Okay this experience was just ridiculous.
I took the 6:19pm train from Somerville today, intending to arrive at New York Penn Station around 7:45.
Just east of Bound Brook, the train stops, and sits, for 15 minutes. The conductor comes by and evacuates the first car because of a smoke condition in/near the engineer's seat, and the headlights are not working. The train could be pulled west, but could not safely go east because of the smoke, or so said the conductor.
I understand, sometimes things go wrong.
The problem train backs up to Bound Brook, and the conductor announces on this cold night that we can wait on the warm train until just before the next eastbound arrives. But this plan overlooks one problem: the stalled train was switched back onto the westbound track at the Bound Brook interlocking, and the next eastbound trainset is the westbound one that the stalled train is now blocking on the westbound track! You could see the "next train" blocked, sitting there for half an hour, waiting for the stalled train to move. Moreover, the westbound train was still east of the interlocking, and could have crossed over to pass the stalled train!
Everyone got off the stalled train intending to wait 5 minutes for the next eastbound train, as NJ Transit finally moved the problem train off to Raritan. The westbound train was able to travel to Raritan, and then come back to pick us up. By that time the entire crowd was waiting in the cold for about 30 minutes. All together, the Eastbound trip was delayed 90 minutes, and since connections were missed in Newark, I was delayed 2 hours.
It should have been a one hour delay if NJ Transit dispatchers on duty were competent and paying attention. A kid with a trainset could route trains better.
On a positive note, everyone was courteous. One college gal was going to miss her Amtrak connection to Boston.
On a further note, all the escalators to tracks at Newark and New York were either off or going the wrong way.
I took the 6:19pm train from Somerville today, intending to arrive at New York Penn Station around 7:45.
Just east of Bound Brook, the train stops, and sits, for 15 minutes. The conductor comes by and evacuates the first car because of a smoke condition in/near the engineer's seat, and the headlights are not working. The train could be pulled west, but could not safely go east because of the smoke, or so said the conductor.
I understand, sometimes things go wrong.
The problem train backs up to Bound Brook, and the conductor announces on this cold night that we can wait on the warm train until just before the next eastbound arrives. But this plan overlooks one problem: the stalled train was switched back onto the westbound track at the Bound Brook interlocking, and the next eastbound trainset is the westbound one that the stalled train is now blocking on the westbound track! You could see the "next train" blocked, sitting there for half an hour, waiting for the stalled train to move. Moreover, the westbound train was still east of the interlocking, and could have crossed over to pass the stalled train!
Everyone got off the stalled train intending to wait 5 minutes for the next eastbound train, as NJ Transit finally moved the problem train off to Raritan. The westbound train was able to travel to Raritan, and then come back to pick us up. By that time the entire crowd was waiting in the cold for about 30 minutes. All together, the Eastbound trip was delayed 90 minutes, and since connections were missed in Newark, I was delayed 2 hours.
It should have been a one hour delay if NJ Transit dispatchers on duty were competent and paying attention. A kid with a trainset could route trains better.
On a positive note, everyone was courteous. One college gal was going to miss her Amtrak connection to Boston.
On a further note, all the escalators to tracks at Newark and New York were either off or going the wrong way.
