I took the late train home last night. Actually, it seems everybody on NJ Transit took the late train home last night.

Boarding my usual 5:17 Gladstone train in Penn Station, all seemed normal. But soon after we boarded, the first of many announcements greeted commuters. Things got much worse before they got better.

Actually, things never really got better.
 
Describing my odyssey in Joycean detail would be as painful as reliving last night’s journey home.

So here are the Cliffs Notes:
 
A disabled train in the mouth of the tunnel.
Two disabled trains in the tunnel.
All trains out of Penn Station suspended for up to 60 mins
Join the Long March to the PATH trains, and Hoboken trains
Overcrowding and confusion at Hoboken
Confusion and incorrect announcements at Newark Broad St
Express trains NOT making any extra stops, so passengers forced to crowd unsafely, onto one local train.
Home at 8:05 pm
 

All is quiet at Newark Broad Street. All was not quiet on the train from hell.  

As the ticker-tape of CleverCommute messages indicated, NJT sent customers to Port Authority to catch busses. However, when train service was returned (but still delayed), the busses STOPPED cross-honoring their fare.
 
From my experience, I report that conductors and train crew were very considerate through NJ Transit’s latest screw-up. Communication was the problem. Communication is a problem that another “JerseyJim” will need to address immediately–Executive Director James Weinstein.
 
– jerseyjim

With temps hitting the century mark for the second day in a row yesterday, New Jersey Transit cooled off steamy passengers, many with delayed trains, in Penn Station last night with free ice water.

NJT explains:

Our fleet of modern “ALP-46″ locomotives is equipped with temperature sensors that are designed to protect the equipment from damage caused by extreme heat.  When the internal temperature aboard the locomotive reaches 130-135 degrees, the locomotive will automatically shut down to prevent damage.  This situation can occur when the ambient (outdoor) temperature is high for prolonged periods, as with the current heat wave.

To prevent these weather-related locomotives issues, we are shutting down the equipmentduring layovers at endpoint terminals and turning down air conditioning systems when trainsets are not in service.  Despite these efforts, a number of trains were impacted during the evening commute of Tuesday, July 6.  Several trains were cancelled or combined (i.e. stops were added to express trains to accommodate customers affected by cancellations). 

NJT had a nice photo op, as executive director Jim Weinstein handed some cool Zima to a commuter who may or may not have been former governor Jon Corzine.

Over on Metro-North, things seemed pretty normal amidst The Great 2010 Summer Scorcher. Our evening train got us home 5-6 minutes later than normal, the trains slowing down a bit to avoid overheating.

It’s been a week full of surprises on New Jersey Transit, but riders are taking it in stride. As commuters absorb the increased delays and cancellations, and no A.C., summer has certainly left the station.
 
This morning’s train missed the platform by about 20 feet, but our suburban scrum barely blinked, and scrambled over the rocks to jump aboard, like khaki-clad Jack Kerouacs, ready for rave on.
 
Tuesday morning had everyone feeling upbeat, as a double-decker train replaced our usual train. With lots of empty seats, and premium air conditioning, nobody was complaining.
 
It’s been a week full of surprises on New Jersey Transit, but riders are taking it in stride. As commuters absorb the increased delays and cancellations, and NO A.C., summer has certainly left the station.
 
This morning’s train missed the platform by about twenty feet but our suburban scrum barely blinked, and scrambled over the rocks to jump aboard, like khaki-clad Jack Kerouacs, ready for rave on.
 
Tuesday morning had everyone feeling upbeat, as a double-decker train replaced our usual train. With lots of empty seats, and premium air conditioning, nobody was complaining.
 
And considering the Russian spy reports from Montclair, NJ, I now regret that I didn’t “say something” last week, when I “saw something,” as that something was the rider across from me, wearing an eye patch. This formerly-unsuspecting fellow was chatting loudly with his “sister,” as they spoke about “dad” and “the show.” I don’t mean to belittle his medical condition, but I would have opted for blending-in with big, girly papparazzi glasses that “The Situation” dons in “da Clubs” of the Jersey Shore, but an eye patch?
 
As riders gear up for trains crowded with summer sightseers, sudden bypasses to Hoboken, and the blast furnace of Penn Station platforms, we’ll hope for a few forgettable rides on the rails.
 

And considering the Russian spy reports from Montclair, NJ, I now regret that I didn’t “say something” last week, when I “saw something,” as that something was the rider across from me, wearing an eye patch.

This formerly-unsuspecting fellow was chatting loudly with his “sister,” as they spoke about “dad” and “the show.” I don’t mean to belittle his medical condition, but I would have opted for blending in with big, girly papparazzi glasses that “The Situation” dons in “da clubs” of the Jersey Shore. But an eye patch?
 
As riders gear up for trains crowded with summer sightseers, sudden bypasses to Hoboken, and the blast furnace of Penn Station platforms, we’ll hope for a few forgettable rides on the rails.
 
-jerseyjim

[image: NY Daily News]

POPCORNUCOPIA /POP korna COPE eeah/ noun: The paper Italian-loaf sleeve, filled to the brim with savory train station popcorn, offering an endless snack supply for the ride home.

Extra style points for the guy that can hold the Popcornucopia under one arm and the newspaper in the same hand, but continue to fire kernels into his mouth throughout the ride, like some kind of Popcorn Jason Bourne.

Usage: This guy on the 11:32 to Chatham was so drunk that he buried his face in his Popcornucopia when his feeding arm got tired.

- jerseyjim

[image: suburbanrental.net]

A quiet ride into the city on NJT this morning, as the buzz and chill of the train’s air conditioner was a welcome switch in the commutersphere.
 
Most days, our 7:10 a.m. Midtown Direct is quite low volume. As I board each morning with my locals, I usually march to the first car for an empty aisle seat in a three-seater. I pass, and pass up a lot of empty seats on the way, but those seats will be filled at the next and last stop, with the throng of Summit folks geared up for the non-stop “Summit-push.”
 
Here in the first car, most folks are reading paperback novels, quietly dozing, tapping on their laptops, or plugged into the prior night’s TV offering on their fancy new iPad.

I’m trying to break a bad habit of scanning the newspaper over the shoulder of the guy across the aisle.
 
Mostly though it’s quiet. Some small talk, but no cellphone barkers, or poker games, or chatty co-workers to break the lull.

I’m probably not alone, savoring those last few minutes of peace, before we hit the hot, loud and crowded city.

More delays last night on New Jersey Transit, as a fire broke out in Berkeley Heights, stranding passengers to the east, traveling on the Gladstone Line.
 
I had just arrived home from the 5:17 train, when my brother called, hoping for a ride home from Summit, where his Basking Ridge train was terminated. As the Summit station swelled with displaced passengers, NJ Transit announced that shuttle buses would arrive to allow passengers to complete their homeward commute.
 
The fire occurred at the restaurant Mama’s Caboose, which one local paper described as a local “landmark.”

Alternative Press reports:

Firefighters arriving on the scene encountered a “significant fire and heavy smoke on arrival,” according to Battalion Chief Giacco of the Berkeley Heights Fire Department. Giacco said, “It was a great job by everyone concerned. It was a good stop based on the amount of smoke upon arrival.”

He added that the owner of Mama’s Caboose should be able to rebuild since the “structure of the building is sound.” He said, “she lost some contents inside, but the structure is fine.” He added that the fact the building was saved, “was due to the guys getting inside and ventilating it quickly.”

Battalion Chief Imbibo was the first on the scene. He said about 22-24 Berkeley Heights firefighters responded. “I didn’t think we could stop it when I arrived on the scene. It took a lot of hard work but these guys saved a landmark in town,” he said.

According to CleverCommute, the 7:24 Summit train arrived on time, and regular train service was thankfully and safely restored.
 
- jerseyjim

May has reached New Jersey, and with it the fare hikes. NJ Transit has increased my monthly train cost by 25%. That is a double-decker increase that will put my fluffernutter budget on high alert.
 
I took the NY Penn Station Express train on Friday and Monday, for early meetings, and noticed the cars were quite empty. The conductor remarked on Friday, that most folks from the far west stations were probably testing out the bus, or the park-and-ride options, before they purchased their May monthly tickets.
 
NJ Transit’s heavy fare increase leads to some fuzzy math for an alternative commute. As would-be drivers account for extra time, gas, parking, and traffic, maybe NJ Transit has already accounted for their expected lost ridership.
 
Other fed-up Jerseyans were queued-up in Penn Station last week at the ticket windows. Given the late announcement of fare increase percentage, many commuters (like myself), didn’t have time to arrange the increase on their paycheck-deduction plan. So this 25% penalty truly came out-of-pocket,

-jerseyjim

Rode the post-rush-hour train yesterday morning, 4/14, as I was getting our taxes all buttoned-up.

It being Wednesday, aka Matinee Day, the 9:30 a.m. express was pretty full. I grabbed an aisle seat in the first car, next to a sleeping 20-something guy, and thumbed my bookmark to where I left off in The Iliad. (Never read it in high school. Never read it in college. Not sure why I’m reading it now, but it’s good primer for CLASH OF THE TITANS-3D.)

I mention this, because I still can’t figure out how the 20-something could sleep, or how I was expected to read, with the loud and chatty couple across from us.

Forced to eavesdrop, my matinee started early, as I soon witnessed some drama in this middle-aged couple. Couldn’t avoid hearing it, that is. Gossip about “Sherry” and “Denise” and so on.

Her phone rings: “Sorry, just sign for it, and leave the package there, I’ll talk to you tomorrow…I’m heading into the city with my daughter.”

(I found this odd…maybe the daughter was sitting nearby?)

A few minutes later, his phone rings: “Sorry, no, no, um, can’t do it. I’m not there today — I’m at Overlook Hospital with my father today. Oh yes. Will do. Okay, bye.”

Off the phone, he tells her: “My voicemail is full. Can you call and clear it, or have Sherry stop sending calls to my line?”

I’m intrigued. They work together, but have obviously worked up separate cover stories.

Each one is texting, and phoning, and checking their Facebook status as we head to the big city.

They never spoke quietly, or stopped talking the whole time. I wonder if they’re heading to lunch and a show, or maybe a picnic in Central Park.

Everything might be on the level, but their conversation and body language sure set a different scene.

I was glad to leave them behind, their true story still a mystery, and head to work.

-jerseyjim

A bit drowsy at our Summit stop this morning, I thought I had been dreamily transported to the NY Subway, or maybe a train upstate.
 
CONDUCTOR ANNOUNCEMENT: (LOUDLY) “The woman with the blond hair, let go of the door!” This express train must leave the station.”
 
He continued, “Attention passengers, holding the train doors is a Federal infraction. Doing so will cause our train to be delayed as we await police response.”
 
Things got moving quickly after this, and Jack Bauer and the Feds were spared the call to Summit.
 
Not sure how the Men in Black wrangled their way into NJ Transit’s turf, and I’m not sure why the conductor needs a hold a jury of eight train cars to fast-track this door-dork to Gitmo, but we’ve all learned our lesson for the day.
 
-jerseyjim

Got to the station today, and my train was  cancelled.

Folks talking, phoning, muttering, making alternate plans. Some just waiting and staring at the puddles.

Usually in this situation I would get back on my bike and trek the mile to the Summit station hub. But I had driven to the station, on account of the rain. It was a thirty minute wait for the next train, and then unknown crowding and delays. 
 
So for some nostalgic reason, I opted for the bus. I walked a block to the bus stop, and lacking a schedule, hoped a bus would come by soon. I was joined by one other (blackberry-packing) train defector, so I felt my plan held water.

Fifteen minutes, and $9.30 later, I was aboard the packed Summit Express, and scored the last seat. It was a snug ride, but quiet. (A sign read: Cell phones for Emergency Use Only).
 
We made a few stops and took on some “standees” who were not pleased. Two guys actually got off after a few stops, to wait for the next bus. They felt it necessary to argue with the bus driver.

“Have a good day, sirs.” was the weathered bus driver’s weary retort.
 
I watched as the houses turn to highway, and soon fell asleep in the dim lights and splash of commuter traffic in the rain.

We parked at Port Authority by 8:20 a.m., and I joined the Monday walking fray.

I’m not sure how the train faithful made out after all.
 
-jerseyjim