By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Ray Lee was about to board the Dinky Wednesday afternoon when he summed up the feeling travelers will have if a promised rail workers’ strike happens this Sunday.
“It’s going to be a problem,” said Mr. Lee, who works at Princeton University.
NJ Transit finds itself embroiled in a protracted contract dispute with its 4,300 train workers, such that they are due to go on strike one minute after midnight Sunday. If so, the work stoppage would shut down all rail service in the state — affecting more than 160,000 passengers who use it every day. It would be the first strike at NJ Transit since 1983.
“Nobody wins in a transit work strike, least of all commuters. There’s a fair deal to be had, we just need to get there, but soon,” said state Assemblyman Jack M. Ciattarelli (R-16) on Wednesday.
NJ Transit has proposed a series of contingencies, including using major regional train stations for commuters to get a bus to take them either to New York, PATH stations or a ferry service. The park and ride options are only during peak weekday travel periods, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from 4 to 8 p.m. Also, NJ Transit said it would “enhance” its peak New York bus service.
In Mercer County, Hamilton is that park/ride location — with the adult round trip fare costing $32.50 —t o take riders to Newark Penn Station to connect with the PATH.
For his part, West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said Wednesday that he was “somewhat disappointed” that NJ Transit did not designate the Princeton Junction station as one of the park and ride locations. He said his town has asked the agency for that designation, also noting that the Junction is one of the busiest stations in the country with more than 7,000 passengers using it weekdays.
NJ Transit spokeswoman Nancy Snyder said Wednesday that park/ride locations were selected after an analysis of their parking capacity, their connections to major road networks and other factors to load and unload the greatest number of people.
“This contingency plan was developed to accommodate the largest segment of our rail ridership with existing resources,” she said.
She added that Coach USA, a regional bus service for travel into New York and other long distance destinations, serves the West Windsor-Princeton area.
With a strike only days away, Mayor Liz Lempert said Wednesday that she is “very concerned” about the impact it would have on commuters. Princeton is one of the towns served by the Northeast Corridor rail line that would go dark.
State Assemblywoman Liz Muoio, (D-15,) said Wednesday that a strike would have a “crippling effect” on the state economy. She said a work stoppage had to be averted.
“Clearly, it’s going to have a huge effect. It would be just crippling to the state come next Monday,” she said by phone in calling for more funding for NJ Transit as part of a long-term solution for the agency.
Aside from the contingency steps NJ Transit laid out, commuters in Princeton and other parts of Mercer County have other alternatives for getting into Manhattan during the morning rush hour.
Amtrak trains stop at the Trenton train station, and can get travelers into Penn Station New York in anywhere from 53 to 59 minutes — albeit at a much higher price than taking NJ Transit. One reserved coach seat for the Monday 6:27 a.m. train costs $44 one way.
“We hope for a successful resolution before the deadline but are actively monitoring the situation and taking the necessary steps to minimize any customer impact in the event of a disruption of NJT rail service,” Amtrak said in a statement Wednesday. “We will operate Amtrak’s regularly scheduled Northeast Corridor services and remind passengers that they need to purchase Amtrak tickets to ride Amtrak trains.”
Coach USA’s Suburban Transit is another option, with the bus service stopping in Princeton.
“If a strike occurs, Coach USA will be cross honoring NJ Transit train tickets and will be adding extra capacity to our routes with the anticipation of higher commuter volume,” said Sean Hughes, director of corporate affairs with the company.
But it’s not just commuters who will be impacted.
Maham Ali, a college student who was at the Dinky station on Wednesday, said a strike would throw off her class schedule at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick.
