NJ Transit will run a temporary schedule on all rail lines except the Atlantic City Line for about five weeks, from Sunday, Oct. 11, through Nov. 14, while Amtrak completes the final phase of placing the second track on the new Portal North Bridge. Weekday Midtown Direct trains will run to Hoboken instead of New York Penn Station, and riders can use cross-honoring on ferries, buses and PATH to reach midtown Manhattan.
NJ Transit will run a temporary schedule on all rail lines except the Atlantic City Rail Line (ACRL) for about five weeks starting Sunday, Oct. 11. Amtrak is carrying out the final phase of work to place the second of two tracks on the newly built Portal North Bridge. The regular schedule is set to resume on Sunday, Nov. 15, provided safety testing is completed.
The temporary schedule includes combined and canceled trains, and some trains will have different departure times and station stops. Weekday Northeast Corridor service will drop from 133 trains to 113, and North Jersey Coast Line service from 99 trains to 87. Because every line except the Atlantic City Line is affected, NJ Transit urged riders to check the temporary schedule for their line at njtransit.com/portalcutover before leaving home.
Weekday Midtown Direct Trains Go to Hoboken; Tickets Must Be Bought to Hoboken
Midtown Direct riders will see the biggest changes. Weekday Midtown Direct trains on the Morris & Essex Lines, the Gladstone Branch and the Montclair-Boonton Line will all be diverted to Hoboken Terminal instead of going to New York Penn Station (PSNY). Weekday riders on these lines must therefore buy tickets or passes to Hoboken, not New York.
Three cross-honoring options will be available from Hoboken to midtown Manhattan. On weekdays only, NY Waterway ferries can be used between Hoboken Terminal and West 39th Street in Manhattan, with added ferry service during the morning and evening rush hours. NJ Transit's 126 bus to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) can also be used, including Academy buses operating on the 126 route. On PATH trains, cross-honoring is accepted only at the Hoboken and 33rd Street stations.
Weekend rules are different. Weekend Midtown Direct trains will continue to run to New York Penn Station. Riders with a Hoboken monthly pass, weekly pass or FLEXPASS can use that pass to travel to New York Penn Station on weekends, but riders buying a one-way ticket must buy one with New York Penn Station as the destination. A one-way ticket to Hoboken cannot be used to travel to New York Penn Station on weekends. On the Raritan Valley Line, all through trains that normally run to and from New York Penn Station will begin and end at Newark Penn Station during this period.
Check Replacement Bus Segments for Each Line
Work on other lines overlaps with the Portal project in some places. On the North Jersey Coast Line, replacement buses will run around the Bay Head and Point Pleasant stations for two weeks starting Oct. 11 because of repairs to the Brielle drawbridge. On the Port Jervis Line, track repairs between Suffern and Port Jervis on weekdays from Oct. 11 through Nov. 14 will replace eight midday off-peak trains with buses, and riders will transfer to trains at Ramsey Route 17 station. On the Raritan Valley Line, buses will run between Cranford and Newark on Saturday, Nov. 7, because of Conrail track replacement work.
NJ Transit said riders can check real-time changes by subscribing to My Transit Alerts for text and email notifications, using customized alerts in the NJ Transit mobile app, or following its official social media account (@NJTRANSIT). Riders who need information in Korean or other languages can call the customer service center at (973) 275-5555 daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.