Morris & Essex Hell

[CrudeBoy]

18-20 minutes late this morning on the 7:58 AM Madison to NYPS train. That train is special because it also makes Chatham, Summit and South Orange before expressing to NYPS, that is, most days. Today was not one of those days.

After leaving Summit, following a short delay there, we rolled along very slowly, at almost a stroll, with frequent stops along the way, perhaps to look at the flowers in the backyards of Short Hills and Millburn folks. During one lengthy stop, our conductor, who was visibly agitated, pulled out his Sprint Phone and called the dispatcher. He identified himself and asked to speak to one Carmen Esposito and asked "why is my train being forced to move so slow?" He didn't like the answer: a Westbound Hoboken-to-Gladstone train was having mechanical problems, so the dispatchers were giving priority to Westbound trains to get around it. It was stuck near Newark Broad Street, where many of you will no doubt remember there was a fire in a switch box that damaged switches and and a transformer. One of those tracks is out of service until the equipment can be replaced, hence the daily slowdown through the area.

Anyway, our conductor was not pleased with the explanation and said it was probably due to "incompetent crew" on the Hoboken train. He made a general announcement about 10 minutes later and let everyone know what was going on. We parked in South Orange for a while (I was dozing, so I'm not sure how long we waited). Then we inched our way into the City, finally getting up to speed around Secaucus.

I've heard from other colleagues in the trains behind us that they were told by their conductor about a stuck train in the tunnel and that it was probably Amtrak.

Mr. Corzine, if you or your minions are reading this site, be forewarned: even the liberals along the M&E are fed up and thinking of voting Republican, since service on NJ Transit has gotten appreciably worse while you've been in charge. When you worked at Goldman, you lived in Summit, and while you most likely didn't take the train, you knew plenty of people who did and you knew there were problems. Daily breakdowns won't be tolerated much more and you could find yourself out of a job.       

[jerzgrl630]

i was on the same train this morning, it was insane.  i also got an NJT alert saying that it was due to a breakdown at Newark Broad Street, so here is my final tally of reasons i was told for the train being late:

- Gladstone train to Hoboken was broken down ahead of us
- Switch failure on track 3
- Breakdown at Newark

can these people figure out what's actually going on?  also, while i was sleeping peacefully some woman's cell phone rang.  her ring tone literally sounded like a shrieking chimp.  everyone on the train turned around convinced someone was being killed.

[CrudeBoy]

NJT: Thanks for another wonderful way to start the week.

This morning, shortly after the doors on the 7:47 AM Hoboken-bound M&E out of Madison closed, an announcement was made that the next NYPS-bound M&E train, the 7:59 AM train, had been cancelled due to mechanical difficulties. I had gotten there early, so I heard the announcement, but no other announcement was made regarding that train. Quickly, the platform filled up with people, but still no announcement.

The next train to come was the 8:19 AM Hoboken local. Doing quick calculations, most of us determined that we wouldn't save any time getting on the train, so most everybody waited. Finally, the 8:39 AM NYPS-bound train arrived and a bunch of surly NJT customers got on board. We eventually got into NYPS. My total door-to-door commute: 2.5 hours.

Thanks NJT and Have a Nice Day! my ass.   

[CrudeBoy]

My, we had quite the kerfuffle on the M&E this morning. I managed to get on the 6:38 M&E to NYPS at Madison at 7:15 on the outbound track. So the one day of the week when I need to get in early I end up being an hour late.

The conductor announced to the crew that we were coming in on track 4 when we finally got into NYPS, and the doors opened on Track 1.

No word on what caused all the cencellations and delays on the M&E. Who's in charge over there?

[jerzgrl630]

My, we had quite the kerfuffle on the M&E this morning. I managed to get on the 6:38 M&E to NYPS at Madison at 7:15 on the outbound track. So the one day of the week when I need to get in early I end up being an hour late.

The conductor announced to the crew that we were coming in on track 4 when we finally got into NYPS, and the doors opened on Track 1.

No word on what caused all the cencellations and delays on the M&E. Who's in charge over there?

Ouch, that's a terrible delay.  Relatively speaking, mine wasn't too bad (40 minutes), but I really did have to get in early today.  My one big gripe was that the recorded announcement at South Orange was barely audible, which greatly contributed to the confusion.

I could handle delays much better if they would just COMMUNICATE with us.  Is that so much to ask?

[CrudeBoy]

As my employer decided yesterday he no longer required my services, I am not riding the rails for the foreseeable future. It's been fun NJT. Don't miss me too much.

[mhnj]

As my employer decided yesterday he no longer required my services, I am not riding the rails for the foreseeable future. It's been fun NJT. Don't miss me too much.

Good luck CrudeBoy! Many of us here have been through the same situation, so we know how you feel.

[ThirdRail]

As my employer decided yesterday he no longer required my services, I am not riding the rails for the foreseeable future. It's been fun NJT. Don't miss me too much.

Hang in there CrudeBoy!

The railroads are hiring like crazy to get ahead of the forthcoming hours of service revisions/limitations. It's not for everyone, but something to consider.

Most railroads keep resumes/applications for a calendar year, so putting the information in right after New Years will put you at the top of the list.

[CrudeBoy]

If they need/want an energy analyst, I'm there!

[mhnj]

There must be more people working because the 7:28 at PJT this morning was packed. And it wasn't day-trippers filling seats or people taking the train due to bad weather. We had people standing, even in the back of the train. Haven't seen that in quite a while.

[jerzgrl630]

Apparently the weather was so nice outside, the trains couldn't work this morning!

By my own admission I overslept and I ran for the 9:08 out of South Orange.  I figured I'd be in the office by 10 and it would be okay.  Of course, I was wrong.

The 9:08 train became combined with a Dover Express train.  When the train arrived, about 15 minutes late, I noticed it had a diesel engine and knew something was wrong.  After desperately seeking a conductor, I found the ONE guy working the train and asked where it was going.  In typical d-bag form, he responded with "Well, clearly this train is going to Hoboken today."  No, not so clearly.  While I know that a diesel train can't go to NY, the digital display on the train clearly said "New York."  Lots of people boarded expecting direct service to NY.  There were no announcements made, saying we'd be going to Hoboken for today only.  I would have gotten on and transferred at Newark, but the train was so overcrowded that I could not physically board.  I was stranded in South Orange for an additional 50 minutes as I waited for service to New York.  I got to my desk slightly before 11.

At least it was beautiful outside, which kept me from getting too mad.  But this was absolutely infuriating and that conductor's BS attitude and lack of motivation to actually be informative was even worse.

[CrudeBoy]

I really do miss all of this.

[mhnj]

At least it was beautiful outside, which kept me from getting too mad.  But this was absolutely infuriating and that conductor's BS attitude and lack of motivation to actually be informative was even worse.

And I'll bet Mr. D-bag couldn't have been bothered to collect tickets either.

[jerzgrl630]

At least it was beautiful outside, which kept me from getting too mad.  But this was absolutely infuriating and that conductor's BS attitude and lack of motivation to actually be informative was even worse.

And I'll bet Mr. D-bag couldn't have been bothered to collect tickets either.

To be fair, there was no way a human being could have squeezed by all of those people to collect tickets.  People were literally standing on the vestibule stairs.  It was so unsafe.

[CrudeBoy]

I will be riding the rails Wednesday for a job interview in the City. It has been months since I've been on NJT. Has it all gone to hell in my absence?