Whose Fault was it Today? NJ Transit or Amtrak

The commute went well this morning until I reached New York Penn Station.  The board stated the 9:06 New Yersey Transit train from NYP to Trenton was delayed.  I checked the e-mail on my cell phone and same the announcement that trains were delayed 20-30 minutes since there was a stalled train in Penn Station.  So what elese is new?  Was it an Amtrak or NJ Transit train?  They didn’t say.  There was single tracking in and out of NYP creating a 30 minute delay.

I still say that maintenance on the trains must improve to minimize delays like this.

 

Hey Amtrak – Get Your Act Together

Another Day Another Delay, so what else is new.  My New Jersey Transit train is approaching Secaucus and comes to a stop.  “We should be moving shortly” says the conductor. (Haven’t I heard this before?)  Abot 15 minutes later they announced that there are power problems due to Amtrak’s overhead wires.  We get these problems in summer, winter, rain and good weather.  I really think these delays are caused by poor maintenance by Amtrak who runs the rails on the North East Corrider line.

A New Jersey Transit Conductor Was Too Kind To Someone Trying to Beat the Fare

The boss let everyone go home a little early today so I boarded a train leaving Newark about 3 PM.  As usual the conductor came around checking tickets.  The young lady sitting next to me takes out her monthly ticket which was marked JUI.  She obviously took her June monthly and tried to convert the N to an L.  She did not know that NJ Transit changed the color of the tickets between June and July.  The conductor caught this and said she had the right to call the police to arrest this person for fare evasion.  She was overly kind to this passenger by just making her pay the $5 fare plus a $5 penalty.  After commuting on NJ Transit for almost 22 years there is always something new.

In the photo obove someone tried to change the R in March to a Y to get a month of free rides.  Since the color of the ticket did not change, it is more likely to get away with this one.  I am sure the conductors are advised of this scam and look out for counterfeit tickets.  In the long run the honest rider pays for money lost by these creeps trying to beat the fare.

New Jersey Transit Should Announce Delays in a Timely Manner

Yesterday I arrived at the Newark Light Rail stop at Penn Station at 7:55.  There were already many people on the platform which seemed unusual for the summer.  I waited and waited and no trains came.  I decided to walk to NJIT which is about a mile away.  It took about 20 minutes, but it was uphill.  At least it gave me my daily exercise.  At 8:32 AM after I arrived at work I received an e-mail stating that due to a stalled train there was delay on the light rail.

Since New Jersey Transit uses a 19th century method of fare collection why can’t someone come down to the platform and verbally announce a delay?  Where are the fare inspectors when you need them?