TRENTON, N.J. — NJ Transit will observe a “fare holiday” Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, offering free rides on all modes across its network, Gov. Phil Murphy announced today (Thursday, Aug. 15).
The move is described as a “thank you” to riders for their continued patronage, particularly in light of ongoing service issues. NJ Transit rail service — particularly on the Northeast Corridor line shared with Amtrak — has seen significant disruptions this summer, leading to an agreement between the two operators to work cooperatively for solutions, calls for a federal investigation, and legislation requiring refunds for extremely late trains.
“Understanding that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing a one-week fare holiday for NJ Transit riders,” Murphy said in a press release. “As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and address the issues that have occurred this summer, especially on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare holiday offers our commuters some relief. We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we continue to be thankful to the many New Jerseyans who depend on public transit.”
Those who have purchased a monthly pass for August will automatically receive a 25% discount on their September pass on NJ Transit’s mobile app, or at ticket vending machines or ticket windows.
Along with the announcement of the fare holiday, NJ Transit said “significant short-term actions have already been taken and there has been noteworthy progress” under its joint plan with Amtrak to improve Northeast Corridor operations, including more NJ Transit equipment inspections and increased Amtrak work to inspect and repair catenary, signal systems, and electrical substations. The transit agency says these have “already led to a noticeable decrease in infrastructure-related incidents.”
NJ Transit said it is also working to address problems on its River Line light rail service, implementing supplemental bus service earlier this week while “holding [its] contracted operator accountable to expedite necessary repairs and upgrades to the light rail vehicles.” Six high-ridership stations are targets of the additional bus service while the River Line’s unique Stadler GTW diesel multiple-unit light rail equipment awaits custom auxiliary power units.
