August 26th marked the first day of the Fair Holiday on the New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit), where passengers boarding trains or buses in the state did not need to show or scan tickets, leaving them feeling relieved. However, some trains still experienced delays, leaving many feeling that the reliability of the Northeast Corridor routes was still somewhat questionable.
Earlier this month, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that as a gesture of appreciation to both new and existing customers, starting from August 26th, NJ Transit would offer a week of free rides, exempting all buses and trains from fare collection.
A mother and daughter duo from Otisville in Orange County, New York, learned about the ticket-free week on NJ Transit from a Chinese newspaper and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to ride for free to New York City’s Chinatown for some dining and shopping. On Monday morning, the two excitedly boarded a northbound train operated by NJ Transit, transferring at Secaucus Junction in New Jersey to reach New York City.
Lisa, the mother, thought that the free train would be crowded, but it was not as packed as she had anticipated compared to her usual commuting experiences. However, the platform at Secaucus Junction was bustling with passengers, making the train feel “crowded.”
NJ Transit’s initiative to offer free rides also aimed to apologize to passengers for the recent service delays.
Unfortunately, the train Lisa and her daughter were on stopped mid-route due to track issues before reaching Secaucus Junction, resulting in a delay of one hour.
“Free trains are great, but being stopped for such a long time midway can be inconvenient, especially if someone is in a rush. It seems like this route is still somewhat unreliable,” Lisa expressed to the newspaper. “Also, I feel that the promotion for this NJ Transit event was not well-publicized because I encountered a passenger who had no idea about it and had already purchased an electronic ticket when the ticket conductor informed him that it was free today.”
After exploring Chinatown, the mother and daughter joyfully boarded the free train back home. By this time, there were fewer passengers onboard compared to the morning ride, and the journey was smooth without any delays or unexpected stops.
Lisa’s daughter exclaimed, “One word for riding for free: awesome!”
NJ Transit and Amtrak released a joint report last week highlighting efforts to inspect all tracks and infrastructure between New York City and Trenton over the past few months. As of August 9th, more than half of the 240 miles of tracks between the two cities had been inspected.
“We have been working closely with Amtrak to investigate and address the issues that have occurred this summer, especially along the Northeast Corridor. We hope this fare holiday can provide some relief to our commuters,” Murphy stated in a press release.
Prior to the fare holiday, the New Jersey Department of Transportation had decided to increase fares by 15% this summer to support its budget. Some commuters and lawmakers expressed concerns about the deteriorating service quality and the unfairness of charging higher fees to passengers.
The NJ Transit fare-free week event will conclude on September 2nd, with fare collection resuming on September 3rd.