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NJ Transit, Amtrak riders in for a month of disruptions for Portal Bridge transition
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 14, 2026
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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 14, 2026
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Amtrak and NJ Transit are bracing customers for a month of potentially hellish commutes with construction that will upend normal commuter schedules, which the agencies are promising will lead to much more reliable service in and out of New York.
First, the pain: Starting Sunday, Amtrak will begin work to transfer or “cut over” rail traffic from one track that crosses the 115-year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River, to a track that crosses over the newly constructed Portal North Bridge. The aging infrastructure is a notorious source of delays, especially when it jams while opening and closing for maritime traffic. In some cases, workers have had to bang its locking mechanism back into place with a sledgehammer.
The bridge has been plagued by years of mechanical problems and signal issues — and even a fire. The existing 112-year-old bridge becomes stuck one out of seven times when it swings open to let river traffic through, then-New Jersey Gov. Murphy said during a groundbreaking for the replacement in 2022.
And because NJ Transit and Amtrak share tracks north of Trenton, when the Portal Bridge has a headache, the entire Northeast Corridor gets a migraine. Problems at the notorious choke point have shut down train traffic in and out of New York City countless times.
The new fixed-span Portal North Bridge won’t need to open or close. But the work to accommodate the transition won’t come without sacrifice. During the monthlong construction period, trains will only be able to operate on a single track between Newark and Secaucus, which will result in limited service into Penn Station in Manhattan on weekdays.
For NJ Transit riders, that means there will be no Midtown Direct service into Penn Station on weekdays on the Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch and the Montclair-Boonton Line. Instead, all Midtown Direct service will be diverted to Hoboken. There, customers will be cross-honored for travel on PATH between Hoboken and 33rd Street, the NY Waterway ferry service, and NJ Transit’s 126 Bus service. More information on service disruptions is available here.
PATH warned its users this week that its stations — in particular Hoboken — will be extra-busy because of the diversions and NJ Transit cross-honoring.
Amtrak will run fewer trains during the month of construction, with more than 280 trains adjusted. Riders of the Acela, Northeast Regional and Keystone lines will all have to face reductions in service. Several trains that commuters depend on for weekday trips have been removed from the schedule for the month.
Customers can call 800-USA-RAIL or use the chat function at Amtrak.com to transfer existing tickets for trains that may no longer be running.
Amtrak says commuters should allow for extra travel time, consider alternative travel options, or just work from home if possible, both agencies have stated.
“In just a few short weeks, we will reward the patience of Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT customers by helping eliminate a cause of long delays and unreliable commutes,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said in a statement last month.
The work will happen simultaneously on both sides of the bridge, according to Amtrak. It’ll include connecting 2.5 miles of new railroad to existing infrastructure, building two new interlockings and laying down 4,500 feet of new track. The railroad is anticipating that will require around 40,000 hours of work, with two shifts of around 70 to 90 workers a day.
The Portal North Bridge project is part of the larger Gateway Program to renovate the Northeast Corridor, but the cutover work is unaffected the Trump administration's attempt to freeze the program's funding, according to NJ Transit. The project's Portal Bridge portion is in its final stages and fully funded, officials said.
The cutover work is expected to be completed by March 14, with regular schedules resuming the next day.
Tagged
amtrak
new york city
transportation
Catalina Gonella
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