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  • Question About Rail Transfer Fare

  • Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.
Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.

Moderators: lensovet, Kaback9, nick11a

 #1341336  by jamesinclair
 
All,

I am planning a day trip from New Brunswick to Asbury Park.

Regardless of whether I use the Njtransit.com Trip Planner or the NJTransit.com Train schedule feature, I am told the fare will be either $9 (via Rahway) or $11 (via Newark).

Fares for this trip
Adult One Way $9.00 Child/Senior/Disabled One Way $4.00
Weekly $75.50 Ten Trip $90.00
Monthly $248.00 Student Monthly $186.00

That seems a tad low, considering a trip from New Brunswick to Newark alone is $9, and from Newark to Asbury Park $11.

1) Is the website correct?
2) Do the ticket machines print out one ticket, as with EWR, or two, as with the Princeton Dinky?
3) If they only print one, will I have any issue with the conductor?

I am hoping the fare of $9 is correct, especially because NJTransit makes this trip extremely inconvenient.
 #1341366  by time
 
It looks like an error with calculating fares during a transfer. I selected a station on the M&E line to Asbury Park, and it only quoted the fare to Secaucus (New York Penn). I've only transferred through Secaucus, which you get one ticket for from a TVM. If you only get one ticket, make sure the conductor gives it back to you. There is a punch hole for a transfer, I believe.
 #1341376  by nick11a
 
It sounds right to me. NJT only charges you for the longest leg when traveling between two lines in different directions, in your case, east on the NEC, west on the NJVL.

You'll get one ticket with a transfer point listed on it.
 #1341378  by MACTRAXX
 
JS:

1-The website looks to be correct.
2-You will get one ticket - the transfer points - in your case Rahway and Long Branch - will be printed on the ticket.
3-The first trainman should punch "Rahway" and the top of the ticket. On the second ride from Rahway-Long Branch
that should add a second punch - as long as the middle right circle reading CANCEL is not punched you should not
have any problem. Make sure you mention where you are going and where you are transferring on the train...

When you purchase a NJT ticket via a junction point such as this you only pay for the highest price portion of the
ride - which can be a considerable savings as compared to purchasing separate tickets for each leg of the trip.

MACTRAXX
 #1341383  by jamesinclair
 
Thanks all.

Will the fare machine ask me my transfer point? How does the machine decide if it should be Rahway ($9) or Newark ($11)?

Again, depending on the times I pick, the website trip planner shows a different routing.
 #1341425  by nick11a
 
jamesinclair wrote:Thanks all.

Will the fare machine ask me my transfer point? How does the machine decide if it should be Rahway ($9) or Newark ($11)?

Again, depending on the times I pick, the website trip planner shows a different routing.
Yes it should. The old machines did and I assume the new machines will do the same.
 #1341470  by time
 
Wow, that is quite the discount! See, this is where NJT marketing stinks. They should be advertising this as the Shore Excursion Discount. Take the train and skip the Parkway traffic. Junior needs a restroom? You'll find one on the train.
 #1341492  by F40
 
From Bob Scheurle's website long ago, it mentions it as NJT's best kept secret, that (rail) transfers are always free. But I never knew the reason they would keep it a "secret."
 #1341517  by jamesinclair
 
time wrote:Wow, that is quite the discount! See, this is where NJT marketing stinks. They should be advertising this as the Shore Excursion Discount. Take the train and skip the Parkway traffic. Junior needs a restroom? You'll find one on the train.
Unfortunately it takes over 2 hours to get from New Brunswick to Asbury Park via NJT because they wont coordinate the transfer.

That is, every hour (weekends here) there are two northbound trains from NB. But only one stops at Rahway.

Problem is, the one that stops in Rahway has a 30-50 minute wait for the shore train. On the other hand, the one that skips Rahway would theoretically allow for a quick and easy 5-10 minute transfer. As a bonus, the one that skips Rahway arrives in Newark, you guessed it, just in time to miss the southbound shore train.

Sometimes I feel like these missed transfers are intentional.
 #1341585  by F40
 
I think ultimately, the rider will have to decide whether it is a reasonable trip. I was coming home from work one day from north Jersey and showed the conductor a Waldwick to Metuchen ticket. He asked me, "you don't take this trip everyday do you?" I count myself fortunate to have said "no. Just for the days I am in the office." :-)
Last edited by F40 on Thu Jul 30, 2015 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 #1341587  by philipmartin
 
When somebody tries to buy a ticket from me to a point and then another back in the other direction to his final destination, two tickets; as long as it is a continuous journey, (no unnecessary stopover,) I tell him to buy one ticket to his final destination, and save money.
If there is a choice of transfer points, the customer has to decide which he wants. That affects the fare, (except that Secaucus and New York are the same. A ticket via Secaucus is also good via NYP.)
 #1342121  by jamesinclair
 
I was in a rush and ended up buying the ticket on my phone.

Worked well. I chose origin and destination and was then prompted for transfer point (Rahway or Newark).

No trouble with either conductor.

On a side note, I didn't realize the Coast Line was so horribly speed restricted. I was on the shore express and felt like I could have ridden a bicycle faster. Cant believe people deal with that every day.
 #1342182  by nick11a
 
Glad it worked out well. As for the Coast Line, yes, it isn't exactly fast for a good part of it. If you want speed, the ACL and NEC are best.
 #1342226  by quadrock
 
One thing I always felt was confusing were the fares to Hackettstown. The fare from Newark Broad Street to Hackettstown is $9.00. The same is true for the next ten steps on the Montclair-Boonton Lane (Watsessing - MSU). It isn't until you reach Little Falls that the fare drops to $8.50, then proceeding to drop incrementally as you get closer to Hackettstown. Does anyone know why this is the case, especially since all these stations are on the same line? It seems silly that a ticket from Newark Broad Street to Hackettstown costs the same as a ticket from MSU to Hackettstown when the distance is so different, all the stops are on the same line, and the trip can be done without transferring.
 #1342289  by philipmartin
 
quadrock wrote:One thing I always felt was confusing were the fares to Hackettstown. The fare from Newark Broad Street to Hackettstown is $9.00. The same is true for the next ten steps on the Montclair-Boonton Lane (Watsessing - MSU). It isn't until you reach Little Falls that the fare drops to $8.50, then proceeding to drop incrementally as you get closer to Hackettstown. Does anyone know why this is the case, especially since all these stations are on the same line? It seems silly that a ticket from Newark Broad Street to Hackettstown costs the same as a ticket from MSU to Hackettstown when the distance is so different, all the stops are on the same line, and the trip can be done without transferring.
Fares are the same for stations in the same zones. Here's a link to a Hoboken fare chart, on the left, that shows zones. I don't know the answer though, since Broad St. and MSU are in different zones and both have the same $9.00 fare.http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/Cap_9percent_Rail_HOB.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;