NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Thousands of commuters from New Jersey were late to work Friday morning because of delays on NJ Transit. It was the second time this week riders experienced major delays, and it comes just two weeks after hours-long delays prompted Gov. Phil Murphy to request a meeting with Amtrak and NJ Transit.
“It’s a vital service that has been cripplingly underfunded,” said rider Eric Blattberd. “I would love to see it run properly.”
Gabi Mansour sat in the delays during her Friday morning commute. “It was pretty easy going in, up until Newark,” said Mansour. “That’s kind of when all the delays started and we were sitting in traffic, waiting in the Penn Station tunnel for about 30 minutes and now I’m late.”
In response to Friday’s issues, Amtrak said crews were performing planned, non-emergency overnight maintenance work that continued into the morning because of an unplanned overage.
Commuters blasted NJ Transit on social media for the delays, which came just weeks before a fare hike. Prices will go up by 15% on July 1 and 3% every year after, in perpetuity.
On Friday morning, a spokesperson for Murphy released an update, writing: “On May 30, senior officials from NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak, and the Governor’s office met, per a request from Governor Murphy, to review recent rail incidents and establish a baseline for short-term, mid-term and long-term actions to minimize such episodes in the future. We look forward to continuing our dialogue to address how we can collectively make improvements to the commuter experience.”
Both Amtrak and NJ Transit told PIX11 News that they continue to work together to address the incidents and mitigate future problems. NJ Transit pays Amtrak approximately $100 million a year to use Amtrak’s rail lines and said it is just as frustrated as its customers.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey said the issue is on his radar. “I’ve gotten so many phone calls into my office about people who have been stuck for hours,” said Gottheimer. “I’ve reached out to Amtrak and New Jersey Transit to bring these issues up because we’re hearing about it from so many families.”
New Jersey Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, who chairs the Assembly’s Transportation Committee, said he is in ongoing talks with Amtrak and NJ Transit and wants to ensure that maintenance work is scheduled at minimally disruptive times.
PIX11 News also reached out for comment from State Sen. Patrick Diegnan, who chairs the New Jersey Senate’s Transportation Committee. PIX11 is waiting to hear back.
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