Regular NJ Transit rail passengers were left looking for alternate means of transportation Friday.
Regular New Jersey Transit rail passengers were left looking for alternate means of transportation Friday after train engineers went on strike at one minute past midnight.Members of the engineers union walked off the job over a pay dispute.
Travelers struggle with longer, more expensive commutePeople who normally rely on the trains took to buses, cars, taxis and even the ferry for the morning rush.Many commutes were longer and more expensive Friday, leaving riders feeling inconvenienced and angry.'Newark Penn Station was a ghost town. I was like, what am I supposed to do?' a commuter named Elyana said. 'I had no idea. Everything was in red, and then I started reading the news and it's terrible. Honestly, it's terrible.'Some said the changes added an hour or more to their journey, making them late for work, school or other Friday plans.'It's ridiculous. Like, we are just thinking it should be stopped immediately because it's affecting our life,' one woman said.'There were definitely way more people than normal. There was almost no seats left on the ferry and usually there's plenty,' commuter Jennifer Love Sprock said.Some tried Amtrak instead.'I went to go to Amtrak, but they wanted $140 one way from New York to Trenton,' one man said.If the strike continues into next week, NJ Transit will activate their contingency plan on Monday, adding more bus service and park-and-ride locations. Many commuters, however, said they would rather just work from home.Business owners near NJ Transit stations face decreased salesThose commuters are not just getting to work, they keep countless small businesses alive and thriving.Chris's Family Diner is located about a block away from the South Orange train station.'This morning, it's kind of been a little slower than usual, than what we're used to for a Friday,' server Karla Gonzalez said.No train commuters meant fewer customers at the diner.'If we don't have customers, we don't have any tips, so we're not making any money at the moment,' Gonzalez said.Sales were down about 15% compared to an average Friday.'Hopefully they work out a deal because we need business,' Gonzalez said.It was a similar scene at Cait and Abby's Bakery, which sits directly under the train station.'Yeah, it's commuter-driven, especially in the morning between 6:30 and 10 o'clock, basically,' bakery owner Raul Saade said.He relies on commuters grabbing coffee and a pastry before catching a train. His sales Friday were down more than half.'So it's a pretty drastic downshift,' he said.Saade says he's hoping the strike ends soon. In the meantime, he says, 'Come and see us even though you're not catching the train. Come pop in and say hello.'The owner of the diner said the shaky economy already has people dining out less, so the strike is like rubbing salt in the wound.
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