NJ Transit offers discounted fares as it cancels some service to and from Penn Station
Via Wikimedia
New Jersey Transit announced Thursday it will offer discount fares for three months as it reduces train service to and from New York Penn Station. In addition to its already diminished service, the agency plans to cancel 18 daily trains on five lines and suspend all train service on a short rail segment in Princeton. There will also be no weekend service on the Gladstone Branch of the Morris & Essex line. All fares will be cut by 10 percent from November through January, Bloomberg reported.
The reduced service comes as NJ Transit installs a safety system known as Positive Train Control, which automatically controls train speeds and movements to risk human error accidents. Installing the system is a federal mandate; NJ Transit has until Dec. 31 to complete the installation. Since beginning in June, NJ Transit has the system about 66 percent finished, according to the Daily News.
“As a daily rail commuter myself, I fully understand the impact this has on people’s lives,” Kevin Corbett, the executive director of NJ Transit, said. “That’s why I thought it was so important to offer the 10% discount to our loyal rail customers.”
The new schedule will take effect Sunday, Oct. 14. Commuters can expect service changes on the Northeast Corridor, Morris & Essex Lines, Coast Line, and Main and Bergen County Lines.
The schedule adjustments are temporary and NJ Transit said regular service will be restored in mid-January of next year. More information on service changes can be found here.
Despite abysmal service across NYC’s subway system, the MTA still plans on hiking fares next year. The fare hike would be the sixth since 2009 when the state legislature approved a financial rescue plan that included increasing fares every other year, 6sqft previously reported.
[Via Bloomberg]
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