Morris & Essex Catenary Issues (December 2023)

Several days according to: NJ.com

Part of NJ Transit M&E line will remain suspended for several days as repairs continue

NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex service will remain suspended through the evening rush hour due to overhead wire problems between Chatham and Mount Tabor, but officials said they’re working on a plan while repairs are being made.

The problem affected service on Monday morning and will “continue to impact service tomorrow, and likely for the next couple of days beyond that,” said Kyalo Mulumba, an NJ Transit spokesperson. “A rail service plan is being worked on to restore as much service as possible tomorrow while repairs continue.”

That plan will be detailed to commuters on NJ Transit’s website, social media and email alerts and via the mobile app when it is available. For Monday evening, and until repairs are completed, NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being cross honored by NJ Transit bus and private carriers, Newark Light Rail and PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street New York, he said.

Photos on social media show steel structures that support at least one of the overhead electric lines that power trains were struck and knocked down by apparatus from a work train in the Powder Mill section of Parsippany.
...

Cross honoring with other agencies is no longer in effect and NJT has now implemented multiple schedule changes to both the M&E and Boonton lines to accommodate construction work. No completion date has been given at this time.

Full details: https://www.njtransit.com/service-advisory/1690029

Also no service west of Morristown this weekend: https://www.njtransit.com/service-advisory/1691616

Why are some saying that a piece of machinery knocked down a CAT pole?
Andy

It was the undercutter. It derailed and wiped out a few catenary structures.

First bidirectional service on the Boonton Line all day since the EL era. I guess the Lincoln Park passing siding is being used.

Regular M&E weekday service has resumed as of today.