Manic Monday: NJ Transit strike is over — but commuters still feeling the pain: ‘Pandemonium!’

NJ Transit riders are breathing a sigh of alleviation arsenic nan obstruction strategy reached a tentative statement to bring a short-lived engineers’ onslaught to an end, but they’re coping pinch 1 much miserable time until trains are backmost successful service.

Long lines snaked passim nan 3rd level of nan Port Authority Bus Terminal successful Manhattan Monday afternoon, good up of nan accustomed rush-hour crush, arsenic commuters scrambled to drawback shuttles to park-and-ride tons connected nan different broadside of nan Hudson.

“I told my leader connected Friday that I’ll beryllium leaving early arsenic agelong arsenic this point went on. Look astatine this line! It’s not moreover 2:30 successful nan day yet, and there’s a 100 group connected this line,” Bob P., 26, who was waiting to drawback a shuttle autobus to nan Old Bridge park-and-ride, told The Post.

“Do you person immoderate thought what this is going to look for illustration astatine 5 aliases 6 astatine night? Pandemonium!”

Youth worker Terry Jones, 47, sewage into a shouting lucifer pinch a transit worker during nan evening unreserved hr aft he thought nan staffer was excessively fierce corralling commuters.

“I conscionable want you to put maine connected my bus,” Jones yelled astatine nan worker earlier getting connected an escalator. “Stop talking to me. Leave! Like get a supervisor, Jesus Christ.”

Jones’ travel into nan metropolis from Carteret would usually return 45 minutes, but it was double that clip Monday greeting and made him precocious for work.

“If it’s a 1 retired of 10 —10. Pissed off. Ten, yeah, a 10. I’m pissed off,” he seethed. “This is ridiculous … That makes maine consciousness horrible, particularly successful worldly pinch these trying times and worldly pinch jobs that are laying group off.”

When Ankit Kumar, 21, arrived astatine nan Port Authority Monday evening, he quickly reversed people and went backmost to his agency for 2 much hours until nan throngs of commuters shrank.   

“It’s highly annoying because you’re expected to get location aft 6 [p.m.], I get location astir 7 [p.m.], but it’s going to beryllium 9 aliases 10 [p.m.] and I person to get up astatine 6 [a.m.] again tomorrow,” nan paralegal said. “I’m evidently irritated and irritated.”

Kumar, who typically has a three-hour commute, said he was already considering moving to nan Big Apple – but now nan short-lived onslaught has made that a stronger possibility.

Technician Ansel Walters, 49, stood successful a agelong statement aft he initially thought his days connected a shuttle autobus were complete erstwhile he heard a woody was reached. His emblematic commute is simply a specified 35 minutes, but now it’s two-and-a-half hours.

“Actually, while I was connected nan buses, a fewer group sewage disappointment and sewage disconnected because it was conscionable taking excessively long,” Walters said.

Property head Sharon Adamo, 64, was fresh to return to a much comfortable thrust nan remainder of nan week.

“People opinionated connected nan bus, I deliberation it’s outrageous, it’s uncomfortable, it is dangerous,” said Adamo, whose round-trip commute to and from Rahway has been extended by astir an hour. 

The Garden State-owned nationalist transit supplier made a woody to bump salary for engineers, who person not had a raise since 2019. The statement was reached aft 2 days of tense negotiations, culminating pinch a activity stoppage that saw 450 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen national members locomotion disconnected nan occupation Friday aft midnight.

The activity stoppage — nan first for nan obstruction strategy since 1983 — led to a stressful commute for tens of thousands of New Jersey residents.

“I americium delighted to study that NJ Transit and nan Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) person reached a tentative statement and arsenic a result, New Jersey’s first obstruction onslaught successful decades has officially travel to an end,” Gov. Phil Murphy said astatine a property convention Sunday night.

Union activity initially said nan commuting nightmare was complete and its workers “will return to activity and trains will statesman moving connected their regular schedules Monday,” according to Politico, but NJ Transit, Murphy and a national rep later amended nan scheduling, saying trains won’t commencement moving until 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

The transit agency released a schedule of nan first trains expected to tally predawn Tuesday pinch nan earliest trains group to tally astir 4 a.m.

“Friday sucked! The first autobus astatine 5:05 a.m. didn’t moreover show up successful nan morning, and past this greeting this autobus was late,” Tom Krebs, 61, a Manhattan doorman who lives successful Riverside said.

“I mean, connected nan agleam side, they opened up nan autobus lane early this morning, for illustration astir 5:30 a.m., truthful we sewage present pinch nary problem. But man, I americium gladsome they settled it! I’ve been a doorman for 42 years, and this is not what I needed conscionable earlier retirement.”

Jeanne Lotte, 31, an executive adjunct jumping connected a autobus to Secaucus, was besides thrilled to spot nan onslaught scope its conclusion.

“I’m sneaking retired of activity early truthful don’t show my boss. It was a nightmare getting into that parking batch this morning. Thank God this is not going to spell connected for days and days,” she said.

“This greeting was beautiful frantic. The looks connected people’s faces was capable to scare nan hellhole retired of you.”

Additional reporting by David Propper.