NJ Transit to cut service for five weeks as final Portal Bridge cutover begins
The project in 2024. Photos courtesy of Amtrak
New Jersey Transit riders will face five weeks of service disruptions starting this weekend as work begins on the final component of the Portal Bridge cutover project. From October 11 through November 14, all weekday Midtown Direct service will terminate in Hoboken as crews begin work. This will be the final service disruption caused by the project, which is switching rail operations from the 116-year-old bridge to the new $1.5 billion Portal North Bridge. Once the cutover is complete, trains will be able to travel across the new bridge at speeds of up to 90 mph.
An integral part of the Gateway Project, the new bridge is taller and does not need to open for river traffic. The old bridge had to open and close dozens of times a year and would frequently get stuck, requiring workers to hammer its pieces back into place, as 6sqft previously reported.
The old bridge has also been the site of several fires, and even when traffic is moving smoothly, its outdated design requires trains to slow down, according to the New York Times.
Service over the bridge, which is owned by Amtrak and used by both the federally owned company and NJ Transit, was last disrupted from February through March this year. NJ Transit was forced to cut service by 50 percent for four weeks as crews transferred rail operations from one track on the old bridge to the new bridge, leaving only one track available for trains.
During that time, passengers had to use a variety of alternative routes and cross-honored services, including shuttles to Hoboken and the NYC Ferry. Customers will have access to the same options this time around, with NJ Transit saying on its website that it will cross-honor PATH, bus, and ferry service and provide enhanced morning and evening ferry service.
Key elements of the final cutover work include deactivating legacy infrastructure tied to the old bridge, reconfiguring and activating new track alignments, integrating new signaling, power, and communication systems, and testing and commissioning interlockings and safety systems.
The routes most affected include the Morris and Essex, Gladstone, and Montclair-Boonton lines, which will be diverted to Hoboken on weekdays.
On weekends during the project, Midtown Direct trains on the Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch, and Montclair-Boonton Line will operate directly to and from New York Penn Station.
Customers who can work from home are encouraged to do so. Those who need to travel are advised to do so before 7 a.m. or after 9 a.m. on weekday mornings, or before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. in the evening.
Riders should also check schedules before leaving and allow extra travel time, while expecting limited capacity and crowding on trains diverted to Hoboken during peak hours.
After the work is completed, the old bridge will be decommissioned and demolished early next year, NJ Transit Chief Executive Kris Kolluri told the Times. Kolluri said the agency wants “to make sure” the work is finished “well before Thanksgiving,” ahead of the holiday travel rush.
Work on the first phase, which took about a month, was completed on time. However, the final phase requires “significantly more complicated” work, Kolluri said.
Find out more about service changes during the cutover project here.
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