Commuter chaos: Crash halts light rail in Downtown Jersey City for 2.5 hours
- Commuter Chaos
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- June 10, 2018
Light Rail commuters in Downtown Jersey City faced major disruptions to service after a light rail train collided with a vehicle on a busy segment of Jersey City’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. An incident like this would cause major commuter chaos if it occurs along one of the proposed Surrey LRT lines.
According to numerous sources including CBS New York, NBC New York, WABC 7, and WPIX 11, a light rail train collided with a vehicle at approximately 12:50PM eastern time. There were no passengers on the train, and the crew was uninjured, but the driver of the vehicle was treated for minor injuries. Service was subsequently suspended on a busy segment that carries two LRT lines.
Substitute bus service was provided by NJ Transit, but many passengers disembarking at the two LRT stations chose to walk between them. Frustrated passengers vented their grievances on social media, with some reporting being delayed in excess of 2 hours. Regular service was not fully restored until 3:27PM eastern time, more than 2-and-a-half hours after the crash.
#njtransit ya owe me $50 for getting making me two hours late.
— Niıġhťïmė99Ġunna (@Stacksdabaus) June 10, 2018
Not only is the light rail every 30 minutes, but now there’s an accident so once you get close to downtown it’s replaced by a bus. I mean why even bother.
— dana m.f. patton (@danaMpatton) June 10, 2018
Surrey's LRT proposal will be prone to disruptions.
Once again, this incident highlights a major, fundamental flaw of the proposed street-running light rail system endorsed by TransLink, the Regional Mayors’ Council, and the City of Surrey.
The proposed LRT lines run in the medians of major arterial roads, and would cross through several busy intersections at street level. Incidents like this, where LRT trains are involved in collisions with vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians, can necessitate complete shutdowns of that segment of the LRT system. Any one of these busy intersections could be blocked and shut down if there is an accident.
Pictured in header: LRT accident crash scene in Jersey City, New Jersey
Commuter Chaos
SkyTrain for Surrey is a BC-based community organization that has advocated for the expansion of the Vancouver SkyTrain system, including our successful advocacy for the under-construction Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension.
Commuter Chaos stories are our documentation of the inevitable outcome of choosing an LRT system, especially when it is chosen in place of a SkyTrain or a grade-separated metro.
Media Contact: Daryl Dela Cruz – Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey ・ Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]
