Chances Summer Service is cut again on the NJCL this summer?

[Yankees1]

Does anyone know if we will have to endure another summer without the 7300 series North Jersey Coast trains? These trains cut a good 45 minutes off of travel time, and are SRO on most summer weekends. Is there any chance that PTC installation and manpower shortage will be somewhat rectified by late June?

[fset]

I returned to NYC in late August 2018 and saw that there was no express to AP/OG (last year). I will return again this year, and I guess there will be no express in 2019.
This year, I will still travel from NYP to AP, but my return will be mid-week from AP to EWR. I will fly return from Newark Liberty. Is there anything I should know? I believe that my NJT ticket is good for Newark AirTrain -- how do I use AirTrain?

[Backshophoss]

Believe it will depend on the crews and ACSES installations,ie IF the crew shortage has eased a bit,and onboard ACSES installs have freed up
more equipment in service.

[andrewjw]

I returned to NYC in late August 2018 and saw that there was no express to AP/OG (last year). I will return again this year, and I guess there will be no express in 2019.
This year, I will still travel from NYP to AP, but my return will be mid-week from AP to EWR. I will fly return from Newark Liberty. Is there anything I should know? I believe that my NJT ticket is good for Newark AirTrain -- how do I use AirTrain?

You get on the AirTrain in the terminal. it takes you to the NJT station. You scan the QR code on the ticket at a turnstyle to access the NJT platforms.

[Yankees1]

I saw that they were able to run some express trains on the NJCL this past Saturday for the parade in Manhattan- that could be a good sign for this summer

[GSC]

NJT ran some special trains between Long Branch and Bay Head for the Belmar St. Patrick's Day parade. Shows them responding to a need they used to ignore. A good sign?

[Yankees1]

Agreed, hopefully they realize how important it is to run those summer trains. A local train from NYP to Bay Head with the Long Branch switch is torture

[jamesinclair]

This might be your answer

NJ Transit riders may encounter another summer of train delays and cancellations.

The eight locomotive engineers who will graduate from training in May will not be enough to fix the shortage that’s plagued the agency for the past couple of years, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday after a tour of NJ Transit's Emergency Operations Center in Maplewood.

A certain number of NJ Transit engineers will be pulled off their regular runs to test positive train control, he said. As in past summers, more engineers will take time off, further straining the available pool.

...

NJ Transit has been operating a reduced train schedule since last June, and the persistence of the engineer shortage makes it less likely the agency will be able to restore its full timetable this summer.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/ ... 213610002/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[njtmnrrbuff]

After reading the article posted by jamesinclair, I think we can say that there is a slim chance that the weekend shore expresses will run this summer. For some reason, I wasn't too surprised that the staff shortage crisis would continue longer than we thought. During the summertime; yes, more engineers, and in fact, rail crew members in general, take off.

[Yankees1]

Still no word on the summer schedules... They usually have the upcoming schedules posted in early May. Maybe they're waiting to make sure this engineer class graduates and everyone is certified for the line they will be operating? Anyway, no news is good news.. If they knew they wouldn't be able to run additional service this summer, they already would have come out and posted the schedules.

[njtmnrrbuff]

I probably wouldn’t count on those 7300 series trains being restored this summer. I actually put in a random weekend date for the end of June and all I saw were the locals and almost hourly headway’s.

[Yankees1]

We will see. The one reason I'm hopeful is that they were able to run a few trains with express service on the NJCL (Newark-Matawan no stops) for the St Patrick's Day Parade in the city. If they can do that on a random Saturday in March, they should be able to have at least some sort of express service during the peak season, right?

[jamesinclair]

Nothing for the Belmar Seafood Fest, which they saw draws 100,000

[daybeers]

...Anyway, no news is good news..

You do know we're talking about NJ Transit here, right?

[Yankees1]

https://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/upcoming/R0080.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You guys were right- Here it is, limited added shuttle service, no express trains. Maybe next summer...