EXTRA TRAINS, BUSES ADDED TO WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE FOR THANKSGIVING 'EARLY GETAWAY'

Kids ride free on NJT this holiday weekend

November 22, 2004
NJT-04-065

NEWARK, NJ - NJ TRANSIT will add six "early getaway" trains to its normal weekday schedule and provide extra bus service from the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Wednesday afternoon for the benefit of customers leaving work early for the Thanksgiving holiday.

On the Northeast Corridor, three additional trains - 8847, 8849 and 8853 - will depart New York Penn Station at 1:54 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:27 p.m., respectively. The three trains will make station stops at Newark Penn Station and Newark Liberty International Airport, then operate express to Metropark, making all stops thereafter to Trenton.

On the North Jersey Coast Line, additional Bay Head-bound train #8301 will depart Newark Penn Station at 3:47 pm, operate express to Woodbridge and then make all stops to Bay Head. Customers traveling from New York may use train #3503, which departs New York at 3:23 p.m., to connect with train #8301 at Newark.

For the benefit of Raritan Valley Line customers, train #5425, which departs Newark at 1:06 pm, will be extended to High Bridge as train #8525 and make all stops except Manville-Finderne. Extra train #8529 will depart Newark Penn Station at 3:34 p.m., making all stops to Raritan except Manville-Finderne. In addition, train #5711, the 6:23 p.m. express departure from Newark to High Bridge, and train #5903, the 6:29 p.m. local departure from Newark to Plainfield, will be combined into train #8545, which will depart Newark at 6:29 p.m. and make all stops to High Bridge except Manville-Finderne.

On the Morris and Essex Lines, "early getaway" train #8939 will depart New York at 3:10 pm, operate express to Summit, and then make all stops to Morristown Station.

NJ TRANSIT will offer additional departures from the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) on an as-needed basis starting at 12 noon, Wednesday, November 24. The Newark City Subway, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and River LINE will operate on a weekday schedule.

On Thanksgiving Day, NJ TRANSIT will add 16 trains for customers traveling to and from New York City for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Additional bus service will operate to the PABT between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. as customer demand warrants; additional outbound bus service will operate from the PABT between noon and 5 p.m. as demand warrants. The Newark City Subway, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and River LINE will all operate on a Sunday schedule.

On Friday, November 26, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, NJ TRANSIT will operate early getaway rail service from New York. The River LINE will stay open an extra three hours, operating on a weekday schedule with service until midnight. The Newark City Subway will operate on a Saturday schedule, and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekday schedule with extra service.

NJ TRANSIT will also offer additional bus service on more than a dozen lines to major New Jersey shopping centers, including Bergen Mall, Elizabeth Center, Garden State Plaza, Jersey Gardens, Livingston Mall, Newport Centre Mall, Paramus Park Mall, The Mall at Short Hills, The Mall at Mill Creek, Harmon Meadow, Willowbrook Mall, Woodbridge Center Mall, Cherry Hill Mall, Hamilton Mall, Moorestown Mall, Quaker Bridge Mall and Shore Mall. Bus customers should check their timetables and notices on buses for holiday service information.

Kids Ride Free on NJT

NJ TRANSIT's Family Super Saver Fare, which allows two children 11 and under to travel free with each fare-paying adult, will be in effect from 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 24 until 6 a.m. Monday, November 29. Senior citizen and round-trip excursion tickets will be valid without restriction throughout the period.

As a reminder, the City of New York has designated the following "gridlock alert" days, on which customers are strongly encouraged to leave their cars at home and use transit: Wednesday, November 24 (day before Thanksgiving); Tuesday, November 30 (tree lighting at Rockefeller Center); Friday, December 10 (popular shopping day); Wednesday, December 15 (matinee day at Broadway theaters/popular shopping day); Thursday, December 16 (popular shopping day); Friday, December 17 (popular shopping day); Wednesday, December 22 (matinee day at Broadway theaters/popular shopping day); and Thursday, December 23 (day before Christmas Eve).

For NJ TRANSIT schedules, fares and other information, customers may visit www.njtransit.com or call 1-800-772-2222.