Update as of March 14, 2016:
NJ Transit officials and the NJ rail unions reached a tentative agreement on their contract dispute and averted a transit strike.
According to the Asbury Park Press, the 4,200 unionized workers on NJ Transit’s railroads won higher wage increases in exchange for paying more toward their health insurance in the tentative new contract agreed to by the parties last week.
The terms of the deal have not been officially released.
In the event of a NJ Transit strike, Metro-North issued the following travel guidelines:
TRAVEL INFORMATION IN THE EVENT OF A NJ TRANSIT WORK STOPPAGE
(Posted March 3, 2016 on MTA.info)
NJ TRANSIT rail union workers may conduct a work stoppage as early as March 13. Should this occur, there will be no passenger train service. Metro-North wants our Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line customers to understand the very limited travel alternatives available to you. Expect roadways to be extremely congested and usual commute times to be significantly longer.
Therefore, we strongly urge you to consider the following travel options:
- Work from home, or stay with friends and family in or near the City to take advantage of subway, bus or Metro-North’s East of Hudson service.
- Discuss telecommuting and/or flex time options with your employer.
- Connect with others willing to carpool by using New York State’s Rideshare tool.
- Use existing bus services: From Rockland the Tappan ZEExpress and Coach USA; from Orange County use the Newburgh Beacon Shuttle.
Bus Service Options
MTA/Metro-North is providing very limited shuttle bus service for Metro-North customers that will operate from the following locations:
- Middletown Station (to Beacon Station on the Hudson Line)
- Harriman Station (to Tarrytown Station on the Hudson Line)
- Palisades Center Park and Ride in West Nyack (to Tarrytown Station on the Hudson Line)
This service would start within 24-48 hours of any declared work stoppage. This weekday, rush-hour, peak direction only shuttle service will be extremely limited. There will be no off-peak, weekend or reverse commute service.
West of Hudson customers using NYS stations should carry their Metro-North ticket (monthly or one-way) for use on the shuttle buses. Plan ahead as ticket vending machines at West-of-Hudson stations will not be operating during the work stoppage. Effective March 10, NJ TRANSIT has suspended the selling of weekly tickets. Customers carrying a March 6 weekly ticket for travel from one of Metro-North’s stations should hold onto their ticket for use on the Metro-North shuttle bus service during the week of March 13.
You should anticipate crowded conditions and long commute times. Click here to view the Shuttle Service Map.
Metro-North will cross-honor West of Hudson Metro-North tickets on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines.
Ferry Service Options
In addition, there is some available parking for Metro-North customers at the two Hudson River ferry services that connect with our Hudson Line train service:
Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry Service
Parking Options
Some parking is also available at Metro-North’s Cortlandt Station on the Hudson Line and North White Plains Station on the Harlem Line.
Be Prepared – Know Before You Go:
Stay connected with us for updates by visiting this website where you can:
- Sign up for free e-mail and text alerts for all MTA services
- Download the free Metro-North Train Time™ app, as well as apps for other MTA services, for real-time updates
- Access the Rideshare tool
- View shuttle bus locator map
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
- Get useful links and travel tips.
- Also monitor your local news outlets for updates.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this time.
Photo credit: nj.com