NJ Transit faces increasing delays ahead of proposed 15% fare hike
NEW YORK - NJ Transit riders experienced major delays and cancelations nearly every day this week, less than a month before the 15% proposed rate hike is expected to go into effect.
Most recently, New Jersey Transit suspended service during the Friday morning commute due to Amtrak overhead wire issues in the station.
Skip to: Delays this week | Rate proposal | Rate hike cost | Cause for delays
NJ Transit delays on the record
From Monday through Friday, NJ Transit had delays of at least 45 minutes during the morning rush hour commute (based on their notifications via X).
NJ Transit canceled service in and out of NY Penn Station every single weekday, excluding Wednesday,
Some days, rail services saw delays of up to 90 minutes.
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What's causing NJ Transit delays?
All the delays this week seemed to be caused by either a disabled train or an overhead wire issue.
It is unclear at this time if the overhead wire issues are in fact due to the high temperatures NYC saw this week.
The fire, which was put out by 5 p.m., had slowed traffic and New Jersey Transit reported that it had impacted Amtrak overhead wire repairs.
On Thursday, service was canceled due to a power failure that Amtrak attributed to a malfunctioning circuit breaker somewhere along the tunnels. Officials said that a nearby brush fire had also contributed to the power issues.
This left passengers stranded for hours.
One user on X wrote "Amtrak says the problem was due to a ‘disabled commuter train.’ I'd ask who is lying, but it's pretty clear the answer is ALL OF YOU."
NJ Transit rate hike
NJ Transit plans to raise train and bus ticket fares by 15%, set to start July 1, according to a proposal that was approved in April.
Fares will be raised by 3% each year after that.
The proposal calls for $96 million in cuts to help close a more than $100 million budget deficit.
In addition to inflation, they say it has had to factor in contractual wage increases and more expensive health care.
If the proposal passes, the system-wide fare increase would go into effect July 1, 2024. No fare would increase more than 15%, the agency said.
Why is there a fare hike?
According to NJ Transit, ridership continues to lag pre-pandemic levels, saying the agency is entering the 5th year of ridership that will be below pre-COVID levels.
NJ Transit has been dealing with a massive drop in ridership since the beginning of the pandemic, also exhausting billions of dollars in federal aid.
Ridership has returned to about 80% of pre-pandemic levels, but officials said that's simply not enough to balance the budget.
How much will it cost?
The rates of the fare increases depend on the type of ticket.
Here's how much it would cost NJ commuters once the hike goes into effect:
Bus (one zone local): $1.80
Bus (Jersey City to Port Authority): $4
Bus (Toms River to Port Authority): $24.40
Access Link base fare: $1.65
Newark Light Rail: $1.80
River Line: $1.80
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail: $2.55
Rail (Philadelphia to Pennsauken): $4.85
Rail (Princeton Junction to NY Penn): $18.40
The measure that was approved will also get rid of the FlexPass discount and limit the life of digital and paper tickets to 30 days from purchase.