JerseyJim Speaks of a Kinder, Gentler, Quieter Garden State

Looks like the suburbs just got a quieter–at least in terms of train whistles on the weekends.

My morning train was leaflet-strewn today with a bold TRANSIT ADVISORY.

GLADSTONE BRANCH SUBSTITUTE BUSING SUMMER 2008
For Weekends and Holidays beginning June 14th through Fall 2008.
For weekdays between 9am-3pm each weekday.

This is due to work on the power supply system between Gladstone and Summit stations.

This won’t seemingly impact the regular weekday commuter, like myself.

However, weekend riders west of Summit will need to catch a bus for the first or last leg of their trip in and out of Hoboken/New York.  Most of these folks are your relatives visiting from the Midwest, a pack of teens heading to a Tokio Hotel concert, dads and sons making the long haul to Mets/Yankees games, or senior citizens attending a Broadway matinee.

My only concern is that these infrequent riders are the exact folks that wouldn’t know about this service change until they arrive at the station, and might not regard the posting, and thus miss the connecting bus to Summit. I have no idea how NJ Transit is coordinating the arrival and departures of buses and trains–but I’m sure it will work out.

Who knows–perhaps they’ll hold off on raising  the curtain or throwing the first pitch to get those trainloads of Jersey fans in the seats.

–Jersey Jim