NJ Transit rail service to Manhattan resumes Monday

TRENTON (WABC) -- New Jersey Transit rail service is about to be fully restored for the first time since superstorm Sandy ravaged the system.

New rail schedules take effect Monday that include additional trains on the North Jersey Coast Line, which will completely restore service levels into New York to 100 percent, reflecting the agency's ongoing Sandy recovery and repair.

"The full restoration of our New York Penn Station rail service marks another important milestone for NJ Transit and our customers, the majority of whom commute to and from Midtown Manhattan," executive director James Weinstein said. "Equally important is the progress we've made on the North Jersey Coast Line, which was among the hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. Again, I cannot emphasize enough the tireless efforts made by our rail employees to restore service for our customers."

Starting January 14, the North Jersey Coast Line will operate nine additional trains, restoring the line's service level to 96 percent of its pre-Sandy schedule. Two of the added trains will operate between Long Branch and New York Penn Station, while the remaining seven trains will either originate or terminate in Bay Head, with four of those trains resuming direct service between Bay Head and Hoboken Terminal.

Weekend service was restored to near pre-storm levels as of December 3rd.

Effective January 14, trains will be added as follows:

Nine additional trains on the North Jersey Coast Line

Eight additional trains on the Morris & Essex Lines restoring one-seat service between the Morristown Line and Hoboken Terminal

Six additional trains on the Montclair-Boonton Line

Three additional trains on the Pascack Valley Line

Two additional trains on the Port Jervis Line

Customers are encouraged to review new timetables online at NJTransit.com.

Flooding from Hurricane Sandy and the resulting exposure to saltwater destroyed NJ Transit's Mason Substation in Hoboken, a critical component of the system's infrastructure that provides electric power for trains to operate into and out of Hoboken Terminal each day.

With no electric power available, diesel-powered trains have been substituted for electric-powered trains into and out of Hoboken, particularly along the Gladstone Branch of the Morris & Essex Lines. Approximately 24 electric-powered trains that operated along the Gladstone Branch pre-Sandy have been replaced by diesel-powered trains.

NJ Transit tentatively anticipates electric power to be restored to Hoboken Terminal by March, at which time electric trains will be restored to the affected lines.

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ONLINE: njtransit.com

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