NJ Transit

A car and train collided in River Edge, NJ.

The chairman of a House transportation committee said Thursday he'll get a new rail tunnel built between New Jersey and New York even if it takes legislative maneuvering. Oregon Democrat Peter DeFazio spoke at New York's Penn Station as he and several members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure prepared to tour the 109-year-old Hudson River tunnel and other rail infrastructure.

New Jersey Transit says it has paid $182 million to Amtrak to make good on missed payments for use of the Northeast Corridor line. NJ Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced the settlement Wednesday at New York's Penn Station alongside Amtrak CEO Tony Coscia.

Relief is in sight for New Jersey Transit's beleaguered rail riders, if only in the wallet. Facing criticism over service disruptions as it seeks to meet a Dec. 31 federal safety deadline, NJ Transit said Thursday it will cut fares 10 percent for daily and monthly tickets for three months starting in November.

A temporary schedule change in effect until 2019 began Monday, June 4, on several NJ Transit train lines. Customers along the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Morris & Essex Lines and Pascack Valley Line are the most impacted. The changes were put in place to allow for the installation of Positive Train Control, a federally mandated safety system on its trains and tracks.

Dozens of people were injured when two NJ Transit buses collided inside the Lincoln Tunnel.

What if New Jersey Transit, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad were all integrated into one massive transit system? Some commuters said that sounds like a great idea. Maybe—but is it realistic? A nonprofit says the idea is not only possible, it is essential to meet the needs of the growing tristate population. The Regional Plan Association is proposing a new system called T-REX, the Trans-Regional Express, to better connect New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Another day, another delay-ridden commute for thousands of NJ Transit and Amtrak customers. Rail service along the Northeast Corridor ground to a halt because the century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River was stuck in the open position. Amtrak, which owns the bridge, said the problem was caused by a combination of testing on the bridge, additional work at Penn Station, and on top of it all a power failure.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wants to boost the state's subsidy to New Jersey Transit by $242 million.

The powerful nor'easter that pummeled the New York area Wednesday with snow, rain, and wind caused a mess on the region's railroads. Metro-North Railroad's New Haven, Harlem, and Hudson lines are all suspended as of Wednesday evening due to downed trees and "weather-related infrastructure issues," according to the MTA.

Track 15 at Penn Station has gotten a facelift of sorts. A section of 1,100 feet of new steel rails is just the tip of the iceberg. The work is part of Amtrak's infrastructure renewal program where replacing the old with the new came to a head last year during the so-called Summer of Hell.

NJ Transit train service in and out of Penn Station New York was suspended for some time Thursday because the aging Portal Bridge near Secaucus was stuck in the open position. The Portal Bridge, which spans the Hackensack River, opened in 1910 and is considered woefully obsolete. Amtrak has long intended to replace it, but lack of funding has stalled work.

Commuters were expecting a few service changes Monday morning on New Jersey Transit, Amtrak, and Long Island Rail Road because of a new round of track work scheduled at Penn Station. What they weren't prepared for was a disabled Amtrak train and the massive delays that followed.

The so-called Summer of Hell is just days away from being over. Amtrak officials announced Thursday afternoon that the repair work at Penn Station is complete and regular service will resume in the morning on Tuesday, September 5.

The so-called Summer of Hell is half over. Amtrak's chief engineer said crews are 50-percent complete and that some of the work is running a bit ahead of schedule. After labor day, the weekday work ends and the weekend work begins.

Aboard New Jersey Transit this summer, the only thing certain about your commute is uncertainty. As commuters struggle for a Plan B, Alec Aronwald has an offer he says you can't refuse. Aronwald, a college sophomore, initially created the CarPo app for college students to carpool long distances together. When the New Jersey native noticed how difficult the Morris and Essex line commute had become, he adjusted. The app now connects New Jersey drivers with commuters for a carpool service into New York City.

Longer commutes on New Jersey are due to the massive repair work Amtrak is doing on Penn Station tracks used by the Morris and Essex NJ Transit lines. An official said about 8,700 extra riders came through the Hoboken terminal Monday. Commuters are urged to take a PATH train or ferry to Hoboken and then hop on another train home. They can also take a bus directly from Port Authority in Manhattan to New Jersey.