NJ TRANSIT CUSTOMERS ATTENDING SEA.HEAR.NOW FESTIVAL AND RED BANK OYSTER FESTIVAL MAY EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DELAYS
Reduced NJCL Service Will Also Result in Limited Passenger Capacity Before and After the Festivals throughout the Weekend
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
NJT-18-069 |
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September 27, 2018 |
Contact: Press Office |
NJ TRANSIT CUSTOMERS ATTENDING SEA.HEAR.NOW FESTIVAL AND RED BANK OYSTER FESTIVAL MAY EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DELAYS
Reduced NJCL Service Will Also Result in Limited Passenger Capacity Before and After the Festivals throughout the Weekend
NEWARK, NJ — Customers taking NJ TRANSIT’s North Jersey Coast Line (NJCL) trains to the Sea.Hear.Now music festival in Asbury Park this weekend as well as the Red Bank Oyster Festival on Sunday may experience service delays of up to 30 minutes due to federally-mandated Positive Train Control (PTC) upgrade work.
Customers are reminded that with the end of summer, the NJCL is operating on its off-season schedule between Bay Head and Long Branch, with service operating every two hours through most of the day. The Amtrak track repairs originally scheduled this weekend for the Portal Bridge has been cancelled.
Important Note: Following the Sea.Hear.Now festival concerts on Saturday and Sunday nights, customer demand may exceed the capacity of the final trains. Due to the operational constraints of the ongoing PTC installation, NJ TRANSIT does not have the ability to add additional trains or additional cars to existing trains. This may result in some customers not being accommodated by the final trains and requiring them to use alternate transportation.
With the off-season schedule, Amtrak repairs, PTC upgrades and popularity of the festival, delays could result in crowding conditions on trains. Customers are encouraged to use early trains as their schedules allow, allow for extra travel time and consider alternative travel options.
Customers seeking to take NJ TRANSIT after the concerts end – scheduled for 10:30 p.m. both September 29th and September 30th – should be aware that the final trains will likely be very crowded and may not be able to accommodate everyone wishing to utilize the service. The final train times are as follows:
FROM ASBURY PARK
- To Long Branch/Newark/New York at 9:43 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.
- To Bay Head at 10:58 p.m., 12:58 a.m. and 2:54 a.m.
FROM LONG BRANCH
- To Newark/New York at 11:32 a.m. and 12:20 a.m.
- Note that the 11:59 p.m. train from Asbury Park connects with the 12:20 a.m. train from Long Branch.
Trains leaving from Asbury Park have a capacity of 690 seats. Trains leaving from Long Branch have a capacity of 920 seats.
NJ TRANSIT has been in communication with the festival promotors and Asbury Park officials to ensure they were aware of the potential delays and overcrowding, and asked that they convey the reduced service availability to attendees, staff and first responders.
For more information and language assistance, please call NJ TRANSIT Customer Service at (973) 275-5555 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 944,000 weekday trips on 251 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines, and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 165 rail stations, 62 light rail stations, and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia.