Commuters are battling travel chaos this morning after New Jersey’s first statewide transit strike in more 40 years began.

Roughly 450 unionized locomotive engineers walked off the job at midnight, shutting down the New Jersey Transit’s rail network.

Picket lines are currently underway at Penn Station in New York City, the Atlantic City Rail Terminal and NJ Transit headquarters in Newark. 

The strike has left roughly 350,000 riders without transport today, impacting their ability to get from the Garden State and into New York City.

Hoboken, a popular commuter city in NJ, advised residents overnight to expect ‘significant disruption to regional transportation’ on Friday.

All NJ Transit rail operations will be halted at that time due to unsuccessful contract discussions between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), according to city officials in a statement.

NJ Transit has encouraged commuters to work from home today and limit travel on the railway system to ‘essential purposes only’.

Union members from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen organized a picket line outside NJ Transit Headquarters in Newark early on Friday morning.

Approximately 450 locomotive engineers belonging to the union started their strike at midnight, leading to a shutdown of New Jersey Transit’s rail system. Shown are union members at the picket line in Newark.

Picket lines are currently underway at Penn Station in New York City, the Atlantic City Rail Terminal and NJ Transit headquarters (pictured) in Newark

The strike began at midnight Friday after union and transit leadership failed to reach an agreement following 15 hours of nonstop contract discussions.

The dispute is largely over wages with union members, who claim to earn on average $113,000 annually, saying an agreement could be reached if their salaries were increased to $170,000.

NJ transit leadership disputes the BLET’s data, alleging most engineers earn $135,000 annually.

The last NJ Transit strike, which took place in 1983, lasted for about one month. It is unclear how long this picket will continue, but it is expected to continue throughout the weekend. 

Officials told WNBC contract talks will continue over the weekend. If an agreement is reached before Monday, officials expect trains to run again next week. 

PATH trains are running on their normal schedules today and additional trains are being added to help avoid crowding, officials say.

But riders are warned to expect ‘temporary crowding conditions’ on the PATH and are encouraged to avoid travelling on trains altogether if possible. 

The MTA Metro-North Railroad is cross-honoring some tickets and is providing park-and-ride services. 

NJ Transit is also cross-honoring rail tickets for buses and light rails during the strike and has provided a supplemental bus service in attempt to ease the disruption. 

However, agency officials warn this option only has capacity to serve 20 per cent of would-be rail commuters. 

NJ Transit train terminals were quiet for Friday’s rush hour as estimated 350,000 daily commuters in New Jersey and New York City were forces to seek other means to reach their destinations.

Groups of picketers gathered in front of transit headquarters in Newark and at the Hoboken Terminal, carrying signs that said ‘Locomotive Engineers on Strike’ and ‘NJ Transit: Millions for Penthouse Views Nothing for Train Crews.’

Friday’s rail commute into New York from New Jersey is typically the lightest of the week.

In New York, some commuters from New Jersey said they could not work remotely and had to come in, taking busses to the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan.

David Milosevich, a fashion and advertising casting director, was on his way to a photo shoot in Brooklyn. At 1am he checked his phone and saw the strike was on.

‘I left home very early because of it,’ he said, grabbing the bus in Montclair, New Jersey, and arriving in Manhattan at 7am. ‘I think a lot of people don’t come in on Fridays since COVID. I don’t know what´s going to happen Monday.’

A few blocks from the Port Authority bus terminal, the NJ Transit train terminal was quiet, with an NJ transit worker in an orange hoody on hand to warn riders it was closed, Signs read: ‘service suspended.’

The South Amboy train station, an express stop on the NJ Transit rail line, was vacant. But the Waterway ferry that began service only 18 months ago from a waterside launching point that´s a 10-minute walk from the train station was busier than usual for its 6:40 a.m., 55-minute nonstop trip to Manhattan.

The ferry runs once an hour during the morning and evening commutes. With about three dozen people aboard, more than half the seats in the ferry´s lower deck were empty.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said it was important to ‘reach a final deal that is both fair to employees and at the same time affordable to New Jersey’s commuters and taxpayers.’

‘Again, we cannot ignore the agency’s fiscal realities,’ Murphy said.

Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla, whose city is heavily impacted by Friday’s disruptions, has criticized the ‘frustrating’ industrial action. 

‘This is a deeply frustrating moment for Hoboken and the region. NJ Transit and BLET had months to reach an agreement and prevent this disruption, which now impacts hundreds of thousands of commuters and residents,’ he posted on X late Thursday. 

‘I ask residents to please avoid driving if possible, as we expect heavy congestion starting tomorrow, and to leave extra time to commute into NYC via the PATH, bus and ferry given the anticipated influx of commuters.’ 

Murphy and NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri have planned a Friday morning news conference. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.