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Penn Station Track Repairs: No Major Problems New York Tonight: After Calm Morning, Commuters Brace for Afternoon Rush
(about 2 hours later)
• Two months of train disruptions began today on New Jersey Transit, Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak, with track repairs underway at Pennsylvania Station. See our commuting guide. • Two months of train disruptions began today on New Jersey Transit, Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak, with track repairs underway at Pennsylvania Station. See our commuting guide.
• There were brief delays, but no major problems this morning getting into Manhattan. • There appeared to be no major problems this morning getting into Manhattan, beyond brief delays, some confusion among commuters and extra crowding. But the afternoon rush may be more difficult.
• Your commute home might have to be different from your commute in. • Your commute home might be different from your commute in.
Regular commuters confronted thicker crowds than usual on some routes this morning. As the evening rush approached, commuters planned out their strategies.
“Confusion? No,” Whit Waterbury texted us from a New Jersey Transit Morris and Essex line train. “Being herded like cattle & squished in? You bet.” Brian Rolston, who travels by Long Island Railroad from Far Rockaway, texted us to say he planned to take an earlier train than usual, because his regular train is canceled. Ed McMahon, who commutes from Babylon by the L.I.R.R., planned to head out to Brooklyn to catch his train home.
Mr. Waterbury, 63, part of a small army of commuters that we have enlisted to send us dispatches by text, wrote that the South Orange commuter parking lot was twice as full as usual at 7:10 a.m. Both men are part of a group of commuters we recruited to share tales about their commutes today via text message. So is Monica McCready, who will be heading home along the New Jersey Transit North Jersey Coast Line. She planned to take her regular 6:03 p.m. train, which will be leaving two minutes late.
A New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor train was standing room only when it reached Princeton Junction shortly after 7 a.m., said Michael A. Zahorsky, another contributor texted us. Whit Waterbury texted to say he boarded a NY Waterway bus just after 4:30 p.m. to catch the ferry to Hoboken. Once there, he’ll take a New Jersey Transit train to South Orange. Normally, his train leaves from Penn Station. “More as it happens,” he said.
On the Long Island Rail Road, the 5:56 from Babylon ended at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn instead of Penn Station, but Ed McMahon, a contributor to our coverage, wrote the subway transfer was “seamless.” Ridership on trains in New Jersey this morning may have seemed lighter than usual, but the official figures suggested otherwise.
In Queens, some people had expected big crowds on the No. 7 train at the Hunters Point Avenue subway station because many L.I.R.R. trains that normally go into Penn Station ended there. But at 8:15 a.m., most No. 7 trains heading into Manhattan were half-full at most. New Jersey Transit said about 8,700 passengers rode the trains on its Morris and Essex lines, which were diverted to Hoboken Terminal from Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. That was about 1,000 more rerouted passengers than the railroad’s officials had projected.
On Amtrak, though, Rosie deus Santos, 62, a home-care assistant from Queens who commutes to Hudson, N.Y., was stranded at Penn Station when her usual train combined with another one that left early. The early-morning Morris and Essex trains that were not diverted from Penn Station carried twice the normal load, New Jersey Transit said. Between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., four of those trains carried 3,800 passengers into Penn Station, compared with normal ridership of about 1,900 passengers during that hour, the agency said.
All of the outbound Morris and Essex trains will be departing from Hoboken, so New Jersey Transit anticipated an additional 12,500 commuters would be passing through Hoboken Terminal during the evening rush hours.
New Jersey Transit said that the additional buses it ran from train stations directly into Manhattan carried more than 3,400 passengers, and ferry service to Manhattan from Hoboken carried an additional 1,264 passengers.
Regular commuters reported more passengers than usual on some routes this morning. But they managed.
“Confusion? No,” Whit Waterbury texted us from a New Jersey Transit Morris and Essex line train at about 7:30 a.m. “Being herded like cattle & squished in? You bet.”
— PATRICK McGEEHAN
Transfers to the subway for commuters whose trains terminated in Queens and Brooklyn seemed relatively smooth. The 5:56 a.m. Long Island Railroad Train from Babylon ended at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn instead of Penn Station, but Ed McMahon, a contributor to our coverage, told us the subway transfer was “seamless.”
In Queens, some people had expected big crowds on the No. 7 train at the Hunters Point Avenue subway station because many L.I.R.R. trains that normally go into Penn Station will end there. But at 8:15 a.m., most No. 7 trains heading into Manhattan were half-full at most.
There were also some headaches. Rosie deus Santos, 62, a home care assistant from Queens who commutes to Hudson, N.Y., was stranded at Penn Station when her usual Amtrak train combined with another one that left early.
Her next option out of the city was a train leaving from Grand Central after 11 a.m.Her next option out of the city was a train leaving from Grand Central after 11 a.m.
“I can feel my blood pressure going up,” she said.“I can feel my blood pressure going up,” she said.
— ANDY NEWMAN, JONATHAN WOLFE and KHORRI ATKINSON— ANDY NEWMAN, JONATHAN WOLFE and KHORRI ATKINSON
Three derailments this year — including one on Thursday — have highlighted the need to rebuild or replace some sections of the tracks at the nation’s busiest train station. And summer is the slowest time of year for commuting.Three derailments this year — including one on Thursday — have highlighted the need to rebuild or replace some sections of the tracks at the nation’s busiest train station. And summer is the slowest time of year for commuting.
How long will this last?How long will this last?
Work is expected to last eight weeks, through the end of August, according to Amtrak, which operates Penn Station.Work is expected to last eight weeks, through the end of August, according to Amtrak, which operates Penn Station.
What is affected? What is changing?
L.I.R.R. More than two dozen train routes have been canceled. The railroad has been offering bus and ferry services to accommodate riders affected by the disruptions. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the railroad, plans to add cars to every train and to add several trains during off-peak hours. You can find schedule changes here. Long Island Rail Road. More than two dozen train routes have been canceled. The railroad has been offering bus and ferry services to accommodate riders affected by the disruptions. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the railroad, plans to add cars to every train and to add several trains during off-peak hours. You can find schedule changes here.
N.J. Transit. Most trains on the Morris and Essex line are being diverted from Penn Station to Hoboken Terminal; other trains that usually go to Hoboken in the morning will end in Newark. Many commuters will have to change trains or transfer to PATH trains, buses or ferries to Manhattan. Here’s a list of scheduled changes. New Jersey Transit. Most trains on the Morris and Essex line are being diverted from Penn Station to Hoboken Terminal; other trains that usually go to Hoboken in the morning will end in Newark. Many commuters will have to change trains or transfer to PATH trains, buses or ferries to Manhattan. Here’s a list of scheduled changes.
Amtrak. The railroad has reduced service and posted a revised schedule. Three daily trains each way between New York and Union Station in Washington will begin or end their runs in Newark. Four daily trains between New York and Harrisburg, Pa., will start and end their routes in Philadelphia or Newark. See schedule changes here.Amtrak. The railroad has reduced service and posted a revised schedule. Three daily trains each way between New York and Union Station in Washington will begin or end their runs in Newark. Four daily trains between New York and Harrisburg, Pa., will start and end their routes in Philadelphia or Newark. See schedule changes here.
Morning or evening: Which commute will be messier? Will the evening go as smoothly as the morning?
In the morning, everyone arrived at Penn Station at different times and from various locations. Many commuters gave themselves extra time to get to work. Many commuters gave themselves extra time to get to work this morning, aiding the flow of traffic at Penn Station.
But in the evening, the window of time when people leave work is much narrower. With fewer trains leaving the station each evening, commuters may face longer waits for their train home. But in the evening, people leave work within a narrower time window. With fewer trains leaving the station each evening, commuters may face longer waits for a train home.
Leave yourself extra time. Leave yourself some extra time.
On the way to Felicia Hoskins’s first ride on the Hoboken ferry, there were hiccups.
Ms. Hoskins works at a law firm in Midtown Manhattan and normally takes the 7 a.m. New Jersey Transit train from Brick Church station in East Orange to Penn Station. Today, she took an earlier train to Hoboken to catch the ferry to 39th Street.
First, a New York Waterway ticket agent at Hoboken told her that her New Jersey Transit pass would not be honored on the ferry, which was not true.
Then she was directed to the wrong ferry slip. A friendly New York Waterway employee pointed her in the right direction.
“They don’t know what they are talking about,” Ms. Hoskins, 46, said as she walked to the correct slip. “They are not informed and they are not giving the right information.”
Ms. Hoskins was one of just three passengers to board the 7 a.m. ferry.
Out on the water, her irritation gave way to calm as she sat at a window seat on the empty boat and cracked open a book.
“This is nice,” she said.
The ferries did not stay empty for long. The 7:30 a.m. boat had 106 passengers.
— JEFFERY C. MAYS