Brace for Impact on New Jersey Transit and Amtrak Rail Service

Published: Monday, September 21, 2026

by Elijah Weintraub

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - New Jersey Transit and Amtrak have released full details for the final phase of the Portal Bridge cutover, a major infrastructure shift that will significantly reduce rail service into New York City this fall.

The second and final stage of the New Portal Bridge cutover - as mentioned and referenced on the Sept.13th WSOU Pirate Report show- will begin in October and bring widespread schedule changes across nearly every NJ Transit line and multiple Amtrak services.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, the agencies announced that beginning October 11th, only one track will operate in and out of New York Penn Station as crews complete the transition from the nearly 114-year-old Portal Bridge to its modern replacement. Currently, one track on the old bridge carries trains toward New York, while one track on the new structure carries trains toward Newark.

New schedules take effect on Oct. 11, with work expected to conclude on Nov. 15. Due to only one track being available to New York, New Jersey Transit will cut service roughly in half. Only the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains will go to Penn Station, New York. All weekday service on the Morris & Essex Line, Gladstone Branch, and Montclair-Boonton Line will be directed to Hoboken instead of New York.

All routes will have new schedules and face some type of impact, including Amtrak. Two fewer Acela trains will run, four fewer Northeast Regional trains will operate, and the biggest change is on the Keystone service, where only 10 trains will run between New York City and Philadelphia, down from 24. Overall, all trains will be reduced, with the Northeast Corridor seeing the biggest cuts.

The October-November window is one of the busiest travel periods of the year in the tri-state area. New Jersey Transit operates rail service to MetLife Stadium for gameday travel, and the test will be how they move everyone once they reach Secaucus after events. Madison Square Garden also enters a packed stretch ahead, from Harry Styles residency to the Knicks raising their first banner. New Jersey Transit typically carries large volumes of riders to the arenas, adding pressure to an already strained system.

Although the new schedules go into effect Oct. 11, preparatory work starts Friday, Oct. 9, marking the beginning of the final push to complete the new Portal Bridge.

 

For more information reach out to Elijah Weintraub at elijah.weintraub@student.shu.edu 

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