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As an apology for some pretty gnarly service this summer, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy is giving commuters a full week of free transit.
Fares will be waived on all New Jersey transit systems between August 26 and September 2.
RECOMMENDED: This portion of the G train route will shut down through Labor Day
“Understanding that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing a one-week fare holiday for NJ TRANSIT riders,” said Governor Murphy in a statement. “As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and address the issues that have occurred this summer, especially on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare holiday offers our commuters some relief. We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we continue to be thankful to the many New Jerseyans who depend on public transit.”
Imagine that! Some acknowledgement of a problem and offering a sort of olive branch goes a long way for commuters.
For monthly pass holders who already have an August pass, there will be an automatic 25% discount applied on their September monthly pass purchase through the mobile app, at Ticket Vending Machines or ticket windows, Jersey officials say.
We think that’s pretty cool.
If you aren’t aware, a lot of the service disruptions have happened on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. It’s still not clear what made them happen, according to officials, but “significant short-term actions have already been taken” and there has been “noteworthy” progress through increased equipment inspections on platforms and overhead wire, track signal systems, and substations along the NEC.
“These collaborative efforts have already led to a noticeable decrease in infrastructure-related incidents,” the governor’s office says.
There’s also been other longer-term actions taken, including the more transformer testing in substations and added evaluation of when and how long work can take place and adjusting that to speed up repairs and upgrades. NJ TRANSIT has also been working with Amtrak to find more funding that could help speed up the replacement of wires, substations, and transmission and signal lines.
That being said, the River LINE light rail service hasn’t been meeting performance standards over the last several weeks, officials say. In the meantime, there has been bus services added to help during the week. “At the same time, we are holding NJ TRANSIT’s contracted operator accountable to expedite necessary repairs and upgrades to the light rail vehicles to restore reliable weekday light rail service as quickly as possible,” the governor’s office says.
As expected, these service issues won’t be fixed right away, so in the meantime, enjoy your free commute!