NJ Transit resumed limited bus and train services on Monday after service was suspended Sunday during the winter storm. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor)
NJ Transit resumed limited service Monday after a one-day suspension while a storm blanketed parts of the state with up to 17 inches of snow, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Monday.
Sherrill, speaking to reporters in Maplewood, commended the state Department of Transportation and transit officials for working throughout the storm to ensure people could safely travel.
“We saw everyone working together and at a really high level of preparation. It was pretty impressive, and the people of New Jersey, I think, should be very, very proud of their public workers and the people who serve the public for all of the hard work they did around the clock,” she said.
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As of early Monday afternoon, about 85 bus lines were operating — the agency oversees more than 250 bus routes — and most train lines were running on a weekend schedule. Trains will continue to operate on a weekend schedule on Tuesday, and commuters should expect some delays.
Sunday’s snowstorm marked the first major storm under Sherrill, who took office last Tuesday. She said she had been in contact with state officials during the transition period, aware that her swearing-in would take place in the middle of winter.
The storm was seen as her first major test, since extreme weather bedeviled some of her predecessors during their first years in office. A 2018 storm under former Gov. Phil Murphy led to massive gridlock on state highways and local roads, while ex-Gov. Chris Christie was criticized for remaining on vacation at Disney World when a blizzard hit in 2010.
Sherrill declared a state of emergency starting Saturday (she ended it Monday) and announced a temporary suspension of transit service, cutting bus, light rail, and access link services all day Sunday, with train service ending at 2 p.m. that day.
On Monday, NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri thanked Sherrill for leading with “pragmatism that we sorely needed.” The transit agency typically suffers during times of extreme heat and extreme cold.
“The storm is clearly over, but I remind everybody that the cold weather wreaks havoc on the infrastructure. Not just on our infrastructure, but the northeast corridor infrastructure, which is so critical for our service,” he said.
Kolluri also urged municipalities that own bus shelters to clean them to avoid having riders stand on roadways.
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