Passenger Trains > NJ Transit problems to continue

More obfuscation from NJT. Mandated absences not excused, deep shortages of experienced people, uncompetitive pay scales.

https://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2018/09/no_light_at_the_end_of_the_tunnel_for_commuters_ti.html

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"He cited examples of engineers who are required to take time off for mandated physicals or for sleep apnea screening and were not given an "excused absence" by NJ Transit."

If that were true, why does a disproportionate amount of them occur on Mondays and Fridays ?

Because NJT has beaten its engineers to death by being so short of staff, and they're taking an extra day off in conjunction with their relief day.  

If NJT had been allowed to fill the engineers' ranks so that there were enough people to run the trains, the engineers wouldn't be working so much, and making so much overtime.  But after a while, you just don't want the money any more.  You want some time off.

The Christie administration failed NJT and the customers in a big, big way in cutting, cutting, cutting over the years.  I don't blame the engineers one bit.

Several people have cited the layoffs of whole classes of new NJT engineers as part of the problem, too. 

Guys move on, retire, etc and the ranks behind them are thinned out.  Not a good situation when you're the lowest paid agency in the region.  I can't imagine an NJT engineer running a MetroNorth Port Jervis train is very happy that he makes $20,000 less than a MetroNorth engineer running on the Hudson Line 20 miles away.  So, you walk / swim to a better job.  I've done that in my career.

Wednesday morning problems continue with Amtrak signal problems near Trenton NJ.  NJT trains cancelled, others delayed.

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/09/nj_transit_riders_facing_big_delays_this_morning.html

They are practicing the art of continuing problems on to next year to perfecton. They can do all the cancellations in the world on their own without any help whatsoever from Amrak these days.