NJ Transit and Amtrak riders found themselves stranded again Friday, with rail service suspended in and out of New York’s Penn Station during the morning rush — and another few hours after that.

Again, NJ Transit cited Amtrak overhead wire issues as the problem.

Amtrak attributed the mess to a disabled commuter train in Penn Station and said it didn’t anticipate service being fully restored until noon Friday.

Midtown Direct trains are still diverting to Hoboken.

NJ Transit said its tickets and passes were being cross-honored by NJ Transit, private buses, and PATH at Newark Penn, Hoboken, and 33rd Street. See more alternate routes here.

It comes less than a day after a power issue caused a lengthy disruption of both NJ Transit and Amtrak heading into the evening rush hour.

Amtrak had previously said that service suspension, which lasted hours Thursday afternoon, was caused by a “malfunctioning circuit breaker” that caused a loss of power on the tracks between Newark Penn Station and Newark Union Station. Amtrak and NJ Transit later said a brush fire in Secaucus had also caused issues for trains.

Earlier in the week, Amtrak warned the high temperatures the region is facing could require trains to operate at lower speeds and result in afternoon delays of up to 60 minutes.

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All power had been restored around 5:30 p.m., according to Amtrak, with all rail service between New Haven and Philadelphia resuming — but “significant delays” could be expected due to backed up rail traffic and single-tracking, the transit agency said.

Amtrak had previously said the service suspension, which lasted hours Thursday afternoon, was caused to do a “malfunctioning circuit breaker” which caused a loss of power on the tracks between Newark Penn Station and Newark Union Station. Amtrak and NJ Transit later said a brush fire in Secaucus had also caused issues for trains.

NJ Transit said service service had resumed just before 6 p.m., with trains on the Trenton and Long Branch lines seen leaving NY-Penn Station by 5:50 p.m. There were still delays up to 60 minutes expected through the evening.

NJ Transit said its tickets and passes were being cross honored by NJ Transit, private buses, and PATH at Newark Penn, Hoboken, and 33rd Street.

NJ Transit said there are trains running from Newark to Trenton and encouraged passengers heading south to take the PATH to Newark. Dover and Montclair commuters were told to take the PATH to Hoboken to access their trains.

Some Amtrak trains were terminating at Philadelphia or Newark due to the power issues.

PATH was also reporting “network connection” issues Thursday afternoon at Newark Penn Station leading to delays on the World Trade Center – Newark line, but those were resolved before 5 p.m. and service was reported to be resuming to normal.

Earlier in the week, Amtrak warned the high temperatures the region is facing this could require trains to operate at lower speeds and results in afternoon delays of up to 60 minutes.

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The transit agency resumed operating service into and out of New York’s Penn Station Tuesday morning, about an hour after it was entirely shut down due to Amtrak overhead wire issues and a disabled train in the transit hub.

Initial delays of an hour morphed into a full-on suspension by about 8 a.m., just as peak rush hour got underway. Around an hour later, NJ Transit said service had been restored with residual delays of up to 90 minutes.

By lunchtime, NJ Transit said delays were down to about 45 minutes — and stayed at that length going into the evening rush hour. Just before 6 p.m., delays had shrunk to a half hour, but not long after, the agency said that there were delays up to 90 minutes “due to a disabled Amtrak train near Penn Station New York and earlier overhead wire issues.”

NJ Transit said the cause of the issue that hampered service was still under investigation, as they worked with Amtrak to determine the root cause. They also the incidents and their impact were “clearly not acceptable” for customers to have to deal with.

In a statement, the transit agency said they and Amtrak will “continue to meet regularly with key staff to clinically get to the root causes of these incidents. The goal is to ensure that all departments involved on both sides are fully aligned to reduce such occurrences while we work collectively on the longer-term work that needs to be prioritized on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to replace and upgrade their antiquated infrastructure.”

Midtown Direct trains were diverted to Hoboken for much of the day, but that ended in the evening. NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being honored by NJ Transit bus, private carriers, and PATH at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street, NJ Transit said.

Passengers can find more information on alternate routes here. Many commuters were left to stand in the cramped Penn Station waiting room, which got warmer and warmer as an air conditioning system struggled to keep up with the blistering temperatures and additional body heat. The warmth may have been too much for one woman who fainted at the station, with fellow riders holding her upright and fanning her face.

The delays come just weeks before a price hike is set to go into effect at NJ Transit. And it’s just the most recent occurrence of commuting headaches with the transit agency, as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called Amtrak delays “incredibly disruptive” to residents, calling on Amtrak and NJ Transit to make infrastructure investments.

Commuters north and east of NYC were already being warning that they, too, could face delays this week. The MTA said that high temperatures could caused tracks to buckle and power systems to overheat, which could lead to problems along Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road. The MTA said it would have heat patrols inspecting tracks and welding crews on standby to quickly make any repairs.

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Track work again caused major delays for a commute — this time the Friday morning one — after disrupting rush hour the evening before.

Rail service in and out of New York Penn was subject to 15-minute delays as of 11:10 a.m., three hours after the fracas started. Delays had averaged about 45 minutes for most of the morning.

Midtown Direct stopped diverting to Hoboken by mid-morning.

NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being honored by NJ Transit bus, private carriers, and PATH at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street, NJ Transit said.

Passengers can find more information on alternate routes here.

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The rail service announced trains in and out of Penn Station in Manhattan were subject to delays of up to an hour during the end of the evening rush hour. The transit agency noted that the delays were a result of an Amtrak track condition near Secaucus.

The delays remained for much of the evening, as service was still delayed up to 45 minutes by 10 p.m.

NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being honored by NJ Transit bus, private carriers, and PATH at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street, NJ Transit said.

Passengers can find more information on alternate routes here.

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It has been a frustrating few days for NJ Transit commuters as the transportation agency dealt with ongoing delays and cancellations in and out of New York Penn Station due to Amtrak’s overhead wires debacle — and Gov. Phil Murphy is letting Amtrak know commuters have had it.

In a letter to Amtrak Chairman Anthony Coscia, Murphy voiced his disapproval of the series of infrastructure issues over the past few days that have impacted New Jerseyans.

“Yesterday evening,” Murphy’s letter starts, “a complete system failure caused an unmitigated disaster during the rush hour commute for thousands of passengers in the NJ-NY region. Some commuters were stranded for hours at New York Penn Station, while some passengers were even stuck on trains in between tracks for over three hours.”

On Wednesday, NJ Transit said rail service in and out of the midtown transit hub was suspended starting around 6:15 p.m. as a result of the power issues. Amtrak reported that its train service between Philadelphia and New York was “temporarily stopped.”

“Due to downed wires there’s a hold on service between Philadelphia and New York City,” according to an Amtrak spokesperson, adding that the lines were down near Kearny.

Amtrak said after 7 p.m. it expected “extensive delays as crews work to resolve this issue.” Travel into and out of NY-Penn Station was suspended for nearly five hours, but around 10 p.m., an Amtrak spokesperson said trains were starting to move south.

A number of trains or services between New York and Philadelphia were canceled Wednesday night. Amtrak said it had returned to regular service by Thursday morning although lingering delays in NJ Transit service was still seen.

NJ Transit said that most of its service returned to normal just in time for the afternoon rush hour Thursday, with the exception of some residual delays. In the afternoon, riders on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line faced up to a 30-minute wait due to persistent signal issues at Amtrak Dock Bridge — adding another layer to passengers’ frustration.

Travelers Tuesday morning faced similar delays due to another downed wire, marking three straight days of snarled service.

Murphy called these delays “incredibly disruptive to the lives of New Jerseyans” before pointing out the series of infrastructure failures Amtrak has experienced in the span of mere days and the exorbitant amount of money NJ Transit pays Amtrak in order to use and maintain a portion of its track.

“Yesterday’s incident was the third infrastructure failure in two days from Amtrak, cutting off power on the tracks, that NJ TRANSIT, as a tenant, pays Amtrak over $100 million to maintain between New York City and Trenton, ” the governor’s letter read.

“As Governor of New Jersey, I refuse to accept these Amtrak infrastructure challenges as an inevitable part of operating integrated mass transit systems. We can and must do better for our customers and constituents.”

Murphy went on to say that Amtrak “must make immediate short-term and long-term investments to address infrastructure vulnerabilities and updated emergency management plans to provide more robust alternate modes of transportation when equipment failure occurs…it’s clear there is much work to be done as these issues are becoming more frequent and more impactful.”

Murphy’s letter ends with him asking for a meeting between Amtrak and his administration to work on an emergency management plan. The governor called for state representatives to meet with Amtrak in the next coming days to discuss solutions to infrastructure issues and persistent disruptions. 

Amtrak Executive Vice President of Service Delivery & Operations Gery Williams responded to Murphy’s letter in a statement that read: “We apologize to Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT customers for the impact yesterday’s wire issues had on their travel. We hold ourselves to a high standard in terms of the reliable service we provide our customers and the customers of our commuter partners, who deserve better than their travel experience yesterday evening. Governor Murphy is one of the country’s biggest champions of rail, and we appreciate his support and commitment to everything from the Gateway Program to advocating for New Jersey’s residents and visitors who were disrupted by yesterday’s incident. An investigation continues into the cause of yesterday’s incident. We will implement any changes to avoid a similar incident like yesterday from happening again.”

Midtown Direct service was running back through Penn by 9:50 a.m., less than 2 hours after the issues started, but service delays continued. Earlier it was diverted to Hoboken.

NJ Transit rail tickets and passes were being cross-honored by New Jersey Transit buses and private carrier buses and PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and the 33rd Street station in New York. Get more info and look at backup options.

Amtrak said its passengers could still face 30-minute delays into and out of New York Penn.

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NJ Transit’s board convened Wednesday to vote on what would be its first fare hike in nearly a decade, a 15% increase that would take effect on the heels of New York City’s controversial congestion pricing tolls, if all goes according to plan.

The transit agency’s board of directors unanimously approved the fare increase for bus, train and even light rail riders, the first time its rates will rise in nearly 10 years.

The hike, which was initially proposed in late January, comes after the agency’s preliminary estimates for Fiscal Year 2025 found a budget deficit of $119 million. The new prices would help close that budget gap, agency officials said.

NJ Transit has said it initially reduced some of its projected budget gaps by making $44 million in cost reductions, along with an additional $52 million in revenue enhancements. Agency officials also noted that the plan does not call for service level reductions.

The proposal called for a 15% hike taking effect July 1 of this year — congestion pricing is supposed to start June 15 — and then a 3% annual increase indefinitely after that starting on July 1, 2025.

Wednesday’s vote would also eliminate the FLEXPASS discount.

According to the agency, since 2015 “NJ Transit has held the line on fare increases” while adding additional service on more than 100 bus routes. Since then, the agency says, inflation has increased by more than 30%, which has impacted operational costs, contracted services, contractual wage increases of around 10,000 of the agency’s employees and healthcare costs — the latter increasing 47% during this time.

On top of the inflation, NJ Transit said costs to run bus and rail service have gone up as well.

The hike calls to preserve service at current levels for the next fiscal year but offered no guarantees for the following years — meaning there could be cuts to service in the future.

Here is an example of the proposed fare increase:

Officials have known for a few years that they would run into this fiscal dead end. Even though NJ Transit ridership has reached about 80% of its pre-COVID levels, the agency is entering its fifth consecutive year of ridership below pre-pandemic levels. This low ridership has resulted in the loss of nearly $2 billion in fares, according to NJ Transit.

Despite NJ Transit using federal COVID relief funds over a few years to offset the loss, the funding will be exhausted in Fiscal Year 2025, the agency said.

Critics blasted the state for not acting sooner to prevent passing on the cost to riders.

Hundreds of people spoke out against the plan during a series of public hearings on the issue last month.

The service was restored around 9 p.m., but with heavy delays of up to an hour.

The poor conditions were noted in the Hudson River Tunnels. Due to the service suspension, NJ Transit tickets and passes are still being cross-honored by PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd St. New York.

Commuters can click here for the latest updates regarding alternate service information.

NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being cross-honored by PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street in the city. Find more alternate service information here.

The commuter headache came amid a week of public hearings throughout New Jersey on NJ Transit’s proposed 15% fare hike, which would mark its first increase in nearly a decade.

Amtrak described the issue as a maintenance one. It warned of heavy delays between New York and Newark.

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The first of 10 public hearings to weigh the potential impacts of NJ Transit’s first proposed fare hike in nearly a decade is scheduled for Tuesday, on the heels of separate public hearings on Manhattan’s congestion pricing plan.

The proposed NJ Transit fare increase, initially released in late January, comes after the agency’s preliminary estimates for Fiscal Year 2025 found a budget deficit of $119 million. The proposal calls for a 15% hike taking effect July 1 of this year, and then a 3% annual increase indefinitely after that starting on July 1, 2025.

If this proposal passes, it would mark the first time NJ Transit has increased its fares in nearly a decade. According to the agency, since 2015 “NJ Transit has held the line on fare increases” while adding additional service on more than 100 bus routes. Since then, according to the agency, inflation has increased by more than 30%, which has impacted operational costs, contracted services, contractual wage increases of around 10,000 of the agency’s employees and healthcare costs — the latter increasing 47% during this time.

On top of the inflation, NJ Transit said costs to run bus and rail service have gone up as well.

The proposal calls to preserve service at current levels for the next fiscal year, but offered no guarantees for the following years — meaning there could be cuts to service in the future.

Here is an example of the proposed fare increase:

Officials have known for a few years that they would run into this fiscal dead end. Even though NJ Transit ridership has reached about 80% of its pre-COVID levels, the agency is entering its fifth consecutive year of ridership below pre-pandemic levels. This low ridership has resulted in the loss of nearly $2 billion in fares, according to NJ Transit.

Despite NJ Transit using federal COVID relief funds over a few years to offset the loss, the funding will be exhausted in Fiscal Year 2025, the agency said.

Critics blasted the state for not acting sooner to prevent passing on the cost to riders.

The 10 in-person public meetings kicked off Monday and run through Friday. The NJ Transit Board of Directors will then hold a final vote.

Those who can’t make the meetings can send in comments for the record at www.njtransit.com/hearing, via postal mail to: PUBLIC HEARING OFFICE – FARE PROPOSAL COMMENTS, ONE PENN PLAZA EAST, NEWARK, NJ 07105, or via email at hearing@njtransit.com.The public comment period will be open until 11:59 p.m., Friday, March 8.

Public hearings schedule

Monday, March 4, 2024 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
CHERRY HILL (Camden County)
Cherry Hill Public Library
1100 Kings Highway North, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 

Monday, March 4, 2024 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
ATLANTIC CITY (Atlantic County)
Atlantic City Convention Center – Meeting Room 309
1 Convention Blvd., Atlantic City, NJ 08401

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 10 a.m. to noon
PATERSON (Passaic County)
Passaic County Community College – Paterson room
1 College Blvd, Paterson, NJ 07505

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
HACKENSACK (Bergen County)
Bergen County Administration Building – Conference Center
2 Bergen County Plaza 1st Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 10 a.m. to noon
TRENTON (Mercer County)
Trenton Transit Center
72 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08609

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
BELMAR (Monmouth County)
Belmar Municipal Building – Council Chambers
601 Main St., Belmar, NJ 07719

Thursday, March 7, 2024 10 a.m. to noon
WOODBRIDGE (Middlesex County)
Berkely College Woodbridge Campus Student Center
430 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge, NJ 07095 

Thursday, March 7, 2024 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
UNION (Union County)
Kean University – North Avenue Academic Building
Conference Center, Room 606, 6th Floor, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083

Friday, March 8, 2024 10 a.m. to noon
SECAUCUS (Hudson County)
Frank R. Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction – Long Hallway
County Road & County Avenue, Secaucus, NJ 07094

Friday, March 8, 2024 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
NEWARK (Essex County)
NJ TRANSIT Headquarters – Board Room
One Penn Plaza East, Newark, NJ 07105

For more information on the meetings or the proposed fare hike, click here.

The adorable white pooch apparently followed someone, not his owner, onto a train at Mountain Station at the height of Thursday’s morning commute. It rode to Hoboken Terminal.

NJ Transit officers checked around with colleagues near the Mountain Station but couldn’t find the owner. The dog had no microchip, either.

Animal lovers didn’t have to wait too long for news of a reunion. By Sunday afternoon, NJ Transit Police confirmed that the dog’s owner had been tracked down and the pup returned home.

“Many of you shared it abroad. You helped to spread the word and return the dog home! This is what community and teamwork is all about! Thank you!” NJ Transit Police posted on X.

This pooch is hardly NJ Transit’s first foray into animal stories. A rogue bull wreaked havoc as it raced along the tracks in Newark last month. The bovine never boarded a train, but it did cause delays. Here’s the latest on Ricardo.

The adorable white pooch apparently followed someone, not his owner, onto a train at Mountain Station at the height of Thursday’s morning commute. It rode to Hoboken Terminal.

NJ Transit officers checked around with colleagues near the Mountain Station but couldn’t find the owner. The dog has no microchip, either.

The dog was taken to the Jersey City Humane Society.

Anyone with information on the owner is asked to call 1-800-242-0236 or 973-378-6565.

This pooch is hardly NJ Transit’s first foray into animal stories. A rogue bull wreaked havoc as it raced along the tracks in Newark last month. The bovine never boarded a train, but it did cause delays. Here’s the latest on Ricardo.

Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Wantage said Ricardo is now “at the best large animal hospital on the planet” and doing better each day. Skylands sent him there Christmas Eve after noticing a tiny wound on his leg suddenly appeared inflamed.

He had a half-dollar-sized road rash on his leg when Skylands picked him up a week and a half earlier, the sanctuary says, but he was cleared after treatment with antibiotics and vaccinations and able to join the other animals ( like a cow that ran amok in Brooklyn in March).

It’s not clear what that injury was from, but it turned into an infection, according to the staff at Cornell Large Animal Hospital, which is where Skylands brought him. The animal hospital began treating Ricardo for the infection. He was sedated, the area was debrided and cleaned and the bull had “many x-rays and ultrasounds” to assess potential risk.

Skylands said in a Facebook post this week hospital workers put a hard cast on Ricardo’s leg to keep it from bending, which they hoped would expedite the healing process.

“He continues to get the wound cleaned and receive the medicine he needs,” Skylands wrote. “He is doing better, and the infection seems to be less and less.”

Skylands is about three hours away from the hospital, but says it gets daily updates on his status and looks forward to bringing him home whenever the veterinarians at Cornell say his wound is completely healed.

Bull on Newark Penn Station tracks causes chaos

Ricardo caused a stir when he was spotted on the tracks at Newark Penn Station late one Thursday morning, Dec. 14. Officials say the bull made his way to the transit hub after escaping somewhere closer to Newark International Airport, prompting delays of up to 45 minutes across the river. Police were eventually able to corral him in a fenced lot.

No injuries were reported.

Ricardo quickly became famous after his stunt on the tracks, with NJ Transit debuting a plush version of him for sale — and sending part of the proceeds directly to Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue to help with his care.

The December frenzy was not the first rodeo for emergency personnel when it comes to lassoing a rogue bull disrupting transit in the NYC area. In 2021, a loose bull forced a highway shutdown on Long Island. Another caused a stir on the streets of Brooklyn a few years earlier.

NJ Transit is proposing a fare hike — the first in almost 10 years — with a number of scheduled public hearings before the proposal comes to a vote, the transportation agency announced Wednesday.

The proposed increase comes after NJ Transit’s preliminary estimates for Fiscal Year 2025 found a budget deficit of $119 million. The proposed hike is to the tune of 15% starting July 1 of this year, and then a 3% annual increase indefinitely after that taking effect July 1, 2025.

If this proposal passes, it would mark the first time in almost a decade in which NJ Transit increases its fares. According to the agency, since 2015 “NJ Transit has held the line on fare increases” while adding additional service on more than 100 bus routes. Since then, according to the agency, inflation has increased over 30%, which has impacted the operational cost, contracted services, contractual wage increases of around 10,000 of the agency’s employees and healthcare costs — the latter increasing 47% during this time.

On top of the inflation, the agency said costs to run bus and rail service have gone up as well.

The proposal calls to preserve service at current levels for the next fiscal year, but offered no guarantees for the following years — meaning there could be cuts to service in the future.

Here is an example of proposed fare increase:

NJ Transit also said that it has undergone enhancements since 2018, including restoring the ranks of locomotive engineers, an updated app, new fare payment technologies, improvements to its Access Link paratransit service and graduated more than 2,300 new bus operators.

Officials have known for a couple years that they would run into this fiscal dead end. Even though NJ Transit ridership has reached to about 80% of its pre-COVID levels, the agency is entering its 5th consecutive year of ridership below pre-pandemic levels. This low ridership has resulted in the loss of nearly $2 billion in fares, according to NJ Transit.

Despite NJ Transit using federal COVID relief funds over a few years to offset the loss, the funding will be exhausted in Fiscal Year 2025, the agency said.

Critics blasted the state for not acting sooner to prevent passing on the cost to riders.

NJ Transit will hold 10 scheduled in-person public meetings in 10 New Jersey counties — including morning and evening sessions — beginning Monday, March 4 through Friday, March 8 to allow for public comments before the plan is up for vote by the NJ Transit Board of Directors.

If you can not make it to the meetings, you will be able to send in comments for the record at www.njtransit.com/hearing, via postal mail to: PUBLIC HEARING OFFICE – FARE PROPOSAL COMMENTS, ONE PENN PLAZA EAST, NEWARK, NJ 07105, or via email at hearing@njtransit.com.The public comment period will be open until 11:59 p.m., Friday, March 8.

PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULE

Monday, March 4, 2024 11:00am – 1:00pm
CHERRY HILL (Camden County)
Cherry Hill Public Library
1100 Kings Highway North, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 

Monday, March 4, 2024 6:00pm – 8:00 pm
ATLANTIC CITY (Atlantic County)
Atlantic City Convention Center – Meeting Room 309
1 Convention Blvd., Atlantic City, NJ 08401

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 10:00am – 12:00pm
PATERSON (Passaic County)
Passaic County Community College – Paterson room
1 College Blvd, Paterson, NJ 07505

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 6:00pm – 8:00 pm
HACKENSACK (Bergen County)
Bergen County Administration Building – Conference Center
2 Bergen County Plaza 1st Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 10:00am – 12:00pm
TRENTON (Mercer County)
Trenton Transit Center
72 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08609

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 6:00pm – 8:00pm
BELMAR (Monmouth County)
Belmar Municipal Building – Council Chambers
601 Main St., Belmar, NJ 07719

Thursday, March 7, 2024 10:00am – 12:00pm
WOODBRIDGE (Middlesex County)
Berkely College Woodbridge Campus Student Center
430 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge, NJ 07095 

Thursday, March 7, 2024 6:00pm – 8:00pm
UNION (Union County)
Kean University – North Avenue Academic Building
Conference Center, Room 606, 6th Floor, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083

Friday, March 8, 2024 10:00am – 12:00pm
SECAUCUS (Hudson County)
Frank R. Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction – Long Hallway
County Road & County Avenue, Secaucus, NJ 07094

Friday, March 8, 2024 6:00pm – 8:00pm
NEWARK (Essex County)
NJ TRANSIT Headquarters – Board Room
One Penn Plaza East, Newark, NJ 07105

For more information on the meetings, or the proposed fare hike, click here.

Amtrak, which had been holding all trains through the latter half of the morning, said the issue had been fixed and service restored by about 11:40 a.m. Friday.

NJ Transit, which shut down service completely on its Northeast Corridor, Raritan Valley and North Jersey Coast lines, announced it had resumed service to and from Penn about 20 minutes later. Lingering delays are expected.

Check for alternate travel options here.

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New Year’s Eve got off to a rocky start for train riders in the New York area.

Amtrak reported a server issue that caused a significant delays and service disruptions through much of Sunday morning.

The bulk of the delays seemed to hit the Northeast Corridor train, but also extender to Keystone Service and Empire Service. Amtrak warned passengers that a number of their trains could be on a delay of up to two hours.

A handful of trains between New York City and Boston had to be canceled before full service came back online by late morning.

A number of holiday travelers were stranded inside the Moynihan Train Hall, including a pastor who wasn’t able to make Sunday services in Boston.

“I was supposed to be in Boston at 9:40 a.m. because our service is at 11:30 a.m. I do this a couple of times a month,” Alan Burroughs said. “So I had to change some things around.”

NJ Transit felt the impacts as well. Its trains on the North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct were briefly impacted.

There were delays short of an hour still being felt on trains in and out of Penn Station by about 8 a.m. Those trains eventually returned to normal service as well.

Before 12 p.m. Sunday, most service had been restored, according to spokespeople for the transit agencies

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NJ Transit confirmed Friday that the bull, which it called “Ricardo,” had been safely transported to his new home, Skylands Animal Sanctuary in Wantage, where he joins a cow that ran amok in Brooklyn in March.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the bull, seen running along one of the tracks, got loose, but video showed it running up and down tracks at the station as stunned onlookers watched with bewilderment. It happened just before 11 a.m. Thursday.

Officials say the bull made its way to the transit hub after escaping somewhere closer to Newark International Airport, prompting delays of up to 45 minutes across the river.

After its jaunt through Newark Penn Station, the bull went back down toward the airport. Police caught up with it behind a building on Frelinghuysen Avenue near Victoria Street, down the tracks from the station.

Newark and Port Authority police officers were able to corral the beast inside a fenced lot, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said.

No injuries were reported.

This is not the first rodeo for emergency personnel when it comes to lassoing a rogue bull disrupting transit in the NYC area. In 2021, a loose bull forced a highway shutdown on Long Island. Another caused a stir on the streets of Brooklyn a few years earlier.

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A loose bull on the tracks at Newark Penn Station wreaked some havoc for NJ Transit riders late Thursday morning, prompting delays and chaos as crews worked to corral the animal.

The bovine bedlam broke out before 11 a.m. when the bull escaped closer to Newark International Airport, then ran up to the train station.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the bull, seen running along one of the tracks, got loose, but video showed it running up and down tracks at the station as stunned onlookers watched with bewilderment.

After its jaunt through Newark Penn Station, the bull went back down toward the airport. Police caught up with it behind a building on Frelinghuysen Avenue near Victoria Street, down the tracks from the station.

Newark and Port Authority police officers were able to corral the beast inside a fenced lot, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said. He added that a local animal sanctuary would come to retrieve and take care of the young bull.

No injuries were reported.

NJ Transit was reporting 45-minute delays between Newark Penn and New York Penn Station as of 11 a.m., citing “police activity.” Photos from the scene showed officers looking at the bull.

NJ Transit rail tickets were being cross-honored by PATH.

This is not the first rodeo for emergency personnel when it comes to lassoing a rogue bull disrupting transit in the NYC area. In 2021, a loose bull forced a highway shutdown on Long Island. Another caused a stir on the streets of Brooklyn a few years earlier.

More Animal Stories

World news Dec 12, 2023

Hundreds of animals, eggs and pounds of ivory seized in global wildlife trafficking operation, Interpol says

Nov 30, 2023

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This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

That means no beverages of any kind, in any type of container, open or closed, will be permitted on trains, buses or light rail vehicles on Dec. 9 and Dec. 16. The transit agency said Thursday it planned to strictly enforce the policy.

Over in New York, the MTA is banning alcohol on all Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road trains for the weekend. Don’t get cute: You can’t drink on any of the platforms, either.

The ban starts at 4 a.m. Saturday and lasts until noon Sunday. The MTA Police Department will be deploying extra officers to enforce the ban, as well as deal with potentially rowdy crowds, at hubs like Penn Station, Grand Central Madison and Grand Central Terminal. Police will issue summonses to violators, as well as take their alcohol — and transgressors could find themselves booted off trains or out of MTA stations, too.

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“Ensuring everyone has access to safe and orderly travel is always a priority,” said MTA Police Chief John Mueller. “The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, and we want everyone to get to their destination smoothly and on time while enjoying the festivities.”

What is SantaCon?

The annual SantaCon event is held every December. Droves of 20-somethings dressed up as Santas, Mrs. Clauses, elves and all sorts of holiday favorites celebrate the famed bar crawl that starts in midtown Manhattan and winds its way down to the East Village.

The organizers encourage revelers to donate $15 for free entry into participating venues.

The website describes the event as “a charitable, non-political, nonsensical Santa Claus convention that happens once a year to spread absurdist joy.”

Naturally, there are always a few Grinches who have too many spiked egg nogs (God help them if that’s what they’re actually drinking all day) and ruin the fun for everyone, whether through obnoxious behavior or making messes on city streets and sidewalks.

The rules of SantaCon, stated on the event website, are simple: Don’t mess with kids, cops, bar staff, the charity mission or simply, the city of New York. Just be nice to people and clean up after yourselves — no puking on the street.

Which bars are participating?

The jolly festivities kick off at 10 a.m. on Seventh Avenue, where the cavalcade of Kringles will be on parade before heading to their first bars of the day.

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For those participating, SantaCon’s map shows that there are several participating bars in Midtown and the East Village. More than 50 bars and clubs will be hosting revelers, and the website encourages participants to come and go at their leisure to each location.

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For those preferring to avoid the event at all costs, steer clear of Midtown East and West as well as the East Village, where most of the bars are. In Manhattan, stick to the Upper West Side, Harlem and the upper and lower parts of the island; for those in other boroughs…well, you might as well stay put if you’re trying to dodge the drinkers.

Or maybe it’s just a good weekend to get out of the city altogether if the event isn’t your cup of nog.

NJ TRANSIT announced service into and out of Penn Station New York resumed with delays Tuesday afternoon after it was earlier suspended due to “a minor slow speed derailment.” The Northeast Corridor 3926 derailed just before 9 a.m., though the train remained upright. No injuries were reported among the approximately 1,500 customers customers and crew on board at the time.

Going into the evening rush hour, the transit agency said rail service was subject to delays of up to an hour due to the derailment.

Midtown Direct service was being diverted to Hoboken, according to NJ TRANSIT’s website.

Rail tickets and passes for NJ TRANSIT were cross honored by PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken, and 33rd Street in Manhattan, as well as by NJ TRANSIT bus and private carriers, the railroad said.

Amtrak is also warning northeast customers of delays between Newark and New York Penn Station.

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After 6 a.m., NJ Transit announced that all trains on its Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast were suspended due to Amtrak overhead wire issues. The transit agency is cross-honoring rail tickets and passes on buses and PATH trains.

NJ Transit finally service rolling again around 11:20 a.m., according to a tweet. It took until around 1 p.m. to get NJ Transit back on schedule.

For Amtrak riders in New Jersey delays were the problem. The rail service said around 6:45 a.m. that all trains between Metropark and Newark were being delayed due to overhead power issues.

The delays continued around 10:30 a.m., even for Acela service, Amtrak tweeted.

In Pennsylvania, Keystone line trains were originating the Philadelphia.

No word yet on when the overhead wire problems will be resolved and trains can start moving again.

It took hours on Thursday morning to get trains moving on schedule again.

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More than a decade without a name, but officials hope that by asking for the public’s help that they can identify the woman struck and killed by a train in the Jersey Shore area.

NJ Transit Police says it continues its investigation in order to identify the woman who was struck by a train 15 years ago — on June 15, 2008, in Brielle, Monmouth County.

Officials describe the woman as white, possibly of Northeastern European descent. She was about 18 to 30 years old and about 115 to 130 pounds at the time of her death.

When she was found, she was wearing a long sleeve red sweatshirt with a white undershirt style t-shirt over it. She also had a long-sleeve white shirt wrapped around her waist, white socks, and white and black striped Adidas sneakers. She was wearing rosary beads and a wooden bracelet with religious saints on it.

Police describe the woman as having short fingernails painted silver with white lines that came to a point. She had small scars on both her hands, as well as surgical scar on her lower abdomen that was roughly 2 inches long.

The unidentified woman also had a brown tote bag carrying blue sweatshirt with a winter scene on it, black jeans with zippers on both sides of the waist, a hat with blue flowers, a black and white bandana, a blue and yellow scarf with yellow flowers. Additionally, the tote bag containing all these items had the words “New York” on it.

Additional information can also be obtained by accessing the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) website at https://namus.nij.ojp.gov under file number UP2274.

According to NamUs profile on the unidentified victim, the woman was about 5 feet 4 inches in height, had blonde/brown hair, with fair skin with no freckles or not many freckles. Her eye color is listed as hazel as well as blue/green.

Authorities urge anyone with information to contact Det. Tropeano at 973-491-8634 or email the detective at mtropeano@njtransit.com.

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The agency said that rail service to and from the transit hub will operate with “select cancellations and potentially heavy delays” through Friday. The delays were said to be up to 30 minutes on nearly every single line, with the exception of the Atlantic City line.

Rail tickets and passes will continue to be honored by NJ Transit bus service and private buses, as well as PATH trains at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd St in Manhattan. Midtown Direct service will continue to be diverted to Hoboken, with select cancellations as well.

The delays and cancellations hampered commutes starting before Thursday’s evening rush, and only worsened as more commuters looked to get home. Trains had been suspended for hours earlier in the day due to the continuous bridge problems.

The problems were attributed to ongoing signal issues on the Portal Bridge signal, NJ Transit said. “Extensive repairs” were said to be underway to fix the issues, but no estimate or timetable was given for when service might be fully restored.

NJ Transit and Amtrak are replacing the century-old, two-track Portal Bridge built in 1910 over the Hackensack River with a higher bridge that will not have to open and close for river traffic, according to NJ Transit’s website.

“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bridge carried more than 450 daily Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains and 200,000 daily passengers over the Hackensack River – a critical link in the congested territory between Newark, New Jersey and Penn Station, New York,” NJ Transit said.

However, NJ Transit notes that the bridge, through the years has become a “major bottleneck and source of delays, particularly when the aging bridge malfunctions during opening and closing for maritime traffic.”

Follow the list below for real-time transit updates from all our local transit agencies and providers. Remember to scroll down to find the latest update from your relevant agency, as transit situations can evolve quickly.

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NJ Transit said the suspension, which was announced just after 5 p.m., came as a result of police activity near Secaucus Junction, but did not provide any further details regarding what the police activity was concerning.

The Secaucus police chief said law enforcement received word that a train engineer saw two children playing on the tracks, then did not see them anymore. Police were looking to see if the children had been struck.

The Hudson County Sheriff’s Office said they were looking into the area of Secaucus Road in North Bergen for the reports of a child possibly being struck by a train. Drones were being used to investigate the area, according to the sheriff’s office.

Rail tickets and passes were being cross-honored by PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street, though throngs of people crowded the Manhattan station, making getting across the Hudson a nightmare. The line to get into the 33rd Street PATH station was said to be backed up onto Sixth Avenue around 5:30 p.m.

NJ Transit also encouraged riders to use bus service instead. The transit agency said service was restored after 6 p.m., and as of 11 p.m., there were still delays of up to 30 minutes as a result of the disruption.

There were a slew of Amtrak trains out of NY Penn Station also being held, though that hold was lifted shortly after 6 p.m. Trains were expected to begin again with residual delays.

Follow the list below for real-time transit updates from all our local transit agencies and providers. Remember to scroll down to find the latest update from your relevant agency, as transit situations can evolve quickly.

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The career-curious children do not need a ticket to board an NJ TRANSIT bus, train or light rails, as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti says, “Taking your child to work is a great opportunity to educate kids about their parents’ professions and to expose them to sustainable ways to commute.”

Check the NJ TRANSIT website to view the details on transit schedules.

A judge just granted the transit agency’s request to ban a 36-year-old customer for a year after he had been charged with at least seven separate lewd acts aboard its buses over the past two years, NJ Transit said Friday.

Each of the seven lewd acts was directed toward female bus operators, the agency says. The latest incident, which resulted in the year-long ridership suspension for Sean Guinyard, happened in late August in Willingboro. Another happened in June, while the other five occurred over a span of five months, from May into October, in 2021.

“It was just sickening, what he was doing while he was on the bus. Sickening and terrifying,” said Orlando Riley, the chairman of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents drivers.

Guinyard, of Washington Township in Gloucester County, pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree contempt charge in Burlington County, and NJ Transit lobbied the judge to include the year-long ban as part of his sentence.

The Burlington County court granted the request, suspending Guinyard’s NJ Transit riding privileges for a year. Any violation of the suspension will be treated as a probation violation and could land him in jail, the agency added.

NJ Transit confirmed Guinyard’s suspension is the first under a law Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed in January 2022 to create new tools for protecting transit workers statewide. Along with upgrading the penalty for assaults on bus operators or rail crew, the law authorizes NJ Transit and other public transit carriers to suspend or ban riders who attack employees or otherwise jeopardize the safety and well-being of the riding public.

This past December, the Board of Directors approved a plan to begin the rule-making process to administratively suspend ridership privileges for people who attack NJ Transit employees while also safeguarding due process rights for offenders to appeal proposed suspensions. The proposed regulations would create progressive sanctions, meaning the length of suspension would increase with each ensuing offense.

The proposed rules would also set procedures for the creation of a Ridership Appeal Board to review initial suspension determinations made by NJ Transit. Those rules are currently being finalized and will be presented to the Board of Directors for final adoption.

“It’s not just the person responsible for lewd acts. Bus operators are assaulted on a daily basis, putting the bus operator and the passengers at risk,” said Riley.

“NJ Transit customers and frontline employees should never be subjected to physical assaults or this type of illegal behavior,” NJ Transit President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett said. “NJ TRANSIT is committed to leveraging every available measure to keep our customers and employees safe, and this suspension imposed by the court should serve as a powerful deterrent to any of those who believe they can get away with such disrespectful and abhorrent behavior.”

“Operator safety will always be a priority of the Amalgamated Transit Union,” ATU Chairman Orlando Riley added. “No one should face the possibility of being assaulted while earning a living for themselves and their families. This one-year ban demonstrates that NJ TRANSIT and the ATU will continue to aggressively pursue any individual wishing to cause harm to our members on the frontline.”

Guinyard’s attorney declined to comment on the case.

Broken glass is seen flying everywhere in the on-board video from the Feb. 14th crash, which took place at around 7:30 a.m. A bus from the No. 139 line, operating from Lakewood to New York’s Port Authority Terminal, collided with a Mack truck and a Freightliner as all three were heading north in the heavy rush hour traffic, police said at the time.

The bus was traveling about 68 mph at the time of the crash, which sent the windshield flying. From another camera, the bus can be seen coming up in the bus lane on the rear of a cement truck. Then, the collision near Exit 13 in Elizabeth.

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“I put my hands on the seat but it still wasn’t enough, my head still went forward and I busted my lip and my teeth hurt, my whole mouth hurts and my legs got banged up,” said passenger Luisa Robles.

She said she still suffers from whiplash and other injuries, and is seeing a physical therapist, but is glad to be alive.

Another passenger sitting in the front seemed to react before the driver himself, as both ended up bracing themselves while the bus hurtled into the back of the cement truck. NJ Transit said the driver has been retrained and was given appropriate discipline, without specifying what it was.

Photos taken afterward on board depicted that two dozen out of 32 passengers on board were injured by the collision. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to open the bus and reach the battered and bloody riders. The bus was an older model and was not equipped with seat belts.

Twenty-five people, including the bus driver, were transported to area hospitals, while four passengers refused medical attention. None suffered serious injuries, according to police, previously adding that the remaining passengers were accommodated by another bus to continue their trip.

State police on Monday told NBC New York the three drivers involved all got tickets: The driver of the cement truck, the driver of a box truck (up ahead and to the right who swerved into the bus lane) and the bus driver for following too close at higher speeds.

The bus driver on the 911 call said that he was cut off, which is why he crashed into the other vehicle as all three were heading north in the heavy rush hour traffic.

At least two passengers told NBC New York they are exploring legal options for injuries that still linger after that violent collision.

An investigation is ongoing.

The incident, which took place at around 7:30 a.m., involved a bus from the No. 139 line with around 30 passengers on board, operating from Lakewood to New York’s Port Authority Terminal. The bus apparently collided with a Mack and a Freightliner as all three were heading north in the heavy rush hour traffic, according to police.

One rider told NBC New York that the driver of a cement truck cut off an 18-wheeler, leading to the crash.

“Our driver swerved and braked to avoid hitting one of the trucks but he couldn’t avoid it because it was right there,” said passenger Janine Schultz. “Some people hurt their eyes, somebody hurt their check, people got their legs hurt, one girl was thrown out of her seat.”

The crash took place northbound near Interchange 13 in Elizabeth. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to open the bus and reach the battered and bloody passengers.

“I put my hands on the seat but it still wasn’t enough, my head still went forward and I busted my lip and my teeth hurt, my whole mouth hurts and my legs got banged up,” said passenger Luisa Robles. “It was the loudest sound, my bag went to the back of the bus.”

The bus is an older model and is not equipped with seat belts.

Twenty-five people, including the bus driver, were transported to area hospitals, while four passengers refused medical attention. None suffered serious injuries, according to police, previously adding that the remaining passengers were accommodated by another bus to continue their trip.

An investigation is ongoing.

The promotion will run from Feb. 13 to Feb. 20 in honor of Valentine’s Day, of course. All you need to do is plug in the promo code “SWEETHEART” in the NJ TRANSIT mobile app to cash in on the deal.

Léelo en español aquí.

The promo code works on four one-way tickets between the same origin and destination. (Basically, they will get you and a friend to and from someplace for the cost of just one of you).

All four of the tickets must be activated on the same day, NJ Transit says. They will be valid until 2 a.m. on Feb. 21 to accommodate late-night travel on Presidents’ Day.

The deal does not apply to tickets for travel to/from Newark Liberty International Airport Station, SEPTA or Metro North Stations, the transit agency said. Only one code can be used per account during the promotion.

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