Amtrak will begin work on Feb. 15 to transfer train traffic from the existing Portal Bridge to the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River. This “cutover” project, which is expected to last about a month, will impact New Jersey Transit rail services.
“During this work, trains will only be able to operate on a single track between Newark and Secaucus,” NJ Transit wrote in a statement.
This will mean fewer trains and modified schedules.
During this time, NJ Transit will be cross-honoring with PATH and New York Waterway ferries. There will be enhanced ferry service during the morning and evening commutes into and out of Midtown Manhattan.
All Midtown Direct service will be diverted to Hoboken during the project. Midtown Direct customers on the Morristown, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton lines should purchase NJ Transit tickets and passes to/from Hoboken.
The project is expected to be completed by March 14. Regular NJ Transit schedules are expected to resume by March 15. But the agency says this is all subject to the completion of safety testing.
Officials say that this project, while inconvenient for travelers in the short term, will mean improved services for decades to come.