednesday and Thursday, delays never exceeded nine minutes, he said.
Stessel said the Pascack Valley line is one of NJ Transit’s most reliable. He noted the service’s on-time performance in 2005 was 95.7 percent.
“There’s no common thread to the delays,” Stessel said. “We understand the customers’ reaction to the delays. We are working diligently to correct the problems.”
But the problems, which affected hundreds of riders, underlined the need to upgrade the Pascack Valley service and provide additional tracks, he said. Riders say the passenger cars also have become more crowded in recent years, and the heating systems do not work well.
By 2007, the rail service should be able to offer midday and reverse commuting as well as weekend service, Stessel said.
NJ Transit is planning to install additional track in Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights and Nanuet, N.Y., to allow trains to pass other trains.
In addition, a $150 million spur off the Pascack line is planned to bring rail service to the Meadowlands Sports Complex and Xanadu shopping center.
Community opposition delayed the $39 million expansion project several times, but Stessel said it’s now moving forward.
“We are finally realizing that dream, to have the Pascack Valley line become a full-service railroad,” he said.
As many as five trains were delayed between 15 minutes and an hour last Friday because they couldn’t pass a disabled train at the Essex Street station, Stessel said.
The train malfunctioned around 5 p.m. because its locomotive had mechanical problems, Stessel said. Another train pushed the disabled cars to its stops, he said.
“Since there were two trains in one, they had to make double stops,” Stessel said.
The delays made Beth Gendal of Washington Township worry that she wouldn’t be able to pick up her 3-year-old child from day care. “Good thing my husband was home. The day care closes at 6:15 p.m.,” she said.
Many of the same passengers were aboard the train whose doors malfunctioned Monday in Hoboken. “They were extremely angry because of what happened on Friday,” said Gendal.
People walked up and down the train, mumbling to themselves. A conductor started swearing and screaming, said Steve Madden of Westwood.
Michael Leap of River Vale said he solves his problem by paying nearly $40 more for a combined monthly train and bus pass.
“If something goes wrong,” he said, “I can take the bus.”