'Lose-lose situation': Commuters react to NJ Transit strike
NEW JERSEY (PIX11) – Commuters from New Jersey will have to find other ways to get to work on Friday after NJ Transit's engineers went on strike, shutting down train service.
It's the first strike since 1983, leaving an estimated 350,000 riders stranded.
“I have to drive either to Harrison or to Hoboken or straight in,” said Harrison Walsh, a NJ Transit commuter from Hazlet. “It’s gonna stink. It’s a lose-lose situation.”
The engineers' union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, is asking NJ Transit to pay its workers wages that are similar to their LIRR and Metro-North counterparts. The agency argued that it shouldn't have to pay engineers wages that people living and working in New York make.
“I have to go to Hoboken and take the PATH,” NJ Transit commuter from Suffern Tea Katz said. “That adds an extra 40 minutes.”
The agency told commuters to work from home if a strike happened. NJ Transit also promised to increase the capacity of buses, but said it can only handle 20% of the volume.
Metro-North is also cross-honoring some tickets and providing park-and-ride services.
PATH trains are expected to run on their normal schedules, with trains being added as necessary to avoid crowding. Travelers are encouraged to skip trains altogether or expect “temporary crowding conditions.”
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.