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NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 11, 2026
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New Jersey governor's office via X
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 11, 2026
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NJ Transit and Amtrak commuters will likely need to adjust their travel plans over the next five weeks as construction continues on a new bridge over the Hackensack River.
Starting Sunday, Oct. 11, NJ Transit rail lines will experience cancellations, new departure times and changes to stopping patterns as crews work to finish transferring trains from the century-old Portal Bridge to its replacement.
The construction will allow crews to move the final track from the old bridge to the new Portal North Bridge. The $2.3 billion project is intended to eliminate a long-standing bottleneck for trains traveling between New Jersey and New York.
The old bridge frequently caused delays when it opened for boats and sometimes became stuck. The newer, taller bridge will double the clearance for passing boats, which will no longer require trains to stop while the bridge opens.
All but one NJ Transit rail line, the Atlantic City Rail Line, will see major changes to their schedules over the next five weeks.
Among the biggest changes, weekday NJ Transit trains on the Morris & Essex, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton lines that normally travel to and from New York Penn Station will instead be diverted to Hoboken.
Those trains will continue operating to and from Penn Station on weekends.
Riders traveling to and from New York can use PATH trains, NY Waterway ferries or NJ Transit buses from Hoboken.
Some commuters will also need to rely on buses as separate construction work takes place on the North Jersey Coast, Port Jervis and Raritan Valley lines.
Amtrak also plans to make changes to its schedule as it takes advantage of the reduced rail traffic to complete eight maintenance projects along the Northeast Corridor.
Regular NJ Transit service is expected to return Sunday, Nov. 15, once the bridge work is complete and safety testing is finished, according to the agency.
NJ Transit and Amtrak have posted adjusted schedules online. Riders can also check the agencies' apps and social media accounts for real-time service updates.
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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