Threatened With Rail Strike, N.J. Transit Warns of Disruptions

Threatened With Rail Strike, N.J. Transit Warns of Disruptions
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/nyregion/threatened-with-rail-strike-n...
By EMMA G. FITZSIMMONSMARCH 3, 2016

New Jersey Transit’s interim executive director, Dennis J. Martin, at Thursday’s presentation of contingency plans in the event of a rail strike. CreditBryan Anselm for The New York Times

SECAUCUS, N.J. — New Jersey Transit warned riders on Thursday that under its contingency plans for a rail strike it would be able to transport fewer than half its regular commuters to New York City.

The chairman of the agency’s board, Richard T. Hammer, said that officials hoped to avoid a strike, but commuters between the states should be prepared for major disruptions if there was a shutdown.

“A rail stoppage will not just impact rail commuters,” Mr. Hammer said at a news conference at the Secaucus Junction train station. “It will have a severe effect on travel in the entire region.”

A strike could begin as early as Sunday, March 13. New Jersey Transit and the rail unions planned to meet with federal officials in Washington on Friday to try to reach an agreement over workers’ wages and benefits.

Contingency plans include extra service on more than two dozen New Jersey Transit bus routes, which would continue to operate during a strike, and the addition of five park-and-ride locations, where commuters could ride a bus to New York City or to a ferry terminal or PATH stops. Officials said rail tickets would be cross-honored on buses, the light rail, private buses, the PATH system and New York Waterway ferries.

A slide from Thursday’s New Jersey Transit presentation on contingency plans in the event of a rail strike. CreditNew Jersey Transit
But even with additional bus service, the agency said, it could accommodate only about 40,000 of the 105,000 commuters who travel by rail from New Jersey to New York City each weekday. Officials told residents they should plan to car pool, leave for work early and work from home.

Asked whether he thought a strike could be averted, the agency’s interim executive director, Dennis J. Martin, did not sound discouraged.

“As long as we’re talking, I am optimistic,” Mr. Martin said of the negotiations. “But the responsible thing to do is to plan for this.”

Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who has faced criticism for leaving the state frequently during his failed presidential campaign, and more recently to support Donald J. Trump, said at a news conference in Trenton on Thursday that he was “very engaged” in the talks with the rail unions. But Mr. Christie also said he would be leaving for a 30th wedding anniversary vacation with his wife on Tuesday.

The agency’s more than 4,200 rail workers have been working without a new contract since 2011. Their unions have pushed for wage increases and lower member contributions for health care costs, but agency officials said they could not afford to meet those demands, and might have to raise fares.

On Thursday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey warned that a strike would produce major congestion at the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, PATH stations and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it was preparing alternatives for riders on Metro-North Railroad’s Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines in New York, where service would come to a halt because New Jersey Transit operates the trains.

Commuters have become increasingly concerned about a strike. Sandra Cayon, 46, a secretary who works in Manhattan and lives in Bound Brook, N.J., said she would consider using one of the park-and-ride locations.

“I have no choice,” Ms. Cayon said as she rode a New Jersey Transit train leaving Manhattan on Thursday. “I have to get to work.”