Pardon my paraphrasing and borrowing from a Seinfeld bit, but for the past few months I have really wondered what goes on NJ Transit’s rail operations.
When I began my self-imposed exile to the burbs in June, I found the train to be great. It was relaxing, I could get through almost two papers, sleep or catch up on some podcasts. All without the craziness of the PATH trains (for those of you outside the NY Metro, the PATH is how you get from Hoboken/Jersey City/Newark, to Manhattan).
Going in, I always got a seat and in the summer, the trains actually ran on time. There were some delays when it rained, but it was summer. The weather was warm, the sun was out, I was enamored with this new mode of transportation, and on some really special occasions, commuting in with a beautiful woman who made my new life so very exciting.
In the fall, I noticed that the trains started to run a little slower. We would wait outside of a place called Secaucus, Native American for “swamps next to Giant’s Stadium,” for what seemed like hours. Actually, one time, it was an hour.
As autumn passed to winter, I became less happy with NJ Transit rail service. I was commuting mostly alone now and the waiting in Newark or Secaucus had grown tiresome. Sleeping was even boring.
Getting home? How does waiting around for an hour because your last meeting ran long and you missed the train, only to find out that you will wait two hours because of some delay, sound?
When I took the place in beautiful uptown Montclair, I was told the train was a “quick 30 minute ride to Midtown.” Obviously they meant midtown Secaucus.
This past Monday was President’s Day. NT Transit decided that you were stupid if you went in to work, even if your office was open. They ran THREE trains in to Manhattan that cold, rainy morning and THREE trains home. The last train was at 5:51pm. I actually laughed at the conductor when he told me that in the morning. I usually think about leaving work at 6:15ish. Now I had to be on the last train at ten minutes to six?
Now we arrive at today. Today we spent our usual 30 minutes in lovely midtown Secaucus. The announcement was, “Due to congestion, we will be held here for a while…” I take the train to avoid congestion.
So, if the trains are scheduled to arrive at the station at a certain time, how can there be congestion?
One final note… the actual staff working the trains rock. The engineers are great and the conductors are all great. If it weren’t for their patience and sense of humor, I am quite sure there would have been an armed revolt by now.
Oh my, March is right around the corner and I am only to the M’s!!
In this installment, I continued with the “L’s”: Led Zeppelin’s awesome original boxed set, The Beatles‘ Let It Be, R.E.M’s divine Life’s Rich Pageant and the last studio release by The Black Crowes, Lions, which featured one of my favorite songs in the last ten years: “Soul Singing:”