Potential NJ Transit Strike Beginning March 13th

MOLers - please see below.  As more information or resources become available, I will share.  Please start making plans as soon as possible. 

http://southorange.org/notices.asp?guid=35ae0a7e

South Orange Prepares for Impending NJ Transit Strike

With over 4,000 passengers departing out of the South Orange Train Station every day, (and additional residents departing from Mountain Station) South Orange will be among the most impacted communities if the impending NJ Transit Rail workers strike becomes a reality. At present, the strike is scheduled to start on Sunday, March 13th.

In preparation for a possible strike, South Orange officials have been working to develop contingency plans to assist resident commuters in finding transportation alternatives in and out of New York. Working closely with the South Orange Parking Authority and NJ Transit, the Village has developed preliminary plans as described below. As this is a very fluid situation, these plans are subject to change and will be modified and supplemented as additional information or resources become available.

In the event NJ Transit railway service is suspended due to a strike, the Village has identified three available transportation alternatives for commuters and is currently planning to provide the following support services for each option. (NOTE: If these options are implemented, neighborhood jitney service will not be provided due to the limited number of buses available.)

PATH Train Service: The PATH train service is operated by the Port Authority of NY & NJ and will not be affected by the possible strike. PATH service runs from Newark Penn Station into NYC at the World Trade Center (direct) or to 9th, 14th, 23rd and 33rd Streets (requires a transfer at Journal Square Station in Jersey City). PATH trains leave Newark Penn Station approximately every 5 minutes during the morning commute. More details on PATH service, including maps, schedules and fare information can be found at: http://www.panynj.gov/pat 

Village Support: The Village and the Parking Authority are planning to make jitney trips from SOPAC to Newark on 15 minute intervals from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.. Each Jitney has a capacity of 20 passengers, meaning that the Parking Authority could transport approximately 80 residents per hour, or a total of 400 residents over the 5 hour period. The service will be for South Orange residents only and proof of residency may be required. Present plans are for first come first served boarding and the cost is yet to be determined. Return pick up trips will run to SOPAC on 15 minute intervals from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with details on the pick-up location still being arranged. The Village has been advised that our Jitneys (and other municipal or private busses) will not be permitted to drop off directly at Newark Penn Station. As a result, the Village will have Jitneys drop off at an NJ Transit Light Rail (which will not be affected by the strike) station. From there, commuters can take a short light rail ride to Newark Penn Station and transfer to a PATH train to New York. The specific Light Rail Station to be used for drop offs is still being determined, pending an evaluation of the best route and drop off and pick up locations. As soon as the details are resolved and the location finalized, details will be posted on the Village website.

NJ Transit Bus Service – Transit Bus services will also not be affected by the strike. The currently provided bus service will continue and we are awaiting NJ Transit’s announcement of any increased bus service. Additional bus routes are available from the Irvington Bus Terminal. More details on NJ Transit Bus Services, including maps, schedules and fare information can be found at: http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=BusTo

Village Support: The Village will post and disseminate any increased or additional bus services that will be provided by NJ Transit as soon we become aware of them. If NJ Transit announces any new regional bus departure locations (i.e. Cody Arena in West Orange) the Village will review options to transport residents to that location, which could in turn impact services to Newark Light Rail due to limited jitneys and resources.

Commuter Carpooling – One obvious alternative is to drive your automobile. However, given the anticipated increased traffic in the event of a strike, carpooling would be highly recommended. In an effort to facilitate the connection of residents for carpooling, the Village has created a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/socarpool) to provide a networking opportunity for residents to match schedules and destinations. As noted on the Facebook page, this is being provided solely to facilitate connections and the Village assumes no responsibility for any aspect of any ridesharing arrangements that are made.

Thank you for the post, Sheena.

If the jitneys are running service to Newark, does this mean that there will be no jitney service from the South Orange neighborhoods so that we can catch the bus from the South Orange train station?

arslaj said:

Thank you for the post, Sheena.




If the jitneys are running service to Newark, does this mean that there will be no jitney service from the South Orange neighborhoods so that we can catch the bus from the South Orange train station?

That's correct.  Neighborhood jitney service will not be provided due to the limited number of buses available.  We encourage people to walk/carpool to the station and then jitneys will be going back and forth to Newark.  None of the options right now are ideal unfortunately.  

Thank you Sheena.   

Hi Sheena,
Just a suggestion: you may want to contact NJT Transit and ask to have a bus dispatcher there to control the crowding and the dispatching of buses. I believe the 107 bus leaves from outside South Orange Station to NY Port Authority. After the huge overcrowding from the Sandy Storm, with lines all the way to South Orange Ave., NJT finally placed a bus dispatcher who got the buses rolling and the crowds moving into NYC. 

You could also communicate with NJT that several communities around South Orange depend on our station.

phenixrising said:

Hi Sheena,
Just a suggestion: you may want to contact NJT Transit and ask to have a bus dispatcher there to control the crowding and the dispatching of buses. I believe the 107 bus leaves from outside South Orange Station to NY Port Authority. After the huge overcrowding from the Sandy Storm, with lines all the way to South Orange Ave., NJT finally placed a bus dispatcher who got the buses rolling and the crowds moving into NYC. 

You could also communicate with NJT that several communities around South Orange depend on our station.

You got it.  Passing along your suggestion now.

phenixrising

You could also communicate with NJT that several communities around South Orange depend on our station.

But as I read the initial post, our jitneys will only be available to South Orange residents  .Will  West Oramge and Livingston  jitneys also be meeting at the South Orange station ? it will be a madhouse

For individual planning purposes, commuters might not want to count on NJT buses, either; last I read, there was a possibility that drivers would honor rail picket lines set up at bus terminals.

DaveSchmidt said:

For individual planning purposes, commuters might not want to count on NJT buses, either; last I read, there was a possibility that drivers would honor rail picket lines set up at bus terminals.

That may be for a day or, a possibility of a slow down. I'm sure the bus unions will be warned because they're still under contract and they could face a loss of pay.

librarylady said:

phenixrising

You could also communicate with NJT that several communities around South Orange depend on our station.

But as I read the initial post, our jitneys will only be available to South Orange residents  .Will  West Oramge and Livingston  jitneys also be meeting at the South Orange station ? it will be a madhouse

20 people per jitney even if you're a SO resident, is overwhelming given the amount of residents who depend on the rails. NJT buses are NOT on strike, just the rail workers and since our station is considered a TOD, they could comply and dispatch extra buses to the area. West Orange will probably have private bus companies leaving from the Arena. Livingston's options, would be SO station or WO arena.

If the bus lines are anything like they were after Sandy, when the trains were out of commission, if I can work from home, I will. Those lines were ridiculous.

What's  a TOD? 

librarylady said:

What's  a TOD? 

"A transit-oriented development (TOD) is a mixed-use residential and commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership."

Livingston can use Livingston Mall as a park and ride. The outlying lots are never full, even at Christmastime. In fact, I think they already are designated so.

We received information from NJ Transit yesterday on their contingency plans and it has been posted to our village website.

Please continue to visit:  http://southorange.org/notices.asp?guid=35ae0a7e

If there is a strike, the South Orange Elks have offered to open their building to affected commuters as a temporary work space for those who may not want to work from home.  Depending on demand, we will open our doors by 9 AM.  WiFi is available along with plenty of open space seating.  We did something similar during super storm Sandy and it was very well received by the community. (cross posted on the maplewood transit thread)

Sheena:  Can you provide an update on the jitney service?  Will they be running to the NJ Light Rail?  If so, which one?  There has to be some way to determine before you get on the light rail heading home whether or not you will get a seat otherwise residents will be stranded or have to turn around and start all over unless there is another means of transportation available that the Light Rail stop.

Thanks for all the planning.

We're getting an update up very shortly.  It will be Newark Broad.

Update – March 11, 2016: NJ TRANSIT STRIKE UPDATE SOUTH ORANGE JITNEY SERVICE TO LIGHT RAIL SERVICE

In anticipation of the impending NJ Transit Rail Strike, scheduled to commence at 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 13, the Village is announcing the initial Jitney schedule to assist South Orange residents in accessing NJ PATH trains into New York.  The plan below will begin on Monday, March 14 at 5 a.m.  Because the situation is fluid, all of these details are subject to adjustment based on traffic or locational concerns, ridership numbers or other unforeseen developments.

PATH Train Service:  The PATH train service is operated by the Port Authority of NY & NJ and will not be affected by the possible strike.  PATH service runs from Newark Penn Station into NYC at the World Trade Center (direct) or to 9th, 14th, 23rd and 33rd Streets (requires a transfer at Journal Square Station in Jersey City).  PATH trains leave Newark Penn Station approximately every 5 minutes during the morning commute.  More details on PATH service, including maps, schedules and fare information can be found at: 

http://www.panynj.gov/path

Village Support:  The Village and the Parking Authority will be running our Jitney trips from SOPAC to NJ Transit's Broad Street Station with approximately 15 minute intervals from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.  From the Broad Street Station, resident commuters can take a short light rail ride to Newark Penn Station and transfer to a PATH train to New York.  Each Jitney has a capacity of 20 passengers, meaning that the Parking Authority could transport approximately 80 residents per hour, or a total of 400 residents over the 5-hour period.  The service will be for South Orange residents only and proof of residency will be required.  Jitney seats will be on a first come first serve basis.  For at least the first week of any work stoppage, there will be no fee for jitney rides.  However, if the strike becomes protracted, the Village and SOPA reserve the right to impose a ridership fee, in which case Jitney passes will be honored.  Return pick up trips from Broad Street Station will run to SOPAC on 15 minute intervals from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with pick up just across from the light rail drop off between Broad Street and Washington Street. 

SUMMARY:

- South Orange Jitney Pickups at SOPAC, Monday-Friday, 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., approximately every 15 minutes from SOPAC to Broad Street Station.

- South Orange Jitney Return Pickups, Monday-Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., approximately every 15 minutes from Newark Broad Street Station to SOPAC.

- South Orange Residents Only – Proof of Residency Required at Boarding

- No Jitney Fees or passes required, at least for the first week

NJT strike averted  just announced 

Happy Friday Night Everyone! Officially confirmed from NJ Transit that the strike will not occur. Normal South Orange Jitney schedules will resume on Monday. I'm very grateful for all the parties that were involved in reaching a settlement along with our South Orange team that prepared us for a worst case scenario that could have been devastating to the 4,000 commuters who use our station. Please help pass along to your friends and neighbors and enjoy your weekend!