Storm: Update On NJ Transit Services; Some Restored

The Christie Administration announced today that the NJ River Line light rail service will resume service starting at 3 p.m. today, making trips every 30 minutes between the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden and Trenton Transit Center. The restoration of this light rail service continues the Christie Administration’s ongoing storm assessment and restoration efforts related to NJ TRANSIT.

Due to significant damage across the State’s public transportation network, NJ TRANSIT rail and Access Link service will remain suspended until further notice. Newark Light Rail and Hudson Bergen Light Rail service also remain suspended until further notice. While bus service within the Camden area resumed service today, all other NJ TRANSIT bus service continues to remain suspended until further notice. 

Here is a rundown on various transit services:

Bus Service:

• Power outages in local communities have resulted in the loss of traffic control devices critical to safe operation.  Downed tree limbs and power lines continue to make many roads impassable.  Personnel are in the field reviewing and assessing these conditions.  Service will be restored as it becomes safe to do so.
• As a result, bus service will remain suspended until further notice, with the exception of service in Camden County on the following routes:

• Full Service:  Nos. 400, 401, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 410,412, 413, 414, 418, 419 (with detour at Rancocas Creek), 450, 451, 452, 453, 455 (with detour between National Park and Paulsboro), 457, 459 and 463
• Partial Service:  Nos. 402 and 409

Rail Service:

• There is no estimated time for the resumption of service.  Service will remain suspended until further notice.
• Crews continue to inspect the rail infrastructure to get a full assessment of damage:
• NJ TRANSIT’s Rail Operations Center—the central nervous system of the railroad—was engulfed in water, which damaged backup power supply systems, the emergency generator, and the computer system that controls the movement of trains and power supply.
• Local power outages have prevented NJ TRANSIT rail operations from being able to further test crossing gates and operating signals.
• Hundreds of downed trees have fallen across the rail system, which have caused damage to overhead wires and signal wires.
• There are rail washouts across the system, including on the North Jersey Coast Line, Atlantic City Rail Line as well as at Kearny Junction, the critical link which enables MidTOWN Direct service to access the Northeast Corridor.
• Several rail stations have sustained flood damage, including Hoboken Terminal.
• Morgan Drawbridge on the North Jersey Coast Line in South Amboy sustained damage from boats and a trailer that collided into the bridge.

Light Rail Service:

• River Line service will resume service starting at 3 p.m. today, operating every 30 minutes between Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden and Trenton Transit Center.  Service remains suspended between Walter Rand Transportation Center and the Entertainment Center due to an ongoing power outage in downtown Camden.
• Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Newark Light Rail service will remain suspended until further notice.  There is currently no estimated time for resumption of service.  
• Crews continue to inspect the light rail infrastructure to get a full assessment of damage.

• Newark Light Rail sustained flooding in Newark Penn Station, as well as major debris damage between Newark Penn and Branch Brook Park stations.
• Hudson-Bergen Light Rail experienced track washouts at Port Imperial and West Side Avenue stations, as well as trees in the overhead wire in Weehawken and flooding in Hoboken.

Access Link:

• Access Link Paratransit Service will remain suspended until further notice.  There is currently no estimated time for resumption of service.

Service Updates:

For the latest travel information, customers should listen to broadcast traffic reports, visit or access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJ_TRANSIT. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your cell phone, PDA or pager. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.