NJ Transit To Commuters: You're Screwed If Amtrak Strikes

NJ Transit simply doesn't have the capacity to handle the rush hour commute if Amtrak goes on strike January 30. They've pretty much admitted that their preparations for the strike involve nothing more than wishful thinking and prayers, because they can't do anything if Amtrak goes on strike - shuttering the Northeast Corridor and related facilities.

"A strike of any duration that shuts down the Northeast Corridor will cause severe disruption to our service and inconvenience to tens of thousands of commuters in New Jersey, as more than half of our 740 daily trains rely on the Northeast Corridor for all or part of their trips," Sarles said during the transit agency's monthly board meeting today in Atlantic City.



Amtrak operates the Northeast Corridor, and about 10,000 Amtrak employees from nine separate unions have been working without a contract since the beginning 2000. They have set a strike deadline of Jan 30, 12:01 a.m.

Four NJ Transits lines run on Amtrak tracks: Northeast Corridor, Raritan Valley, North Jersey Coast and Atlantic City.

NJ Transit officials remain optimistic a strike can be avoided. But they urged riders to consider arrangements to carpool or telecommute. They are working on contingency plans of their own, which would include directing Midtown Direct trains through Hoboken and running shuttle buses from rail stops to PATH stations in Newark, Hoboken and Harrison.

Nevertheless, an Amtrak strike would hobble local service, leaving NJ Transit able to handle just 40 percent of riders during peak hours, officials said.