No Options

Here’s a typical situation. I’m in NY Penn Station and there are delays and train issues with all NJ Transit. My train is not due to leave for 20 minutes. What do I do? Maybe I can get to Secaucus or Newark on a different train out of New York and then catch a train from Hoboken. WRONG! There are no other trains that a Montclair destined rider can take to get them to Newark Broad Street in order to catch a Montclair train from Hoboken. There are trains that will obviously take riders from New York to Secaucus, but then there are not Montclair trains out of Hoboken which stop there. Riders would have to hop a train from Secaucus into Hoboken and from Hoboken ho a train to Montclair. Look at a schedule and see how long that would take. There are plenty of trains one can catch out of New York to get to Secaucus, but that doesn’t do us any good. From Secaucus there are no other trains to catch which would further our commute home until we can board a Montclair bound train. I guess one could take a train to Newark Penn Station and then ride the Light Rail over to Newark Broad Street to catch a Montclair train from Hoboken. Oh wait, by the time one does that, they might as well as waited around and just got on the Montclair train out of New York. There isn’t even a Gladstone or alternative train which Montclair riders can hop on between Montclair trains. Why can’t the Gladstone trains out of Penn Station stop at Broad Street?

I have scoured the train line schedules, light rail, path, and buses to see if there is a possibility of an alternative way home, if by some slight chance it might even be faster. NOPE. It's a dead end any which way you try to go. 25 miles west of New York, the greatest city int he world as some tout, and a commute that's not easy or short by any means...

The Longest Express

Skipping one station stop does not make a train an Express!

Getting from point A to point B considerably faster than the typical train is an express. Why isn’t there truly an express train and why aren't there any Express trains after 8pm out of NY for the Montclair Booton Line?

How about an express train that goes straight from New York to Bloomfield or maybe a train that skips every other station stop or multiple express trains which skip every other stop with alternating stations? Why not a train like the one from Hoboken which goes directly to Bay Street?

Any train after 8pm at night should not take over forty minutes to go from New York to Montclair. Montclair is only 25 miles West of New York. Come on and be real. This is not rocket science. We need real express trains during off peak hours and we need faster overall trains during peak hours!

As for the so called Express train in the morning, it's actually a longer ride than the train before or after it. On average I'd say 3 if not 4 out of the 5 days of the week it is delayed and never in NY on time.

Escape from New York

All of the evening trains are at off times. People who leave work at 5pm have to wait until 5:45pm to catch a train, which leaves 45 minutes of travel time between one’s office and Penn Station. Those who leave work at 530pm have to wait until 6:18pm, which leaves 48 minutes of travel time between one’s office and Penn Station.

It’s safe to say that no one needs more than 25 to 30 minutes to get to Penn Station. Therefore, a schedule whereby trains leave at 5:30pm and 6:00pm would really be more ideal.

Let’s look at it another way. Someone leaves work at 5pm, takes the 545pm train and travels 45 minutes into Montclair. Say a modest 10 minute walk or drive back to their house and if the train left on time and actually arrived on time that commuter just spent nearly 2 hours getting home. That's ridiculous!

Early Bird Catches the Train

Back when I first started taking this line (from Watchung Ave.) there was a 7:14am train that was supposed to get you into New York around 8am. Schedule changes have since moved this train earlier and earlier to the point that it now arrives at Watchung Ave. 6:54am. The next train into New York does not arrive until 7:35am. There is a forty minute gap where there is no train into New York. The 6:54am train is too early and the forty minute gap is too large of a span to not have another train directly into New York.

I wouldn't mind hoping a Hoboken train if I didn't have to pay an aidditional fee to then ride the PATH into New York. Like an agreement between NJT and Port Authority for the PATH would ever happen. That would just make too much sense.

Too Close for Comfort

It has to be some sort of safety issue to have trains filled with people in the aisles and in between the cars. How could we all evacuate quickly and safely with the aisles completely filled with passengers. It’s really ridiculous when a train is short cars or when a train has been so delayed that now the passengers from the next train are getting on the delayed train.

Digital Age

Speaking of better systems – It is the 21^st century and I think it’s time to move beyond the hole puncher and manual process of ticketing. Anyone been to a ball game recently? Anyone seen a traffic cop recently? They aren’t hand writing orders or tickets. They’re scanning, sending over the air, and printing on the spot. Welcome to the digital revolution.

Free Ride

Just because a train is delayed or packed to the gills doesn’t mean that conductors shouldn’t come around and check tickets. It’s not fair to the daily commuters who purchased tickets and passes while the non daily commuter riders ride for free.

Naughty Naughty Naughty

While I don’t want to say this is rampant or even more than just a few, but watch that the conductors actually punch a hole in the ticket they take from you. Some conductors are re-selling tickets that they collect at a discounted price to some commuters while the rest of us are paying full price and they’re pocketing the cash.

End Door Lights

There are always door issues. Can we get these fixed? What’s the problem? It’s so out of hand that I actually see conductors pushing the doors and holding them shut so that they close completely and avoids ‘end door lights’.

Hey Short Stack

What is the cause for rush hour commuter trains short on cars? While I do ask the question, the simple answer is that it just shouldn’t be. Figure out what has to be done, make alterations, fix whatever, and make sure that there is the appropriate amount of cars making up a train suitable for the amount of riders on said train.

Trains or Hyperallergetic Wussies?

It’s always going to be hot and humid in the summer with the potential for heavy downpours. There are always going to be leaves in the fall. There is always going to be frigid temperatures along with snow and ice in the winter. Is this service made of egg shells or are there trains involved here? Commuters are tired of hearing about track signals and issues on the tracks, or trains stuck in the tunnel because of the weather.

Please Tell Us When There Are Train Delays

What good, if at all, is the Travel Alerts and Advisories section of the NJTransit.com website? There have been countless instances where I have checked it before leaving work at 545p and nothing posted about any issues, only to get to Penn Station at 605p and experience heavy delays across all of NJ Transit trains and Amtrak. The website is useless unless it can alert commuters of issues or potential issues at the point when riders are going to check the site, not after the fact.

Going Up when Needed to Go Down and Vice Versa

It’s always a doozey when the track is posted and the escalators are all going in the up direction instead of descending.

I Was Walking... (in a Forrest Gump voice)

Almost as bad, but not quite is when they assign an NJ Transit train such as the Midtown Direct to a LIE track double stacked with another train so commuters have to walk the entire stretch of the platform. At that point we might as well as walk through the tunnel ourselves and catch a train on the NJ side of the Hudson. At least if we did that we wouldn’t be prone to disabled trains in the tunnel!

2 for the price of 1

It’s a tight call but even worse is when they put two trains departing nearly the same time on opposite tracks. If it’s not already difficult to get down to a track (because hoards of riders build up while waiting for the train to arrive) it’s only more difficult when multiple sets of riders are descending down to one track platform. Ironically, there are no trains posted on half a dozen of the other tacks and yet they have two trains on the same platform.

Nearly Simultaneous Arrival and Departure

Even better than assigning the train to tracks 5-8 is when they have us departing on a track where a train just arrived on the opposite side. Nothing is easier then when passengers are getting off a train and coming up as you’re trying to get down.

Tracks 5-6 and 7-8

NJ Transit has a good idea of how many people ride each of their lines. They have the info through who’s buying what tickets and passes to where. There’s also the guy with a clicker who is often keeping tabs of rider counts and yet they completely ignore the reality that there are a lot (A LOT) of riders on the Midtown Direct trains and continue put the train on tracks 5 or 6 and 7 or 8 where there are less entries to get down to the platform. It’s like mass pandemonium trying to get down to the track level on these platforms. It’s unsafe and inefficient.

I'm beyond Bored With the Board

How many times have we waited for the track number to be posted as the scroll on the bottom passes by a hundred times noting that tracks will be posted 10 minutes before departure and it’s 5 minutes prior to departure and still no track assignment.

Even better…It’s really great when the departure time has already passed and the status is still Stand By. If it’s 625 and the train was due to leave at 618, then the train is late!

Here’s a thought - if the track isn’t posted 10 minutes before departure, it’s going to be very difficult to get everyone on board and ready to go on time. If the track isn’t posted within 10 minutes from the departure time then the status should be LATE! I also really love it when the departure time has come and gone, the status as Stand By, and there hasn’t been one iota of an announcement about delays or issues.

I Think I'll Hold It

I’m a guy and I’d like to think that I can tough it like the rest. Let’s face it, as boys we pee wherever and whenever we need to. And why? Well, because we’re boys and that’s what boys do. As an adult I guess I’ve become more refined and slightly matured. I’d rather hold it for the hour commute and go when I get home than venture into the men’s room in the NJ Transit waiting area. It’s dirty, it smells, the stalls are usually occupied by the homeless, and it’s not the easiest thing to use a urinal and hold onto a work bag tightly for fear that someone may try to rip it off your shoulder while your back is to the entrance.

Watch Your Back

You certainly don’t find the same type of people at Penn Station as you would at Grand Central. I’m not talking about commuters here. I’m talking about the loiterers! Grand Central is clean, well ventilated, it has a sense of class and nobility, and it has a sense of security. Even when you go into Grand Central for a train at midnight it seems very safe.

Trying to catch a train out of Pen Station at rush hour and there are creatures of all sorts. Deranged and scary, disgustingly filthy, on the floors, in the bathrooms, walking the corridors, inside, outside, and let’s not forget about the instance earlier this year where someone slashed a commuter during the evening rush hour in the NJ Transit waiting area. Penn Station sure is a safe place. I know I know…It’s not NJ Transit’s responsibility to police PS. That falls onto the Port Authority who is doing a wonderful job. Kudos! I feel as safe waiting for a train at 9pm as I would walking down a dark alley at midnight.

Nobody Likes To Be Compared

Trains are rarely in the station far enough in advance for a ‘closed door time prior to departure’ idea to work. Has anyone ever taken a train from Grand Central? Those trains are always there waiting on the tracks sometimes more than 30 minutes before departure. It’s a pleasure to ride Metro North out of Grand Central. Why is it so difficult for NJT?

Who Designed These Trains?

Why weren't the trains designed with windows that a conductor can use to open and close? That way they can check for open doors and verify that commuters are safely aboard?

Closed Door Policy

Much like an airplane, I don't see why a NJ Transit trains don't have a specific time prior to the departure time that the doors would close, especially when there always seems to be door issues. I can go to bed at night and still hear the echoing engineer's words spewing over the IC about an end door light.

We've all sat helpless as the conductor races up and down aisles looking for a door that's ajar, sometimes for over 5 minutes.

I've been on Hoboken trains where all of the doors are open as it traveled and there wasn’t an issue. It's not like the train can't move with a door open. I’m sure that NJT would fall back on it’s a safety thing as well as blame passengers for causing door issues by holding them open but that’s a farce. The door issues are a result of spotty equipment and poor maintenance, pure and simple. Rarely if ever, is there an idiot holding the doors open. In the few and far between cases where someone does hold the door open it’s totally unjustifiable. However, it’s probably because the train was already late for whatever reason and now a ton of people are spewing onto the train all at once.

It's just a small step in the process of efficiency to have everyone on board and the doors closed when it's time to leave Penn Station!