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NJ TRANSIT NJ TRANSIT

UPDATED SERVICE ADVISORY: HBLR ROUTE ADJUSTMENTS PLANNED FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY

Hudson-Bergen Light Rail routes will terminate prior to Exchange Place during the Jersey City Freedom Fireworks Festival

 

June 26, 2018

 

NEWARK, NJ --  NJ TRANSIT will adjust Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) service on Wednesday, July 4, as

Jersey City hosts its 5th Annual Jersey City Freedom Fireworks Festival at Exchange Place. The Independence Day event, which is expected to attract 100,000 attendees, will run from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and feature live music and an evening fireworks display.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Beverages of any kind, in any type of container, open or closed, will not be permitted on board train/bus/light rail cars. This policy will be strictly enforced.  As a reminder, beverages of any kind are not permitted at any time on board buses regardless of the event.

 

In the interest of public safety around Exchange Place due to the expected crowd size, beginning at 10:00 a.m. on July 4, HBLR will adjust service on the routes which normally travel through and serve Exchange Place:

 

At the request of public safety officials, beginning at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. light rail vehicles will travel through Exchange Place but will bypass the Exchange Place stop.  Customers will not be able to board or exit light rail vehicles at Exchange Place during this time.  Customers may use Essex St. or Harborside as alternates.

 

Beginning at 2 p.m. until the end of the event, HBLR trains will terminate one stop prior to Exchange Place in either direction. During this time, light rail vehicles will not travel through Exchange Place and will terminate service at either Essex St. (from the south) or Harborside (from the north).

 

NORTHBOUND:

  • All northbound service from 8th Street or West Side Avenue will operate every 15 minutes and will terminate at Essex Street.

SOUTHBOUND:

  • Southbound service from Tonnelle Avenue will terminate at Harborside operating every 20 minutes until 5 p.m. and every 15 minutes after 5 p.m.

 

Shuttle service between Tonnelle Avenue and Hoboken and between Harborside and Hoboken will operate every 20 minutes. 

 

DURING THIS TIME, ALL CUSTOMERS TRAVELING FROM HOBOKEN AND NEWPORT TO EXCHANGE PLACE ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO USE PATH.

 

Normal HBLR service will resume when the New Jersey Transit Police Department determines it is safe to reopen Exchange Place to light rail traffic.

 

Light rail vehicles can safely transport a maximum of 3,000 customers every hour in each direction. Current estimates forecast attendance to potentially be in excess of 100,000 people.

 

Customers who don’t plan to attend the festival are strongly advised not to travel toward Exchange Place as they will experience significant vehicle and pedestrian congestion. 

 

NJ TRANSIT ambassadors and operations personnel will be at key festival locations to assist customers.

 

Travel tips

 

  • Check Schedules in Advance: Customers should sign up for My Transit alerts to get updated service information sent directly to cell phones or email accounts.
  • Allow Extra Travel Time: Attendees planning to utilize HBLR service to or through Jersey City will encounter overcrowding and may experience extensive delays due to high passenger volumes, along with significant pedestrian and traffic congestion around stations and tracks. With this, HBLR customers should build extra time into travel plans, consider leaving Exchange Place before the end of the fireworks, or utilize PATH to/from Exchange Place.
  • Ticketing: Customers are strongly advised to buy roundtrip tickets from ticket vending machines in advance of the event.
  • Check for Updates: Listen to news media for service updates, visit njtransit.com for up-to-the-minute service information, or access our Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT.

 

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 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.

 

This document and others are available for translation on njtransit.com.