30 NJ Transit Trains Cancelled Friday Due to Crew Shortages, Other Issues

At least 30 NJ Transit trains were cancelled Friday due to issues ranging from engineer availability to mechanical issues and sparse Positive Train Control equipment, the agency says. 

The cancellations Friday mostly affected customers on the busy Northeast Corridor line, where 12 trains were cancelled as of 3:30 pm. The Raritan Valley Line and the Morris & Essex Line were also badly hit.

Overall, roughly half of the total was due to lack of available engineers -- an issue that has plagued NJ Transit in recent months.

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Gov. Phil Murphy addressed the engineer issue earlier this month, saying he felt commuters' pain and that people had a right to be angry about the issues.

"I don't blame commuters one bit for their anger or cynicism," Murphy said after meeting with NJ Transit's top officials. "None of us do. Let there be no doubt that the commuter is on the pedestal now and they have every right to be upset."

A higher than usual number of unexcused absences by engineers, combined with summer vacations, has been blamed for the crew shortages. One engineer could drive four or five trains in an average day, NJ Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett said.

Murphy, Corbett and Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said earlier this month they've had discussions with union leaders to address the problems.

NJ Transit also is making federally required safety improvements to install an emergency braking system by the end of the year to reach a deadline for getting a two-year extension for testing the new system, a process that could tie up equipment and crews for the next several months.

Communicating information about delays or cancellations can be improved, Murphy said. Corbett added that that can be challenging when last-minute absences are factored in.