New Jersey Commuters Face 'Five Weeks of Misery' as $2.3B Bridge Project Disrupts Rail Service
Starting October 11, New Jersey rail commuters entered what is expected to be five weeks of severe delays. Crews are performing the final track switchover for the $2.3 billion new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River between Kearny and Secaucus, with work running through November 15. The century-old bridge's replacement has already caused repeated commuting headaches, including a historic three-day strike this May.
The hardest hit are three NJ Transit lines: weekday Morris & Essex, Gladstone Branch, and Montclair-Boonton trains will no longer run directly to New York Penn Station and will instead terminate at Hoboken. Amtrak is also slashing service, canceling more than 280 trains over the five weeks — Acela weekday trips drop from 20 to 18, Northeast Regional from 44 to 40, and Philadelphia-to-New York Keystone service plunges from 24 to 10.
NJ Transit says tickets will be honored on buses, PATH, and the Hoboken ferry, and advises passengers who can work from home to do so. Bus substitution is also arranged for the Brielle Bridge section of the North Jersey Coast Line (Oct. 11–25) and the Port Jervis Line (Oct. 11–Nov. 14).
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：在建的新波特尔北桥（Portal North Bridge）东段，2025年1月。摄影：Jonathan Schilling，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
