Travels With Tonoose

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By Anthony Buccino

BUS - TRAIN LIGHT RAIL AUTO FOOTPATH

Newark Subway Backdown

Anyone who rode the Newark City Subway - er, lightrail - this morning might have found themselves half-way between Military Park station and Penn Station when a switching problem developed.

Not to worry. Within ten minutes the 45-cent light might still have been out, but at least the driver was allowed to back up from the midway point between the stations.

Actually, at one point it was described as 'no service at Penn Station' whatever that means. No power? No stairs? No escalator? No elevator? No conductor tipping his hat and saying THANK YOU FOR PAYING MY SALARY, what?

Outside Military Park buses will take you to Penn Station, the driver announced as he offered his most sincere apologies for our delay.
Another announcement described a switch or track problem.

Perhaps there's only one way IN and one way OUT of Penn Station?

After nine a.m., we disembarked into the Military Park station.... to waiting buses.

You might have thought that someone from NJ Transit would have been at the station directing bewildered commuters to the correct exit and waiting buses.

You would be wrong.

First the commuters had to decide to go left or right to find an exit.

If you didn't know you were in a modern, thriving big city in a large metropolitan area, you would be certain the lightrail had dropped you off in a third-world transfer station on the way to limbo.

The ear-piercing screech of the public address system cordially explained to those who could still hear that there was a broken down rail car.

It was not enough to distract you from the decrepit condition of the stairs. (This neglect did not occur overnight, you know.)

Once outside the Military Park Newark City Subway station, the bewildered commuters found no buses. Nor was there any NJ Transit personnel directing the wayward toward Penn Station.

Was Penn Station to the right, or to the left? Or backwards?

A few dozen losers hoofed it, following someone who seemed to know where she was going, to Penn Station, or some building that could pass for the largest hub of transportation outside New York City.

A flood of foreign language ensued. Huh?
Penn Station?

Follow the crowd, pal.

The beautiful losers hoofing it down what turned out to be Raymond Boulevard, across Mulberry Street, enjoyed the rare pleasure of crossing McCarter Highway at 9:25 on a cold February morning.

You might think that a large metropolitan transportation corporation would have an effective plan to deal with service interruptions for its commuters.

You, of course, would be wrong.

For this morning's route, NJ Transit gets an "I" for incomplete.

Anyone who was late can call NJ Transit for a tardy slip.

-- Happy Trails
---- Anthony

PS Dear Governor Corzine, Please institute a rule that anyone who works for NJ Transit should have to use it's facilities at least once a week to get from Point A to Point B. I'm sure that would greatly improve service.