NJ Transit missing in action

I arrived New York Penn at Noon on Saturday, Jan 23, to find that NJTransit had suspended all operations including the train to my destination. Quickly I walked to 33rd Street PATH and went to Hoboken to find a similar situation and no taxis. Returning to NYP the situation remained unchanged with Amtrak still running the NEC.

From then until 2 pm Sunday when I finally gave up and went to the Port Authority bus terminal, no NJ Transit spokesman bothered to address the considerable crowd regarding the status of the operations. The Amtrak cop whose desk sits between the two NJT halls was forced into this position of authority. His response was based solely on the NJT board around the corner which was at odds with NJT's website and Amtrak's big board.

Perhaps we occasional passengers are unfamiliar with NJ Transit practices that the commuting public has grown used to, but from this seat on the bus I ended up on having given up on the electronic CANCELLED, it is nothing short of dereliction of duty by someone who, no doubt, cares little as the consequences are small.

some people check their travel arrangements and use internet for other than complaining, in your case the lack of knowledge was caused by you assuming.
NJT announced they would shut down on friday.

you realized there was a blizzard and that NJT made it clear that service was shut down 2am Saturday morning, right?

My friend, you really created two different topics about this? One to attack NJ Transit and the other to attack Amtrak... Was one topic not large enough to handle the level of your frustration?

I'm probably the most technologically retarded person I know. Don't have a smart phone, don't even have the internet on the phone I do have. My wife has to do everything on my tablet if anything at all out of the ordinary happens since it confuses the hell out of me. Even if you're as bad about modern tech as I am, you could still just go crazy old school and call to ask. Are NJT and Amtrak supposed to reach out to every person who might take a train or bus to explain that service might be affected by snow events and explain thier pricing policies?

I've dealt with government my whole life and have learned, like any American who's been to a DMV or VA hospital, that counting on others to go the extra mile to make sure I'm properly informed is a really bad idea. I'm sure you've been stuck in line waiting for a registration, new title, or to renew your license. The people behind the desk at the DMV are cut from the same cloth and trained by the same folks with the same lack of commitment to the customer's well being as most people working at Amtrak or NJT. Would you rely on one of them to skip a text message or personal phone call during work hours, much less try to actually help you?

Just write it off as a lesson learned and move on. We all screw stuff up now and again. You'll know better next time.

Have a better day today!

Have no intention of letting this lie. I understand NJT's situation on Saturday. What I do not understand is its actions or lack thereof on Sunday. Saturday night the media reported that NJT would begin operations at 7am on Sunday. I was at Hoboken at that time and was told by a snow shoveler that it would be 10 am. Took PATH back to 33rd and walked to NYP. There the board showed all NJT trains CANCELLED. By 9 am Christie had issued a statement that operations would be up by 10 am. That came and went as the crowd at NYP grew. NJT's website provided no information.

By Noon the number of passengers reached ~500 and still no NJT spokesman to explain the situation. I left at 1:30 for the bus terminal.

Agree that this should be chalked up to poor management/customer relations, but it perhaps it will become an example of how not to run a commuter railroad.

I think it is caused by poor customer information checking, NJT never promised to run on sunday by 7am.

Just let me know were you lost it?? or were comprehension got in way ??

NJ TRANSIT will begin restoring service as follows with a gradual buildup of service during the day.
Bus
Customers can expect service delays and detours due to local road conditions. As such, customers should afford themselves ample time to reach their final destinations.
Click HERE for North Jersey bus service information by route.

Click HERE for South Jersey bus service information by route.
Light Rail
Newark Light Rail – will resume service at 11:00 AM and operate on a modified Sunday schedule with trains running on a normal Sunday frequency. Trains will run between Grove Street and Newark Penn Station and between Broad Street and Newark Penn Station.
River LINE – will resume service at 11:00 AM and operate on a regular Sunday schedule from Trenton ending at 36th Street in Camden. No service to Walter Rand Transportation Center and points south.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail – will resume service at 11:00 AM and operate on a normal weekend schedule.
Rail
Morris & Essex Line - will begin operating on a regular weekend schedule starting with the 12:05 p.m. out of Dover and the 12:12 p.m. out of Hoboken. NOTE: Midtown Direct trains will run into Manhattan following the regular weekend schedule.
Main/Bergen Line - will begin operating on a regular weekend schedule starting with the 12:19 p.m. out of Hoboken bound for Waldwick and the 12:25 p.m. out of Hoboken bound for Suffern. Trains will depart Suffern at 1:06 p.m. and Waldwick at 1:27 p.m. heading for Hoboken.
Montclair Boonton Line - will begin operating on a regular weekend schedule starting with the 12:10 p.m. out of Hoboken to Bay Street and the 1:00 p.m. departure from Bay Street to Hoboken.
Pascack Valley Line - will begin operating on a regular weekend schedule starting with the 1:58 p.m. departure from Spring Valley to Hoboken.
Northeast Corridor - Poised to resume service from Trenton pending Amtrak approval to operate from Morrisville.
North Jersey Coast Line - Poised to resume service upon Amtrak's clearing of the switches at Union interlocking.
Raritan Valley Line - Poised to resume service upon the clearing of switches at Aldene (Conrail) and Hunter (Amtrak) interlockings.
Atlantic City Rail Line - Poised to resume service upon Amtrak's repair of Shore interlocking.
Southern Tier Service - Poised to resume Southern Tier service pending completion of Metro North's inspections.
Access Link
Service remains suspended today. Reservations for trips on Access Link can be made later today (stay tuned for specific time).
System-wide Cross-Honoring Remains in Effect:

To give customers additional travel options, NJ TRANSIT will continue to offer full system wide cross-honoring through Sunday, January 24, enabling customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode--rail, light rail or bus. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT bus, rail, light rail and bus passes will be cross-honored on private carrier buses.

Travel Advice:
Listen closely to public address announcements at stations for late-breaking service information.
Build additional travel time into your trip to a station, terminal or bus stop.
Stairs, flooring and platforms can be slippery, so please use caution when walking along wet surfaces or any outdoor surface exposed to the weather. Use extra care when boarding or exiting buses and trains.
Report slippery or unsafe conditions to bus operators, train crews or NJ TRANSIT staff.
If you park, ensure your car is stocked with a snow brush and ice scraper so you can clear your car upon returning to the lot.
Again, we thank you for your patience as we continue to work towards full restoration of bus, rail and light rail service.For service updates please check njtransit.com or call NJ TRANSIT Customer Service at (973) 275-5555.Additional Information:Offices of Emergency Management Code Blue

Additional information can be attained through the Offices of Emergency Management. The Code Blue notifications and resources opened in response to severe cold or storm events.Please click HERE for Cold Blue information and Warming Center Locations.Click HERE for NJ Office of Emergency Management information.

Where did this guy wake up at? Every freakin' channel had nothing but S N O W coverage for almost 36 hours. In that coverage were NJT service suspensions. Besides that, IF he'd bothered to look outside before leaving he would have realized we were having a BLIZZARD.Sounds like the 5 or 6 morons that were actually stupid enough to come to work Saturday morning, Just because they didn't get a phone message telling them the plant was closed,they didn't have enough COMMON SENSE to think that MAYBE the weather was too treacherous to travel in.

Had I and a few other fools been the only folks in New York Penn awaiting some word from NJT, then the above comments may apply. The fact is that on Sunday there were several hundred passengers who shared the same uninformed state. The contention is simple. New Jersey Transit should have had a spokesman to provide updated status information instead of leaving it to Amtrak police.

well the information I posted, was official NJT information as of 12:01 am, sorry NJT did not personally contact you and guide you .