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New York Tonight: After Calm Morning, Commuters Brace for Evening Rush New York Tonight: After Calm Morning, Commuters Brace for Evening Rush
(about 1 hour 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.
• The afternoon rush to New Jersey and Long Island seemed to be unfolding smoothly, as people amended their schedules to arrive at transit hubs early.• The afternoon rush to New Jersey and Long Island seemed to be unfolding smoothly, as people amended their schedules to arrive at transit hubs early.
• This morning also saw no major problems getting into Manhattan, beyond brief delays, some confusion among commuters and extra crowding.• This morning also saw no major problems getting into Manhattan, beyond brief delays, some confusion among commuters and extra crowding.
Commuters who managed to get to Penn Station before 5 p.m. encountered light crowds, even though fewer trains than usual were scheduled.Commuters who managed to get to Penn Station before 5 p.m. encountered light crowds, even though fewer trains than usual were scheduled.
Kim Wolfe was heading home to Montclair, N.J. She would have liked to leave a bit earlier, but with the reduced service, she was taking a 4:48 p.m. train, which was departing on time.Kim Wolfe was heading home to Montclair, N.J. She would have liked to leave a bit earlier, but with the reduced service, she was taking a 4:48 p.m. train, which was departing on time.
“So I’ll be home a little later, but all things considering this isn’t bad,” she said, as her train status flipped to boarding and the intercom announcer sent people flying toward track three. “Oh, that’s me,” she said with a wave and a smile.“So I’ll be home a little later, but all things considering this isn’t bad,” she said, as her train status flipped to boarding and the intercom announcer sent people flying toward track three. “Oh, that’s me,” she said with a wave and a smile.
Seth Schaeffer, a trader working in the financial district, said that he was used to regular delays on his route home to Matawan, N.J., so for him it felt like just another day. His 4:36 p.m. train was departing more or less on time.Seth Schaeffer, a trader working in the financial district, said that he was used to regular delays on his route home to Matawan, N.J., so for him it felt like just another day. His 4:36 p.m. train was departing more or less on time.
“I’ve ridden these trains for 20 years and they’ve never been great,” he said. “It is what it is.”“I’ve ridden these trains for 20 years and they’ve never been great,” he said. “It is what it is.”
Early evening commuters who took the ferry back to Hoboken also said that their trip was gentle.Early evening commuters who took the ferry back to Hoboken also said that their trip was gentle.
Jonathan McNamee, 73, a compliance officer at a Midtown Manhattan securities firm, sat in the sun on the ferry from West 39th Street to Hoboken Terminal, the sound of the waves splashing below.Jonathan McNamee, 73, a compliance officer at a Midtown Manhattan securities firm, sat in the sun on the ferry from West 39th Street to Hoboken Terminal, the sound of the waves splashing below.
“I’m a little afraid of water,” he said when asked whether the ferry would become his regular route home for the next two months. Still, he said, the route was “a much more civilized” way to get home than via Penn Station.“I’m a little afraid of water,” he said when asked whether the ferry would become his regular route home for the next two months. Still, he said, the route was “a much more civilized” way to get home than via Penn Station.
— SHARON OTTERMAN, EMILY PALMER, JEFFERY C. MAYS AND VIVIAN WANG— SHARON OTTERMAN, EMILY PALMER, JEFFERY C. MAYS AND VIVIAN WANG
As the evening rush approached, commuters planned out their strategies. Ridership on trains from both Long Island and New Jersey this morning may have seemed lighter than usual, but the official figures suggested otherwise.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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. The L.I.R.R. also saw increased ridership Monday, Joseph Lhota, the M.T.A. chairman, said at a 6 p.m. news conference at Penn Station. About 7,000 more people rode the train in from Long Island Monday morning compared to an average Monday at this time of the year, he said.
— SHARON OTTERMAN The number who entered Penn Station itself dropped by about 7,000, he said, but about 7,000 more people than usual traveled to Atlantic Terminal, and almost 3,000 more into the Hunters Point Avenue station in Long Island City, Queens.
Two additional 7 trains were added to accommodate demand from Hunters Point, and a special bus will honor L.I.R.R. tickets from ferry riders from Long Island who disembark at East 34th Street.
“Everything seemed to go right,” Mr. Lhota said. But, he added, “tomorrow is another day, and we have to be as vigilant.”
Projected Tuesday thunderstorms might affect the commute, he said, or passengers deciding not to take alternate routes.
And there is always the possibility of an unplanned mishap in the Amtrak tunnels that lead into Penn Station. “I live in absolute fear of what happens in those tunnels,” he said.
— PATRICK McGEEHAN and VIVIAN WANG
Some of the alternate routes planned by the transit agencies were, shall we say, underutilized.
Just ask Sue Barker. She was the sole rider on a plush gray coach bus that arrived at the at Belmont racetrack from Manhattan at 5:34 p.m. The mostly vacant park and ride lot had room for hundreds of cars.
“I had my own private bus,” she beamed, as she walked toward the silver minivan she had parked in the lot some 11 hours earlier.
She said she loved how relaxing and hassle-free her commute had been. To emphasize her good mood she yelled into a stiff, warm breeze, “The evening rush is me! I am the evening rush!”
On the bus that arrived at 6 p.m., only three passengers disembarked. One of them reported that he had been given free apple crisp muffins in the morning on the bus to the city, which he pronounced “delicious.”
In a 6 p.m. news conference, Joseph Lhota, the M.T.A. chairman, said that buses and the ferries were not used as much as officials had predicted. The M.T.A. will continue to monitor bus and ferry use over the course of the week before deciding whether or not to scale back on those services, he said.
In New Jersey, transit officials also reported that some of the bus services designed to replace the canceled trains were only lightly used.
While 204 passengers took the bus from Maplewood to Manhattan, only 28 people took the bus from Broad Street in Newark, said Charles Ingoglia, a spokesman for New Jersey Transit. The agency said it hoped to do a better job of getting the word out about the buses in the coming days.
— NATE SCHWEBER AND JEFFERY C. MAYS
Keisha Walsh, 28, who works as a computer programmer in Manhattan, said her job was permitting her to leave work an hour early for the next two months to help with her L.I.R.R. commute back to Patchogue. Camren Knasel, 34, said he left his office job in human resources early to catch his PATH train back to New Jersey.Keisha Walsh, 28, who works as a computer programmer in Manhattan, said her job was permitting her to leave work an hour early for the next two months to help with her L.I.R.R. commute back to Patchogue. Camren Knasel, 34, said he left his office job in human resources early to catch his PATH train back to New Jersey.
Flexible bosses, it seems, were a key factor behind the smoother than expected commute today. Let’s hope that continues.Flexible bosses, it seems, were a key factor behind the smoother than expected commute today. Let’s hope that continues.
Another thing that helped: beefed up transit staff guiding commuters through unfamiliar routines.Another thing that helped: beefed up transit staff guiding commuters through unfamiliar routines.
At the 33rd Street PATH Station, for example, at least eight attendants answered questions and ushered customers onto the platforms through the evening rush. At Penn Station, workers in highlighter-orange M.T.A. vests armed with maps and iPads stood ready to answer questions.At the 33rd Street PATH Station, for example, at least eight attendants answered questions and ushered customers onto the platforms through the evening rush. At Penn Station, workers in highlighter-orange M.T.A. vests armed with maps and iPads stood ready to answer questions.
— KHORRI ATKINSON, SHARON OTTERMAN AND JONATHAN WOLFE— KHORRI ATKINSON, SHARON OTTERMAN AND JONATHAN WOLFE
Ridership on trains in New Jersey this morning may have seemed lighter than usual, but the official figures suggested otherwise.
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.
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
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 changing?What is changing?
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.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.
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.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.
Will the evening go as smoothly as the morning?Will the evening go as smoothly as the morning?
Many commuters gave themselves extra time to get to work this morning, aiding the flow of traffic at Penn Station.Many commuters gave themselves extra time to get to work this morning, aiding the flow of traffic at Penn Station.
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.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 some extra time.Leave yourself some extra time.