It seems that the recently revised NJ Transit train schedules are causing travel trauma to some Baristaville commuters. A rider tells us that she and fellow passengers have been kvetching about about how the 3:37 pm train from Hoboken to Montclair isn’t making its usual uptown stops.

“The new train schedule, has for some reason left the Upper Montclarians “SOL”. The schedule no longer drops off at Upper Montclair or Mountain Ave if you take the 3:37 train home from Hoboken (pssst: this is when the kids go home from the private schools…. All the moms pick their kids up at the Upper Monclair station) Now, students and residents alike must either make a 3:07 train and change at Broad Street Newark (where there is no outside shelter), walk home from Watchung ave–or Normal Ave–or wait until the 4:42 train. I don’t think parents will be too happy about this.”

NJ Transit PR rep Penny Bassett-Hackett tells us that every six months, schedules are revised in relation to demand. She says transit chiefs eliminated the two Upper Montclair stops on the 3:37 train because there just aren’t enough passengers at that hour. (They counted 29…) But what Upper Montclair riders lost, Glen Ridge and Walnut Street commuters have gained – the 3:37 now makes those stops. .”And there are still options for those getting off at Watchung Plaza,” Bassett-Hackett said, “like taking #28 bus uptown, taking a later train, and of course, passengers could walk!”
The schedule changes do not sit well with Jack May, either. May’s letter to the editor of The Montclair Times claims the reduced train service is putting a damper on his nightlife.

Up until last week ther was a train that left Walnut Street at 11:21 pm which allowed us to entertain visitors from New York…Now the last train leaves at 10:28 pm

May also points out that a two hour gap at the critical dinner hour makes it impossible to train into Manhattan for dinner and a show. It’s an issue he wants our town officials to address.

I suspect that the Township Council isn’t aware of this as it has nothing to do with raising taxes or wasting money to put up stupid signs, but it should protest this on behalf of the residents it is supposed to serve.

But maybe, NJ Transit is really just doing us all a favor, and helping us to chill. Results of a NJ Transit study on commuting revealed that the longer you’re on the train, the more stressed out you’ll become. So much for the myth of the relaxing train ride…

18 replies on “Dude, Where’s My Train?”

  1. This is just awful. Those poor private school kids and their moms. Not to mention the entertainer-of-cityfolks-who-come-to-montclair-by-train-and-wanna-stay-past-11.

  2. There are actually people with jobs that are affected by this change—people who worked at the NYMEX, for example. Their market closes at 2:30—and although the walk from Watchung to Bellevue is not so bad now, I wouldn’t want to have to do it in 25 degree weather.

  5. Walk? People are going to have to walk ALL THAT WAY from Watchung to Upper Montclair?! That must be, what, 5, 6, maybe even 8 blocks! How will they ever survive??

  6. Walk? People are going to have to walk ALL THAT WAY from Watchung to Upper Montclair?! That must be, what, 5, 6, maybe even 8 blocks! How will they ever survive??

  7. Ok…snide comments and nastiness aside; there are those who also take the train–people who work and have parking permits in those two excluded parking lots (Upper Mtc and Mountain Ave). Those people are paying quite a high price for the privilage to park within close proximaty to their trains…
    They may adjust the trains every six months–but try adjusting a long sought after parking permit every six months.
    In addition–I seriously doubt that any parents want their kids–especially the younger ones–to wait in unsheltered Newark or walk alone through what will soon be early winter darkness. Who are the snide people that find it so necessary to find fault with concerned parents and commuters alike?
    I find it hilarious that NJ Transit has listed only 29 people using the station at that hour as being too small a number when:
    1) there are usually about 100 people in total on the train at that hour (about 1/3 of which are quoted by NYT as using the Upper Mtc Train Stations)
    2) Walnut Street and Watchung Ave have always been stations on that route for that train–so there has been nothing “gained”. And lastly:
    3)When did they take this survey? When the kids were out on Summer break!
    Please–people that are used to getting into their fat gas guzzling cars every day, and driving to work, keep your comments at bay….

  8. Ok…snide comments and nastiness aside; there are those who also take the train–people who work and have parking permits in those two excluded parking lots (Upper Mtc and Mountain Ave). Those people are paying quite a high price for the privilage to park within close proximaty to their trains…
    They may adjust the trains every six months–but try adjusting a long sought after parking permit every six months.
    In addition–I seriously doubt that any parents want their kids–especially the younger ones–to wait in unsheltered Newark or walk alone through what will soon be early winter darkness. Who are the snide people that find it so necessary to find fault with concerned parents and commuters alike?
    I find it hilarious that NJ Transit has listed only 29 people using the station at that hour as being too small a number when:
    1) there are usually about 100 people in total on the train at that hour (about 1/3 of which are quoted by NYT as using the Upper Mtc Train Stations)
    2) Walnut Street and Watchung Ave have always been stations on that route for that train–so there has been nothing “gained”. And lastly:
    3)When did they take this survey? When the kids were out on Summer break!
    Please–people that are used to getting into their fat gas guzzling cars every day, and driving to work, keep your comments at bay….

  9. NJT’s diesel trains (from west of MSU) don’t have the ability to accelerate rapidly, so they fall down with the frequent stops. That’s why these trains often run express.
    The electrics have better acceleration, but their station dwell of 90 seconds or so is often longer than the travel time from Upper MTC to Watchung, or Heights to Mountain.
    I’ve clocked it, and the trains will spend more time IN the stations than travelling BETWEEN them.
    There’s no question NJT wants to run its trains faster, but some stations will lose their “every train” ability when that happens.
    Looking at the schedule, you can see there’s space for at least three more Hoboken to MSU trains in the afternoon.
    The current bottleneck is at Newark Broad, where there are only two tracks now, and dwells of 120 seconds as they load and dump passengers. Running a Hoboken to Montclair diesel or electric would require a slot which may not exist at Broad, or running express via the eastbound track at Broad. That move complicates the switching plant by requiring three switch moves west of Broad (from eb local to express to wb local to Montclair track).
    If Montclair officials and commuters decided to really push NJT for better service, it could be done with some creativity.
    In recent decades East Orange lost Ampere and Grove stations, Newark lost Roseville station, Harrison lost its station. MTC was fortunate not to lose both Heights and Mountain on this go-around. (Bernardsville lost Mine Brook too.)

  17. How about some *rush hour* improvements? Hoboken gets express trains, why not NYC/Penn? Dicking around with a few stops on the midday trains every couple of months hardly seems “in relation to demand”.

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