NJ Transit strike is over — but commuters still feeling the pain: 'Pandemonium!'
Share this @internewscast.com

Passengers of NJ Transit are feeling relieved as the rail service has tentatively settled an engineers’ strike, promising an end to the disruption. However, they must endure one last difficult day before trains are operational again.

By Monday afternoon, ahead of the typical rush hour, long queues had formed on the third floor of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. Commuters hurried to board shuttles heading to park-and-ride locations across the Hudson River.

“On Friday, I informed my boss that I’d be leaving early as long as this situation persisted. Just look at this line! It’s not even 2:30 p.m. yet, and there are a hundred people already waiting,” said Bob P., 26, while standing in line for a shuttle bus to the Old Bridge park-and-ride, as he recounted to The Post.

“Do you have any idea what this is going to look like at 5 or 6 at night? Pandemonium!”

Youth worker Terry Jones, 47, got into a shouting match with a transit worker during the evening rush hour after he thought the staffer was too aggressive corralling commuters.

“I just want you to put me on my bus,” Jones yelled at the worker before getting on an escalator. “Stop talking to me. Leave! Like get a supervisor, Jesus Christ.”

Jones’ trip into the city from Carteret would usually take 45 minutes, but it was double that time Monday morning and made him late for work.

“If it’s a one out of 10 —10. Pissed off. Ten, yeah, a 10. I’m pissed off,” he seethed. “This is ridiculous … That makes me feel horrible, especially in stuff with these trying times and stuff with jobs that are laying people off.”

When Ankit Kumar, 21, arrived at the Port Authority Monday evening, he quickly reversed course and went back to his office for two more hours until the throngs of commuters shrank.   

“It’s extremely annoying because you’re supposed to get home after 6 [p.m.], I get home around 7 [p.m.], but it’s going to be 9 or 10 [p.m.] and I have to get up at 6 [a.m.] again tomorrow,” the paralegal said. “I’m obviously annoyed and irritated.”

Kumar, who typically has a three-hour commute, said he was already considering moving to the Big Apple – but now the short-lived strike has made that a stronger possibility.

Technician Ansel Walters, 49, stood in a long line after he initially thought his days on a shuttle bus were over when he heard a deal was reached. His typical commute is a mere 35 minutes, but now it’s two-and-a-half hours.

“Actually, while I was on the buses, a few people got frustrated and got off because it was just taking too long,” Walters said.

Property manager Sharon Adamo, 64, was ready to return to a more comfortable ride the rest of the week.

“People standing on the bus, I think it’s outrageous, it’s uncomfortable, it is dangerous,” said Adamo, whose round-trip commute to and from Rahway has been extended by about an hour

The Garden State-owned public transit provider made a deal to bump pay for engineers, who have not had a raise since 2019. The agreement was reached after two days of tense negotiations, culminating with a work stoppage that saw 450 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union members walk off the job Friday after midnight.

The work stoppage — the first for the rail system since 1983 — led to a stressful commute for tens of thousands of New Jersey residents.

“I am delighted to report that NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have reached a tentative agreement and as a result, New Jersey’s first rail strike in decades has officially come to an end,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at a press conference Sunday night.

Union leadership initially said the commuting nightmare was over and its workers “will return to work and trains will begin running on their regular schedules Monday,” according to Politico, but NJ Transit, Murphy and a union rep later amended the scheduling, saying trains won’t start running until 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

The transit agency released a schedule of the first trains expected to run predawn Tuesday with the earliest trains set to run around 4 a.m.

“Friday sucked! The first bus at 5:05 a.m. didn’t even show up in the morning, and then this morning this bus was late,” Tom Krebs, 61, a Manhattan doorman who lives in Riverside said.

“I mean, on the bright side, they opened up the bus lane early this morning, like around 5:30 a.m., so we got here with no problem. But man, I am glad they settled it! I’ve been a doorman for 42 years, and this is not what I needed just before retirement.”

Jeanne Lotte, 31, an executive assistant jumping on a bus to Secaucus, was also thrilled to see the strike reach its conclusion.

“I’m sneaking out of work early so don’t tell my boss. It was a nightmare getting into that parking lot this morning. Thank God this is not going to go on for days and days,” she said.

“This morning was pretty frantic. The looks on people’s faces was enough to scare the hell out of you.”

Additional reporting by David Propper.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Texas flooding, and politics around it, underscore the challenges Trump faces in replacing FEMA

Texas Flooding Highlights Challenges Trump Faces in FEMA Replacement Efforts

Just a few weeks prior, President Donald Trump expressed a desire to…
Trump hosts West African leaders from Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissa amid sweeping US aid cuts

Trump Welcomes West African Leaders Amid Broad US Aid Reductions

U.S. President Donald Trump is welcoming five West African leaders to the…
Beloved family of four killed in tragic plane crash while returning home from beach vacation

Family of Four Tragically Lost in Plane Crash Returning from Beach Vacation

A beloved family of four were tragically killed when their plane went…
X CEO Linda Yaccarino resigns after 2 years at the helm of Elon Musk's social media platform

Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO After Two Years Leading Elon Musk’s Social Media Platform

NEW YORK — X CEO Linda Yaccarino said she’s stepping down after…
Trump defends Bondi amid Epstein document controversy

Trump Supports Bondi During Epstein Document Scandal

Following an extensive review of the evidence in its possession, the Justice…
Expert warns Idaho murderer's plea deal strategy is a dangerous calculated 'long game'

Idaho murderer’s plea deal tactic is a risky calculated ‘long game,’ expert cautions

<!–> Dr. Kris Mohandie on Kohberger plea deal After Idaho student murders…
Lawyer Maxime Tessier in court.

Attorney for Notorious Pedophile Who Abused Hundreds Found Dead Weeks Post-Trial

THE lawyer for a French surgeon dubbed one of country’s worst sex…
Jacksonville drug bust seizes fentanyl for 600,000 doses

Jacksonville Authorities Confiscate Enough Fentanyl for 600,000 Dosages

Jacksonville authorities dismantled a drug house near Downtown, seizing enough fentanyl to…
Smoke from a massive wildfire obscuring a city.

Marseille on High Alert: Wildfires Close Airport Again and Over 100 Injured During Looting

FIREFIGHTERS continue to battle with the wildfire in Marseille with over 100…
Georgia teen Sarah Grace Patrick accused of killing mom, stepdad — as younger sister discovered bodies in their bed

Georgia Teen Sarah Grace Patrick Allegedly Murders Mother and Stepfather; Younger Sister Finds Them in Bed

A 17-year-old is accused of shooting her church-going mother and stepfather in…
Woman in floral dress sitting on a pink couch.

Younger Girlfriend Who Identified Body of Putin’s Minister May Be Barred from Funeral Amid ‘Suicide’ Controversy

THE girlfriend of Vladimir Putin’s transport official who was found dead ahead…
Massachusetts great white shark encounter with paddleboarders Margaret Bowles and Maddie Cronin in Cape Cod

Great White Shark Sighting in Cape Cod Involving Paddleboarders Margaret Bowles and Maddie Cronin

A Jaws-some experience. A great white shark startled two Massachusetts paddleboarders as…