Commuter Alert: NJ Transit CEO on 5-week Portal North Bridge project

Today is the first true test of phase two of the portal bridge cutover. All right, commuters on NJ Transit and Amtrak are facing weeks of service changes. We just heard Inez talk about some of the complications this morning. Jessica Formoso, she's on the ground in Hoboken with a closer look. Jessica, what's happening? Good morning, Dan and Rosanna. We're talking about 30,000 commuters who are impacted by the new schedule, a schedule that started on Sunday. But really, as you said, today is really the true test as how things are going to go for NJ Transit and also Amtrak riders. We've been speaking with a couple of riders here this morning and look, this is not the first time they're doing this because if you remember back in February, March, they were here. Same thing was phase one, now phase two in the final phase. But to talk about all this, I'm going to bring in the CEO and president of NJ Transit, Chris Colori. Good morning. Thanks for joining us this morning. Okay, so phase two, the final phase. How is this phase different for riders compared to the first one? Well, the good news is it's exactly the same. So, as you said, our commuters are used to it because they went through this in the spring of this year and we want to make sure that they understand that this bridge is 116 years old and it has to get replaced and that's why we're doing it, but I'm so appreciative of the customers for working with us on this. So we know that a lot of your riders are coming here to Hoboken. From here, they have to transfer either a ferry, the PATH train, or take a bus into New York City because there are no direct trains during the week into New York Penn Station. You've heard from commuters yourself. You took a train in this morning. What are the struggles? Look, obviously, it's a little bit different than what they're used to. They're used to going right to Penn Station. The good news is that we are cross-honoring when they get here. If they're going to 33rd Street, we cross on our own ferries and PATH. In fact, their ticket is slightly cheaper, if you will. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it is an inconvenience for people. And that's why I've said you give us these five weeks. This bridge will not be a problem for the next 100 years. Let's talk about this bridge, 116 years old. And there has been issues, right, delays. We're talking now that with this new project, moving this final track over, Can you guarantee that there will be less disruptions, no more delays, more reliable? Well, this is about building a reliable system. This is one of the several projects that are happening between Newark and Penn Station, New York. This bridge has been a problem for 30 years. It's caught on fire a couple of times. It's always had trouble closing and opening during hot weather. So this bridge has to get replaced, and that's why we're doing it, All with the goal of building a reliable system. My last question to you, five weeks of this, how sure or how confident are you that it will be done on time? Things that are within our control, I'm very confident that we can meet the schedule. If there are safety issues or if there's weather issues like we had this weekend, fortunately, despite the crazy weather this weekend, our work finished on time. So, as long as the uncontrollables, I like to call it, are kept at bay, I feel pretty confident. Okay, and one last thing. What message do you have for your riders? I'm so grateful for their patience. Look, I'm a rail commuter myself. I take the train every day. So, I know what it means when there's delays or diversions, but I appreciate their patience. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. I appreciate it. Dan and Rosanna, you heard it here from Chris Calori, the CEO and president of NJ Transit. my advice to all of you who are doing the transfer here in Hoboken just make sure you check your app and the websites for any last minute changes back to both of you Jessica thank you very much great interview a lot of very important information there