The NJ Transit train crash that killed one person and injured more than 100 train passengers is likely to trigger a mass transit mess for commuters trying to make their way home.
The NJ Transit train crash in Hoboken that killed one person and injured more than 100 train passengers is likely to trigger a mass transit mess for commuters trying to make their way home Thursday.
The Hoboken train station, PATH station and main ferry station have been closed since the Thursday morning crash, and transportation officials have been scrambling to implement contingency plans to help commuters get to their destinations without massive delays.
Here's how the mass transit situation is shaping up:
Status: All NJ Transit train service into and out of the Hoboken station is suspended until further notice. Trains are still running north of Hoboken and south of Hoboken. Main, Bergen, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis rail lines are operating on a modified weekend schedule originating/terminating in Secaucus. Morris & Essex Line, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line have limited service for points west of Montclair State University and west of Dover. Midtown Direct service will make additional stops east of Summit.
Contingency plan: NJ Transit rail commuters can use their tickets and passes to ride on NJ Transit buses, private buses or New York Waterway ferries. NJ Transit is adding buses and expanding its light rail service to accommodate more passengers.
Options for NJ Transit train riders: For bus service between Hoboken and New York, commuters can use the NJ Transit 126 bus at Washington Street and First Street in Hoboken. Rail commuters can also take shuttle buses between Hoboken and Secaucus and take NJ Transit trains between Secaucus and Manhattan.
Status: All PATH service at the Hoboken station is suspended, but it is scheduled to resume at 3 p.m., following a series of test runs, transportation officials announced at an afternoon press conference.
Contingency plan: Until PATH service resumes, passengers are advised to use NJ Transit buses, which are cross-honoring PATH tickets for commuters traveling to and from Hoboken.
Options for PATH riders: For bus service between Hoboken and New York, use the NJ Transit 126 bus at Washington Street and First Street in Hoboken. Extra buses are being added.
PATH service to and from Hoboken Station (HOB-33 and HOB-WTC lines) will be restored today at 3:00pm.
-- PATH Train (@PATHTrain) September 29, 2016
HUDSON-BERGEN LIGHT RAIL SERVICE
Status: Hudson Bergen Light Rail service in and out of Hoboken Terminal is suspended until further notice. Service between Tonnelle Avenue and Hoboken is being terminated at 2nd Street in Hoboken. Service between 8th Street in Bayonne and Hoboken is being terminated at Newport in Jersey City. (Note: All light rail service between Westside Avenue and Tonnelle Avenue is not affected.)
Contingency plan: NJ Transit is expanding its light rail service outside of Hoboken to accommodate more passengers. Also, a shuttle bus is operating between Hoboken and Newport in Jersey City, and another shuttle bus is operating between Hoboken and Secaucus.
Options for light rail riders: Commuters can use the mass transit options in Jersey City or Secaucus by using the special shuttle buses.
Status: The main Hoboken ferry terminal, located at the NJ Transit rail station on Hudson Place, is shut down until further notice.
Hoboken's other ferry terminal, on 14th Street, is still operating, but there's no regular bus service at that terminal.
Contingency plan: NY Waterway is honoring NJ Transit tickets and passes.
Options for NY Waterway Ferry riders:
- Commuters can ride the ferry that runs from the West 39th Street ferry terminal in midtown Manhattan to the Port Imperial terminal in Edgewater, Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken, 14th Street in Hoboken or Paulus Hook in Jersey City.
- The ferry terminal in Weehawken has access to NJ Transit buses and the NJ Transit Hudson-Bergen light rail line, and the Paulus Hook terminal has access to light rail.
- NY Waterway also operates ferry service between the World Financial Center in Manhattan, Paulus Hook in Jersey City and Port Imperial in Weehawken. Commuters can also take a ferry between Wall Street and Paulus Hook in Weehawken, Liberty Harbor in Jersey City or Port Liberte in Jersey City.
- The West 39th Street ferry terminal in Manhattan is served by five NY Waterway crosstown bus routes. (First-time commuters can go to NYWaterway.com, download an app and get all the bus schedules and route maps.)
- During rush-hour, ferries between New York and New Jersey run every 10 minutes, and they take about 8 minutes to get across the Hudson River.
Status: The main Hoboken ferry terminal, located at the NJ Transit rail station on Hudson Place, is shut down until further notice.
Contingency plan: Not yet announced by SeaStreak.
Options for SeaStreak Ferry riders: Commuters can take a ferry between the Paulus Hook ferry terminal in Jersey City and Atlantic Highlands in Monmouth County.
Status: Metro-North is honoring all Pascack Valley Line and Port Jervis Line rail tickets until further notice.
Options: For Pascack Valley Line and Port Jervis Line customers, Metro-North will provide alternate bus service during the PM peak on Thursday, as follows:
- For Pascack Valley Line and Suffern, Sloatsburg, Tuxedo & Harriman customers: Take Hudson Line Train Service to Tarrytown Station for connecting bus service to all PVL stations and Suffern, Sloatsburg, Tuxedo & Harriman stations. Buses will meet trains departing Grand Central Terminal between 3:43 p.m. and 8:33 p.m.
- For Port Jervis Line customers between Harriman and Port Jervis Stations: Take Hudson Line Train Service to Beacon Station for connecting bus service to all stations between Harriman and Port Jervis stations. Buses will meet trains departing Grand Central Terminal between 3:48 p.m. and 8:29 p.m.
UBER & LYFT SERVICE
The Uber car service company is offering free uberPOOL rides between Secaucus Junction and a large section of Hudson County, essentially between the Lincoln Tunnel and the Holland Tunnel, and west to Tonnelle Avenue, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday.
A spokesman said the company has refunded fares to anyone who ordered an Uber from the Hoboken train station from the time of the crash to noon.
Lyft will refund Lyft Line rides from Secaucus Junction or Newark Penn Station to a large section of northern Hudson County between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, a company spokesman said.
NJ Advance Media staff writers Larry Higgs and Vicki Hyman contributed to this report. Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.