NJ Transit reaches tentative deal with train engineers, ending the strike for now

NJ Transit and the train engineers union reached a tentative agreement, ending the rail strike that began Friday morning.

At a hastily called news conference Sunday evening, Gov. Phil Murphy declined to give specifics of the deal but said it’s a good outcome for labor, for NJ Transit and for commuters and taxpayers.

“This is a very good day for New Jersey, and the sound that you probably hear is the sound of the state’s commuters breathing a collective sigh of relief,” he said. “To offer the understatement of the year, this is a very good outcome.”

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said regular rail service will not resume until Tuesday morning.

“We have to pre-position the equipment, we have to do safety checks, we have to make sure that the engineers who have now officially concluded the strike, or soon to conclude the strike, are now called into work,” he said. “This is an extraordinarily complex operation.

Kollori said that commuter safety is of utmost importance.

“For us, it is better to get it right, do it methodically, than to rush and try to meet some artificial deadline,’ he said.

Because train service will not be available on Monday, NJ Transit’s strike contingency plan will go into effect. The plan includes expanded bus service from four temporary park-and-ride lots:

• Hamilton Rail Station, with service to Newark Penn Station, starting at 5 a.m.
• PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, with service to Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York, starting at 5 a.m.
• Woodbridge Center Mall, with service to Harrison PATH Station, starting at 6 a.m.
• Secaucus Junction, with service to Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York, starting at 6 a.m.

Officials said hundreds of NJ TRANSIT personnel will be deployed at rail stations as well as at the park-and-ride lots to assist customers throughout the day.  Officials are still asking residents to work from home on Monday, if possible.