Portal Bridge transfer means NJ Transit, Amtrak riders will see big changes
By Noelle Lilley, Naveen Dhaliwal, Kristie Keleshian
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NEW YORK (WCBS) — As construction on New Jersey’s Portal Bridge gets underway, NJ Transit and Amtrak riders will see some major changes for the next month.
Amtrak started transferring rail traffic from the 115-year-old bridge in the Northeast Corridor to a track that crosses the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River.
What’s happening to the Portal North Bridge The project, officially called the Portal North Bridge Cutover, means hundreds of thousands of rail commuters will share a single track between Newark and Secaucus for four weeks, bringing schedule changes and slower, more crowded trains.
In addition, there will be no NJ Transit Midtown Direct service into Penn Station from the Gladstone Branch, and Morristown and Montclair-Boonton lines. Service will be rerouted to Hoboken during the week and alternate routes like PATH, ferries and the 126 Bus will be busier than normal.
If you must travel, NJ Transit advises commuting before 7 a.m. or after 9 a.m. and before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. on weekdays.
Old bridge was notorious for delays NJ Transit leaders say it will be worth the wait because the old Portal Bridge is notorious for sticking, causing delays up and down the busiest rail corridor in the U.S.
“The bridge literally has not been in good shape for decades, and for the first time in 100 years, we’re about to build a brand new bridge and open a brand new bridge so we can increase reliability,” NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri said.
What commuters should expect Thousands of commuters were feeling the effects Monday morning.
“I definitely have to be better about planning out my route,” said rider Katie Schalow. “I definitely got up about 45 minutes earlier to make sure I checked the times today.”
Another rider said she waited an hour for her train to arrive.
Until the cutover is finished, NJ Transit urged commuters to plan ahead, double-check travel schedules, and, if possible, work from home.
In the meantime, officials say riders should expect the following:
Modified train schedules, largely including earlier departures Reduced service frequencies on certain segments Longer travel times due to operational constraints Some train consolidations or cancellations Regular schedules are expected to return on March 15.
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