NYNJCOMMUTING

I still have dreams about my miserable long commute from 1992-2017. I was perusing my online copy of the New York Times and I found this statement:

Data from the US showed that more time spent on the daily commute was related to higher levels of fatigue and stress during commuting [12]. Clark et al. [9] found that longer commute times were associated with lower job and leisure time satisfaction, increased strain, and poorer mental health.

This was quoted from Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan; 20(1): 573

I stopped writing entries to this blog in December 2017 when I retired from my job in Newark.  I still get reports of a few people each week accessing this blog.  I am thankful that I don’t have to put up with commuting delays.  This morning I read that the #7 line is not operating this morning since there is a rail issue at Queensboro Plaza.  I am still subscribed to Facebook groups and Twitter feeds from NJ Transit riders who report problems.

In any event, thanks for stopping by and reading about my commuting problems of the past.

Today, I retired from my job in Newark after 25 years.  My miserable commute from Flushing, Queens to Newark is now over.  I started this blog in 2013 to document my commuting horrors on both sides of the Hudson River.  But there were many other bad commutes from 1992-2012.  You can read about those from 2005-2012 on my personal blog.

The delays are caused by Amtrak, signal problems, overhead wires, mechanical problems in the cars among other reasons.  We can’t blame just one person for all these problems.  I just hope that money is allocated maintain the commuter railroads.  Delays are inevitable, but I feel that those on NJ Transit were excessive.  The building of a new tunnel under the Hudson River should help.

Since I will no longer commute, I am discontinuing this blog.  It only received a couple of hits a week anyway.  If you are interested in reading about what I do, please  check out http://www.bruceslutsky.com 

This morning there was an announcement that there was a rail problem at Grand Central Station on the #7 train.  Thus, all 7 trains were running local, so I got off at 74th Street and took the E train to Penn Station.  This was a minor delay.

Throughout the afternoon I received emails stating that there were overhead wire problems near Secaucus which caused delays up to 90 minutes since there was single tracking at that point.  When I left work at 4 PM that announcement was still on the NJ Transit website.  When I arrived at Newark Penn Station the 4:23 which I normally take was 20 minutes late.  I felt that this delay coupled with the problem at Secaucus would be a disaster for me.  I decided to take the PATH Train.

When the PATH train arrived at Christopher Street, an announcement was made stating that service to 33rd Street was suspended since there was police activity at the next stop.  Since I was on the New York side I was able to walk to 6th Avenue and 8th Street and took the F train to Roosevelt Avenue and 74th Street where I picked up the 7 train.  It pisses you off when you encounter a delay on your alternative route.

3 more days to go!  I can always encounter train delays when I am on my way to recreational activities.

It seems that after a weekend when the #7 train ends at Queensboro Plaza there are signal problems at Vernon-Jackson.  This morning the train crawled from 33rd Street to Queensboro Plaza where the announcement was made about signal problems.  Luckily I was able to change to the N train and took that to 34th Street where I walked to Penn Station.

With no delays, I can make the 7:36 train to Newark.  I got to Penn Station at 7:50 and found out that the 7:53 was “on hold”.  It finally left the station at about 8:02 and I arrived at work about 30 minutes late.

What a way to start a week.

Perhaps the readers of this blog don’t know that I will be retiring from NJIT at the end of December.  Anyway, today a train became disabled necessitating single tracking from Newark to NYC.  The 7:44 out of NYP crawled as it exited the tunnel.  After it passed the Secaucus station it picked up speed but slowed down again just outside of Newark.  The delay was 40 minutes.

I have 6 weeks to go.  Will this be my last major delay on NJ Transit?

On Tuesday, the announcement was signal problems at Vernon-Jackson is causing #7 trains to run very slowly into Time Square.  Luckily, I heard this announcement as the train pulled in to 74th Street so I could change there for the E Train.

Today the ride was OK until the train pulled into Court Square.  We heard an announcement that there were signal problems at 34th Street-Hudson Yards which is a brand new station.  At that point, I was able to switch to the E train.

Can someone fix the signals in the subway system?

I read an alert on my phone stating that an Amtrak train had hit a trespasser and that North East Corridor (NEC) trains were not running from Trenton to New Brunswick.  I usually take the 4:23 from Newark which is an NEC train which I knew would be delayed.  I left my office a few minutes early to catch the 4:06 which is a North Jersey Coast train which would not be affected.

It worked out, so my phone saved the day for me.

When the #7 train arrives at Times Square I switch to the 1, 2 or 3 line for a short ride to 34th Street Penn Station to connect with New Jersey Transit.  Today I saw that the platform was packed, so I walked down the stairs and walked to 8th Avenue where I picked up the E train to continue to 34th Street.  It is nice to have alternative routes when there is a delay.  I found out that this was caused by debris on the tracks.  Another reason for a delay which was minimal for me.

Thank goodness delays on NJ Transit were minimal during the “Summer of Hell”, a metaphor created by Governor Andrew Cuomo.  There were a handful of minor delays getting out of NY Penn Station in the morning this summer, but none were excessive.  Starting tomorrow more trains will be going in and out of Penn Station as the Morris and Essex line trains will no longer terminate in Hoboken.

We shall see what happens as more work needs to be done on the tracks.