NJ TRANSIT's website as of approximately 6 PM EDT said simply this:


It is assumed that this included ALL commuter rail operations (including the Atlantic City Line) and the two light rail lines in Hudson and Essex Counties.

As of 8 PM EDT, a new message now says:


More at 8:07 PM EDT:

I can promise you that NJT isn't getting into Penn, I can hear PSCC and nothing is moving in or out of Penn.

Penn Station (the building) may be open, but that does not mean that any trains were running to or from it at that time. They may be now, as per the latest message from NJT at 8:30 PM:


OK, logic time ---

If the M&E line is suspended, then how is Midtown Direct running? In the last update, both M&E and NEC were still down, but Midtown Direct was running, which tells me that they were simply operating very short shuttle trains back and forth over the Kearny Connection!

In NJ TRANSIT's last advisory of the night before they shut that feature down around midnight, they have announced the following regarding commuter rail service on Friday, August 15th:

Morning alerts for NJ TRANSIT:

The 9:30 AM EST update from NYC:


NJT is providing service on about half of its lines. They include the NEC, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley, and the Morris & Essex. The M&E is not running into Hoboken, it is only running Midtown Direct service. All trains are running on a Saturday schedule.

Posted at 1:16 PM, 8/15/03:

Posted at 1:18 PM, 8/15/03:


Posted at 1:20 PM, 8/15/03:

Posted at 1:22 PM. 8/15/03:

Posted at 2:27 PM, 8/15/03:

Posted at 9:45 PM, 8/15/03:

Press release from NJ TRANSIT 8/15/03:

NJ TRANSIT PREPARING TO RUN A FULL SATURDAY SCHEDULE AUGUST 16

NEWARK, NJ – Thousands of NJ TRANSIT employees have been working around the clock to fully restore service – and keep customers informed of service updates – on the NJ TRANSIT bus and rail system. As a result, NJ TRANSIT expects to operate full service on its bus and rail system Saturday, August 16.

NJ TRANSIT rail service – which was suspended on five lines today due to ongoing regional power problems – will return to a normal Saturday schedule tomorrow. NJ TRANSIT bus service to New York – which ran on a limited basis today to operate reliably in and out of New York – will also begin operating on a regular Saturday schedule tomorrow.

NJ TRANSIT’s Newark City Subway and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail services – which operated a regular weekday schedule today – will continue to operate full service tomorrow.

“I would like to thank our customers for their extraordinary patience last night – and their decision to listen to the advice of Governor McGreevey by restricting their travel today – as we worked to recover as quickly as possible,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director George D. Warrington. “Now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of thousands of our employees, we continued operating while making a quick recovery from a tremendously difficult situation.”

All rail lines will operate on a Saturday schedule tomorrow (the Pascack Valley and Montclair-Boonton lines do not provide service on Saturdays and will not be operating tomorrow).

Local NJ TRANSIT bus service in New Jersey operated on a regular weekday schedule today. However, only limited bus service was provided in and out of New York. As of noontime today, all inbound bus service to the PABT was suspended to allow for a reliable outbound service during the afternoon rush hour. Buses departing from a location adjacent to the PABT are transporting passengers to the Meadowlands Park/Ride through 7:30 p.m. today, where connecting regional bus service is available. A full Saturday bus schedule is planned for tomorrow, including service in and out of New York beginning at 6 a.m.

NJ TRANSIT’s cross-honoring program will remain in effect this evening, offering passengers the flexibility of using any NJ TRANSIT bus or rail ticket on any NJ TRANSIT train or bus, the Newark City Subway, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Coach USA bus or Academy bus. The cross-honoring program will end tomorrow morning.

For further information, riders in North Jersey can call NJ TRANSIT between 6 a.m. and midnight at 1-800-772-2222 or at 973-762-5100 from out of state. In South Jersey, riders may call NJ TRANSIT between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. at 1-800-582-5946 or at 215-569-3752 from Pennsylvania. For persons with hearing impairments, the number is 1-800-772-2287. Riders can also visit the NJ TRANSIT website at http://www.njtransit.com.

According to local news reports, as of 9:15 AM on Saturday, NJT is operating a normal weekend schedule.