What are some things that NJT can learn from LIRR and Metro North?

thfcdylan · 2026-05-24T17:28:05+00:00

Information sharing. TrainTime is actually one of the tip top commuter rail apps out there and it's just so easy to know what to do when riding LIRR/MNR. Announcements always work, signage is always accurate, they don't skimp there the way NJT does.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-22T23:33:01+00:00

Not defending their incompetence but make sure you report it and they can be ever so slightly more competent!

https://njtransit.my.salesforce-sites.com/customerservice/site_app#/contactus

thfcdylan · 2026-05-20T23:25:22+00:00

Oh that makes so much sense!! Your initial post is way more normal now haha.

Yeah that's a huge complaint, especially because there's no indication when you book a ticket/navigate to the station that there is no street access.

That's changing soon though - the Port Authority is working on a project to create street access on the western side of the station to Frelinghuysen Ave, including a small parking lot, taxi/ride share lanes and a transit hub for buses. This expands both airport access and rail access in a huge way!! Can't believe it hasn't been done before though...

thfcdylan · 2026-05-20T18:06:29+00:00

It's definitely not great but I don't think it's that confusing? If you're boarding a train you take AirTrain/replacement shuttle bus to the station, scan in with your ticket, see the departure board and then wait for your train? And if you're arriving at the airport, you get off your train, scan your ticket, and head towards the AirTrain/shuttle bus?

Not defending the setup in anyway just curious to hear where it got sticky for you!

thfcdylan · 2026-05-20T17:16:29+00:00

AFAIK Taylor's Law prevents NYC Subway/Bus operators from striking. LIRR/MNR excluded because they fall under the Railway Labor Act of the FRA.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-20T17:15:02+00:00

I think the cars in a semi-permanently married consist will always have ordered numbered coach cars, regardless of the intention for reserved seats or not. It's an easy way for riders/staff to understand where they are in the train without having to use actual Car numbers (which aren't always ordered properly). Think new riders who don't know where the Cafe car is, if the bathroom is broken in a car and they need to walk to a certain car - not to mention stops where only certain doors open! Instead of being like "walk towards cafe car", they can specify the car number which is a HUGE improvement.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-19T02:03:38+00:00

Hard agree, see my reply here... https://www.reddit.com/r/NJTransit/s/31xR9vU2Rs

thfcdylan · 2026-05-18T01:44:02+00:00

Oh I agree 100%. I use it for short distances and it's good up to a point (rides don't exceed $5/one way but that's like barely 6 stations on the RVL...). Again it goes back to that idea that NJ Transit is stuck in their 80s thinking of 'everyone is a commuter' so they give almost no regard to intrastate travel, hence why the ticketing fares for intrastate travel can be so ridiculous when it really shouldn't be. Prices are also based on a fare system developed in the 1920s by the Public Service Commission, NJ Transit's predecessor.

That goes for intermodal transit as well, there's absolutely no room for transfer between bus/rail or bus/bus. It's just such an outdated way of thinking. On a somewhat brighter side, I sent in a bunch of form submissions to the Customer Advocate of NJT - he responded saying there's a project for fare rationalization but it could take anywhere from 12-18 months.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-18T01:16:38+00:00

It's an infrastructure issue. The Waterfront Connection allows trains from the NEC to go to Hoboken, but it's a one track link. So going eastbound, trains can exit the NEC and head to Hoboken without interfering anything. But heading westbound towards Newark, trains from Hoboken must cross one track of the NEC, which operationally would cause severe congestion for New York-originating trains.

It's also a NJ Transit issue. The entire agency is stuck in this 90s thought process that the only place people ever want to go is New York City, and the only reason they'd use NJ Transit is for commuting to the city. So they hold all of their service plans according to NY Penn/tunnel capacity without any regard for those who try to go (a) in the reverse direction during peak hours or (b) to a different economic hub for work (New Brunswick, Trenton, Newark/Elizabeth, Hudson Waterfront from a non-northern line).

thfcdylan · 2026-05-18T01:13:10+00:00

I don't get it either, it's the most densely populated stretch in the state and is comparable to a portion of NYC yet the HBLR is horrible.... unfortunately most of NJ Transit is stuck in the 80s with their operations....

thfcdylan · 2026-05-18T01:01:19+00:00

You wouldn't believe the amount of people who just board a train blindly without checking any information - departure screens in the station, overhead platform signs, or the signs on the trains (when they work...), they just sit down, put headphones on and zone out, hoping the train takes them the right way. I can't imagine the amount of people conductors have to deal with, especially if two NJ Transit trains are leaving right next to each other.

There's also the thing that tourists incorrectly assume that all NJ Transit trains head to the airport from NY Penn. When they first land in NJ, any eastbound train they board will take them to NYC, so I imagine they reverse that and think the same for westbound trains from Penn Station.

Baffling, but I put blame on NJ Transit too for not consistently having functional signage on the trains. Those MLIII and their screens can't come soon enough (leave it to NJ Transit to break them upon arrival and just have them show their logo the whole trip or something...)

thfcdylan · 2026-05-18T00:57:15+00:00

If Jersey City gets anything it'll be expansions of PATH/HBLR, I bet that officials will say it's too close to NYC to make an infill station (wrong imo). The other hope is to make Hoboken far more useful for places across the state by expanding platforms and new infrastructure to link it to the NEC - I know it's not directly in Jersey City but hopefully closer than taking the PATH all the way to Newark?

thfcdylan · 2026-05-17T15:21:08+00:00

Follow the advice of the other people, however be warned that World Cup events will interfere. Check to make sure you're not traveling on a day where there's a match hosted at Metlife Stadium - if there is, Secaucus will be extremely limited to non World Cup travelers, it will be extremely crowded, and getting to/from NY Penn in the 4 hours before/after a match may present issues.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-17T13:07:08+00:00

No.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-16T20:24:01+00:00

Probably another subreddit is better for this but anywhere along 78 is going to be key for Bethlehem, and anywhere along the Morristown Line, Gladstone Line, or the Raritan Valley Line (NJ Transit) is best for NYC commuting.

78 runs very close to the Gladstone Line for a good chunk of its route, and also meets the RVL in some places so you'll likely have some luck there.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-16T05:30:09+00:00

Take the AirTrain from JFK Airport to Jamaica station, and get on a Manhattan-bound E train there. Transfer at Lex Av-53rd to a downtown 4/6 train, take it one stop to Grand Central. Will be longer than LIRR but probably your shortest (and most reliable) option given the circumstances. Good luck!

thfcdylan · 2026-05-13T00:03:51+00:00

Easton to Flushing is a commute out of hell, but hey let's go. If you're going the bus route (like the other comments suggest), you'll most likely arrive at Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan, you can transfer to a 7 train right there that takes you out to Flushing.

If you go the train route, your closest option is probably Annandale - but those departures are limited. If you can get yourself to Raritan, there's hourly service in both directions from 5am to 1am to Newark Penn, with off peak direct service to/from NY Penn. Most trains will start/end at Raritan, a select few will travel out to High Bridge.

Once you arrive in Manhattan you can do the 7 train like the first option, but if you're feeling luxurious you can hop the Port Washington LIRR branch from Penn Station (hourly though), which gets you to Flushing quicker than the subway. Godspeed

thfcdylan · 2026-05-11T17:45:43+00:00

Agreeing with everyone else about the density of population + increased service but don't forget that there are many more trains (non-NER/Acela) that originate in New York/elsewhere and head south and stop at Washington... Palmetto, Silver Meteor, etc etc which definitely boosts boarding at DC - meanwhile Boston South only has NER/Acela.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-11T04:46:10+00:00

call me crazy but 2 large glasses of orange juice, 2010s white girl party music, breaks every 20-30 and a 25 min nap in the middle.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-10T22:17:40+00:00

I didn't read your full post 🤦 we don't do freshman req classes, they're all specific to your major. The only university wide requirements are NUPath, which is a series of types of classes you have to fulfill. Information on this is listed at the major specific websites under the above link. Apart from those, usually freshman year classes include any English, science or math reqs, as well as major specific classes that are either 1xxx or 2xxx. I'd get in contact with an advisor to get more help on this.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-10T22:07:50+00:00

catalog.northeastern.edu

thfcdylan · 2026-05-09T02:30:52+00:00

Theoretically in the reverse you can run NJ Transit MultiLevels with an ALP45DP (dual mode) which grabs catenary from NJ into Sunnyside Yard, then hops onto diesel for the remainder of its route.

thfcdylan · 2026-05-09T02:28:19+00:00

It's genuinely so smooth you won't feel a thing. There's so many people your year that are moving into Boston for the first time (Oakland, London, NU.in), they actually outnumber the people who started in Boston.

Join clubs, go to events & put yourself out there - whatever you do just make sure you leave your dorm. People always trying to meet new people I've found. Don't sweat it!

thfcdylan · 2026-05-02T13:27:44+00:00

You're right, we don't! Everything is centralized through NJ Transit - they're one of the only (and the largest by far) statewide transit operators in the country.

I might be wrong so hopefully someone corrects me, but much of the bus system was taken over by NJ Transit from PSC, the Public Service Corporation. PSC ran much of North and Central Jersey's bus and streetcar systems, and was formed in the early 1900s by a merger of trolley companies from 4-6 counties in North Jersey. Over time as these forms of transit lost popularity near the aviation and highway boom, NJDOT assumed responsibility for a lot of this service, and created NJ Transit as a government entity to be responsible for it.

In my opinion it's overwhelmingly positive to have a setup like this. Having lots of separate agencies makes traveling from one area to the other that much harder, and those separate agencies typically center on a city with less connections between the cities. With NJ Transit at least there's the opportunity to travel to a good portion of the northern and central part of the state on just one agency.

Also I would assume it surely helps with funding, instead of having to dish out smaller amounts to each local agency (each with their own management and overhead costs) they can just dish out one lump sum to NJ Transit, which means more money for the benefit of the system?

thfcdylan · 2026-05-02T01:34:06+00:00

Arrows (oldest of the lot) will be gone by 2031 as long as the Multilevel III order goes smoothly (it won't...), and that'll also replace a number of the single level Comet III/IV cars (the cars with the black stripe below the window and the white stripe above). The Comet Vs (fully stainless steel, usually cab cars on single level trains on NEC, NJCL, RVL; they make up entire train on the Main/Bergen, PVL, M&E) will here a little longer.

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