Trenton, NJ – On Monday, NJ TRANSIT’s emergency trans-Hudson transportation plan -- utilizing federal, regional and statewide resources to assist New Jerseyans navigate around the state -- has helped more than 150,000 people get back to work on a system that had 80 percent of its infrastructure wiped out by the storm.  The agency continues to make adjustments to this plan and remains focused on improving operational efficiency by matching available resources to the needs of New Jersey residents.

This morning, NJ TRANSIT maximized all available transit mode resources, along with eight emergency park-and-ride facilities at key locations throughout New Jersey.  This action enabled the agency accommodate 150,000 New Jerseyans heading back to their jobs in New York – many for the first time since Hurricane Sandy devastated New Jersey.  Today’s ridership count shows that the agency carried nearly 14,000 more customers from the 136,000 customers the agency normally serves into New York during a regular weekday rush-hour period. 
NJ TRANSIT quickly reacted to areas of significant congestion by providing more bus service to customers unable to access train service traveling from Penn Station Newark to Penn Station New York.  This adjustment rapidly reduced customer lines at Penn Station Newark and travel time.  
Additionally, expanded ferry service transported customers into New York City in ten minutes or less, compared to the more than 90-minute wait at the Lincoln Tunnel.  Ferry service is a highly recommended mode of transportation during the duration of this storm recovery – including Statue Cruise Lines which is free out of Liberty State Park.

NJ TRANSIT continues to make adjustments and refinements to the emergency Trans-Hudson transportation plan based on the results of Monday morning’s experience.  One of those adjustments is augmenting its existing New York-bound bus service including the 108 out of Newark, 107 from South Orange and the 126 from Hoboken. 
In addition, NJ TRANSIT will resume limited Main Line and Port Jervis service into Hoboken Terminal tomorrow. As a result, Main Line and Port Jervis trains will not stop at Secaucus. Please check njtransit.com for schedule information.

While system restoration progress continues, NJ TRANSIT is still several weeks away from full service restoration.   Emergency conditions still exist across the NJ TRANSIT system and NJ TRANSIT urges customers who can do so to adjust their travel time earlier or later to avoid the main part of rush hours.  

NJ TRANSIT thanks all its customers for their patience as we continuously work to alleviate congestion and lessen customer trip and waiting periods.

Since the landfall of Hurricane Sandy Monday evening, the Christie Administration has been working to restore transit access along the NJ TRANSIT system, while providing additional options for New Jersey residents to get back to work.  The following milestones were achieved within the first week of recovery:

• Monday: Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in New Jersey
• Tuesday: Bus service restored to Camden
• Wednesday: RiverLINE light rail service restored; bus service restored to 80% of all routes
• Thursday: Northeast Corridor rail service restored to New York Penn Station
• Saturday: Four additional rail lines restored; bus service restored to 90% of all routes
• Sunday:  Restoration of limited Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service; implementation of emergency trans-Hudson access plan for the Monday commute.
• Tuesday: Limited Main Line and Port Jervis service will operate to Hoboken Terminal.

Customer Tips
The following tips are offered for customers traveling on Monday:

• Customers utilizing NJ TRANSIT rail or regular NJ TRANSIT bus service are encouraged to consider traveling during off-peak periods to avoid crowds and potential delays.
• Delays, detours and other challenges can continue to be expected by customers during system restoration and recovery. 
• For the latest travel information, customers should listen to broadcast traffic reports, visit njtransit.com, or access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJ_TRANSIT.
• Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your cell phone, PDA or pager.
• Automated service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.

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