NJ Transit ‘Trespasser Strike’; Long Delays For Morris/Essex

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — NJ Transit service on the Morris & Essex line was subject to delays of more than an hour in both directions due to a “trespasser strike” near Brick Church on Tuesday evening, officials said.

NJ Transit and privately operated buses are accepting NJ Transit rail tickets and passes, the agency stated on Twitter.

According to NJ Transit social media posts, the incident affected trains from several stations, including New York Penn Station, Newark Broad Street, Summit, Maplewood, Millburn, South Orange and Orange.

“Congestion” from the incident also affected at least one train on the Montclair-Boonton line, causing a 20-minute delay to #6279, the 6:55 p.m. from Upper Montclair, NJ Transit stated.

When the delays grew to 75-minutes later that evening, so did the criticism from stranded riders:

  • “This is a horrible incident but the communication on your part is atrocious and unacceptable. My train—the 5:39 from Penn—just announced they are trying to get a dispatcher on the phone but no one will call them back.”
  • “At least bring the stuck trains to the closest stations so people can get on with their lives and make alternate arrangements!”
  • “People on the trains would have no idea, save for Twitter.”
  • “I’m normally one of the first ones to complain but I will have to admit that conductor on the 6:01 train out of Hoboken has been great and keeping us updated as much as he can.”
  • “Any chance you can provide an update so my pregnant wife can make arrangements with me to get picked up? She’s been on there for 3 hours almost.”
  • “Conductor on 6675 just told everyone to ‘Google it’ if we want an update. He is about to have a riot on his hands!”

The estimated delays kept growing, hitting 90-minutes in both directions late Tuesday evening, NJ Transit reported.

“These updated tweets simply extending the time frame don’t help,” one frustrated rider wrote. “They simply prove how ignorant and out of touch NJ Transit is. Try replying to some of the tweets and legit grievances from your customers instead of tweeting fake and unreliable info robotically.”

NJ Transit told NBC New York that trains started to roll again by 8:30 p.m.

The agency said there is no standard amount of time that it takes to respond when a person is hit by a train, NBC New York reported. The response can depend on several factors, such as when the medical examiner shows up, how long police need to investigate and other sensitive factors.

Send news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

File Photo: Eric Kiefer

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