NEW JERSEY (WABC) — Amtrak is starting the first stage to transfer rail service from the century-old Portal Bridge to the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River.<\/p>\n
Starting Sunday and continuing for the next 4 weeks, all rail lines except the Atlantic City Rail Line will undergo temporary service adjustments.<\/p>\n
“The Portal Bridge has been a nemesis and a nightmare for decades for riders on the northeast Corridor,” NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said.<\/p>\n
Modified train schedules, along with some consolidations or cancellations, should be expected.<\/p>\n
John Del Giorno reports from over the Portal Bridge from NewsCopter 7.<\/p>\n
Regular New Jersey Transit and Amtrak riders know the drill when the Portal Bridge in Kearny gets stuck opening for marine traffic, causing trains to get stuck.<\/p>\n
“When it happens, you literally have to have a person go out there with a hammer and try to put the tracks back in,” Kolluri said.<\/p>\n
“The cutover of the Portal North Bridge represents more than just work to connect railroad infrastructure; it signifies a whole new level of reliability on the Northeast Corridor and New Jersey that has never previously existed,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris.<\/p>\n
With the installation of this new bridge, getting home will be easier, according to Kolluri, who says the bridge is even more critical to the corridor than the new tunnels.<\/p>\n
The arches of the new replacement bridge are already in place over the Hackensack River. It’s higher and won’t have to open.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, the process of getting it online gets underway.<\/p>\n
“They have to decommission a track, build brand new signals, brand new communications, brand new everything on a new track while their trains running next to them,” Kolluri said.<\/p>\n
The planned cutover disruptions will occur twice. A second phase of cutover work is expected in Fall 2026 to complete the transition.<\/p>\n
New Jersey Transit is asking riders for patience while it reduces service from 48 to 18 trains per hour.<\/p>\n
Trains will have added capacity. But they’ll have to make more stops.<\/p>\n
“We have a very robust bus service as well. That is completely uninterrupted. We’re going to cross the PATH and the ferries,” Kolluri said.<\/p>\n
There are signs at train stations alerting riders to the changes, which are set to last 4 weeks. But they’re easy to miss.<\/p>\n
“People depend, I depend on being able to get back and forth across the river daily. And the fact that we’re not getting the information is concerning,” NJT commuter Brad Bailey said.<\/p>\n
Weekday Midtown Direct trains on the Morris & Essex (M&E), Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line will be diverted to Hoboken. Weekend Midtown Direct trains will operate to\/from NY Penn Station.<\/p>\n
Midtown Direct customers on the M&E, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line should purchase tickets\/passes with a destination of Hoboken in lieu of New York.<\/p>\n
For Midtown Direct customers with Hoboken as a destination on their tickets\/passes, the following options will be available for travel between Hoboken and Midtown Manhattan:
<\/p>\n
Cross-honoring with NY Waterway ferries will be in effect on weekdays between Hoboken Terminal and W. 39th St. in Midtown Manhattan
Ferry service to Midtown Manhattan will be enhanced during the morning and evening peak periods
Cross-honoring will be in effect with PATH at Hoboken and 33rd Street only
NJ TRANSIT’s 126 bus to\/from PABT<\/p>\n
The project eliminates the 114-year-old swing bridge, which has been the enduring source of major service disruptions for NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak customers traveling on the Northeast Corridor.<\/p>\n
The new Portal North Bridge is expected to improve reliability and fewer bridge-related delays and increase operational resilience along the Northeast Corridor.<\/p>\n
Once both tracks are in service on the new bridge, the original bridge will be permanently removed from service and the new bridge will accommodate all traffic.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit NJTransit.com<\/a> and Amtrak.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n * Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a> <\/p>\n * Follow us on YouTube<\/a> <\/p>\n * More local news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n