NJ Transit delays: Mayor writes letters excusing commuters for tardiness
NEW JERSEY - From late trains to canceled trains to trains without air conditioning, NJ Transit riders have been battling a summer of massive delays and canceled trips for months--especially during rush hour.
The delays have become so extensive that one New Jersey mayor is giving out letters to bosses asking them to excuse residents for being late to work due to transit issues.
South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum says she's asking employers for their compassion towards commuters who rely on trains to get to work.
Collum says she asks employers things like: "Could you allow your employee to come in a little bit later or leave a little earlier to avoid rush hour?"
In some cases, Mayor Collum says she'll ask employers to allow their employees to work from home if possible.
Commuters wait for an Amtrak train Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station in New York. New Jersey Transit and Amtrak train service is facing major delays in and out of New Yorks Pennsylvania Station on Tuesday after overhead wire issues and a disabled t
She says it's important to let employers "know [that their] employees may be late at no fault of their own."
Erin Scherzer, a daily commuter, says she's been late to work this summer more than any other time in her entire life.
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"I think we're in the 9th circle of hell, right?" she says.
Scherzer, who is an executive director at a law firm in New York City, says her commute from Maplewood, New Jersey, has been plagued with problems.
"Sometimes you just want to get to work," she says.
Commuters at the New Jersey Transit train platform at Penn Station in New York, US, on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. New Jersey TransitandAmtraktrain service is facing major delays in and out of New Yorks Pennsylvania Station on Tuesday after overhead wire
This summer, commuters have been left stranded and seen back-to-back days of cancelations by NJ Transit and Amtrak.
In July, NJ Transit warned riders to be prepared for the possibility of even more heat-related delays and cancelations.
"It's [even] been torturous to be able to get home in time," Erin says. "No one's holding them to the fire to get these changes done."
FOX 5 NY reached out to NJ Transit for comment about the late notices but haven't heard back yet.