Temporary schedules begin Sunday, October 11, as crews connect the final track to the Portal North Bridge. Weekday Manhattan commuters will need to transfer.
MORRISTOWN, NJ – Weekday Midtown Direct passengers on the Morris & Essex lines, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line will be diverted to Hoboken beginning Monday, October 12, under temporary schedules covering approximately five weeks of Portal North Bridge work.
NJ Transit’s October 9 service advisory directs riders to schedules taking effect Sunday, October 11, through Saturday, November 14. All rail lines except the Atlantic City Rail Line will have adjustments, including changes to departures, stops and train availability.
For Morristown-area commuters who normally remain aboard to New York Penn Station, the weekday trip will require another connection. Weekend Midtown Direct trains will continue serving New York Penn, according to the agency’s detailed advisory.
Weekday riders should buy rail tickets or passes to Hoboken. Those tickets and passes will be accepted on specified connections to Midtown Manhattan: PATH between Hoboken and 33rd Street, NY Waterway ferries between Hoboken Terminal and West 39th Street, and NJ Transit’s No. 126 bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, including Academy buses assigned to that route.
The ticket rules differ on weekends. Hoboken monthly and weekly passes and FLEXPASS tickets will be accepted for weekend Midtown Direct trips to New York Penn. A Hoboken one-way ticket will not; one-way passengers must buy a New York Penn ticket.
The Portal cutover information page warns that alternative services have limited capacity and may be crowded. NJ Transit recommends allowing additional travel time and, where possible, traveling outside the busiest periods or working remotely. Monday, October 12, will operate on the temporary weekday schedule despite the holiday.
The disruption reaches beyond Midtown Direct. Raritan Valley Line trains that normally provide a one-seat ride to Manhattan will begin or end at Newark Penn Station during the temporary schedule period. Riders on other lines should check their individual timetables even if their destination is unchanged.
Amtrak crews must transfer the second and final track, along with associated power and signal infrastructure, to the new bridge. The work restricts the railroad to a single track between Newark and Secaucus, reducing the number of trains that can operate through that corridor.
In its September project announcement, NJ Transit described the replacement as a fixed-span bridge approximately 50 feet above the Hackensack River. Unlike the old swing bridge, it allows marine traffic to pass without opening the railroad crossing, a change intended to improve reliability.
Regular train schedules are expected to return Sunday, November 15, subject to completion of safety testing. Temporary timetables and station-specific alternatives are available on the Portal cutover page.