NJTRANSIT IS BY FAR THE ABSOLUTE WORST & MOST UNRELIABLE MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM IN THE ENTIRE U.S..ALWAYS HAVE BEEN ALWAYS WILL BE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY HIKE UP THE FARES
Fun fact: when Secaucus Junction opened, there was virtually no road access since the station was designed to be an interchange station. Over the past several decades, though, a relatively large bus interchange station has been added as well as (privately owned) parking and NJ Turnpike interchange 15X to access the station! Not to mention the large apartment complex that was built next to the station--it has ended up being an excellent example of not just transit-oriented development, but transit-encouraged development, as the surrounding land was pretty much all brownfields before the station was built..
@@Rickyrab Right. "Large apartment complex" and "interchange station" sounds more like Manhattan Transfer (aka Harrison). Secaucus Junction is in the middle of nowhere where most NJ Transit commuters happen to intersect 😅
@@samuelitooooo Secaucus Junction is almost 20 years old at this point...and while it still isn't as busy as most of north Jersey, there's a whole lot more there now than when it first opened, when it literally was in the middle of nowhere.
I heard somewhere that Exit 15X sees the least traffic on the NJTP. It is really close to the main exit to Secaucus, so 15X sees mainly for the station, the industrial area to the west of the station, and that apartment complex.
The only flaw with the Multilevel coaches is the material the windows are made from. Over the years they have fogged and pitted up. If you want a clear view you have to actively seek out a clear window which is becoming harder and harder to find
This is so true. I was on an NJ Transit multilevel coach from Princeton Junction Station to New York Penn. It was basically impossible to get a clear view of the outside. This was July 2021.
I ride the NEC on weekends and although I like the size of the windows in the multi-level, it is so difficult to find one that's not totally dirty on one side (usually opposite to which the train is moving). It drives my OCD crazy!
One nice thing NJ Transit did is to build a rail station at the Meadowlands when the new MetLife Stadium was built. They run a shuttle train service from Secaucus Junction to the stadium on days of events. When I lived on Long Island it made it much easier to get to the stadium rather than driving and paying the exorbitant parking fee.
It served as a union station back in the day when other railroads besides PRR stopped there (Lehigh Valley, Central of NJ, Reading), and it does today with Amtrak and NJT. The name is truly Pennsylvania Station, just like in New York and Baltimore.
@@charlesbaran1106 Correct. To refer to the current name Newark PENN station prevents confusion over the other NEWARK train station, Newark Broad Street station which is also has NJ Transit service.
@@charlesbaran1106 That is not what a Union station is; a Union station is not a station served by multiple railroads. A Union station is technically and officially a station that is jointly owned by multiple railroads, rather than a single railroad. Union stations form when multiple railroads are interested in building a new station in a specific location but no single company wants to bear the sole costs. The railroads will set up a subsidiary company which will own and operate the station. Each interested railroad will themselves own some share of the subsidiary, which are sometimes but not always equal shares. The owning railroads don't need to actually serve the station for it to be a Union station, but they almost always do.
@@Saxshoe As I'd noted, it is named Pennsylvania Station (for its original owner), only having served as a union station. Thanks for the legal clarification.
If I am not mistaken the area around 11:10 is where they recently upgraded the catenary system (the NEW JERSEY HIGH-SPEED RAIL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM) so that a stretch of track between New Brunswick and Trenton can support speeds of up to 160 mph (~260 kph)
Amtrak owns part of one other line, its Michigan Line between Chicago and the Detroit area. It owns the stretch between Pine Junction at Chesterton, IN and Battle Creek, MI. Amtrak also has leased the line east of Battle Creek from Norfolk Southern Railway; thus it controls almost the entire length of the former Michigan Central main line between Detroit and Chicago.
I used to ride the MARC version of this daily, on the Brunswick line. That single seat truly is the gem - plenty of room, and if you have a long commute and want to nap it is perfect for it.
Not quite sure what happened to the ticket vending machines - my friends and I have used Japanese and Chinese credit cards on them before and they worked perfectly well
Thanks for this video, it was really well done (as usual)! I rode this train each morning to work in the city for many years. I’d ride my bike to downtown Princeton, hop on the dinky train to Princeton Jct., and then proceed to NYC on the NE Corridor.
Ay, thanks for checking out my little state's rail network! I am glad that at least NJ has decent rail service, as a kid I loved these steel beasts, whizzing by. Haven't rode on em in a while, boy do I miss it.
One reason I dislike the Arrow IIIs vs the newer equipment: on the Northeast Corridor NJ Transit operates at up to 100 mph but the Arrow IIIs have been restricted to 80 mph max for many years, I believe due to the traction motors overheating at higher speeds. Before the 1993 rebuild by ABB, they routinely ran at 100 mph. Before they were rebuilt they had analog speedometers and you could watch the speed in the intermediate unused cabs of the consist. Back in my youth I remember seeing the speedometer at 105 mph between New Brunswick and Princeton Junction.
NJT is certainly one of my favourite US commuter railroads, especially their Bombardier fleet (ALP-45 and 46). They have a very modern and sleek look that will only be rivaled by CalTrain when they get their Stadler KISS units, and perhaps SEPTA and MARC get close with their electric loco-hauled trains. I wish they would introduce regular spacing between train departures though. Running trains at fixed times every hour makes using the service way more convenient as it's easier to remember departures.
Great trip report as always. I have used that line to Trenton on many occasions and also the North Jersey Coast Line to Middletown and Redbank when my brother lived in that area. I like those bi-level cars and back the mid 2000s when I travelled on those lines - there was also the ALP-44 locos which looked similar to the retired Amtrak AEM-7s.
Great video Thibault. Sorry you had difficulty buying your ticket. I've ridden this NJTransit line many times.....multilevels(upper level) and Arrow Ill's. Always a great experience. 👍👍😄😄💚💚
The new catenary runs from Monmouth Junction down a little past Princeton Junction. It is modern constant tension catenary design to allow for 160 mph operation of the next generation Acela aka the Alstom Avelia Liberty, but unlike the New Haven to Boston 25 kV catenary it is still the old voltage.
Hello! Welcome to the NJT NEC Line. Glad you enjoyed the ride, and a great video review. Prior to COVID, the NEC line was my ride to Midtown Manhattan. A few things: - That bridge you passed over into Newark Penn is known as "Dock" Bridge. Believe it or not, that bridge is a lift bridge that must be opened for marine traffic on the Passaic River with (I think) 4 hours' notice. I've seen that in action, and yes, when it is opened, given how older bridges tend to be maintained in NJ, you PRAY it closes properly. Note also you probably passed over another major swing bridge after leaving Secaucus Jct. (not sure if you pointed that out in your previous videos) - that's the famous (and much older) PORTAL bridge over the Hackensack River, and it's a source of delays to Amtrak and NJT trains because of maintenance issues and speed restrictions. The good news is that there are plans, now being funded, to replace PORTAL bridge as part of the Gateway Project. - It's good to see that NJT Rail Ops is trying to keep its onboard bathrooms clean. They had real problems doing so prior to COVID. That said, they are tough to come by on longer trains like the one you rode. You are in for a walk to get to them. - Stinks what happened to you at the ticket machine in Secaucus. NJT is in the process of replacing its ticket machines with those that can accept contactless payments. I wish the customer service agent was more helpful than just saying "Go to the ATM." - Finally, towards the end of the video, you caught a glimpse of the SEPTA Silverliner Vs (Hitachi-built, IINM). Trenton Transit Center is a major interchange point between NJT NEC services and SEPTA Regional Rail's Trenton Line (formerly the "R7" Line), with a connection of 30-45 minutes between the two (maybe less in some cases). It is not uncommon for commuters to transfer between the two if they are shuttling between NYC/NJ and Philadelphia, PA
You're absolutely right about the power supply--don't forget the third flavor that Amtrak locos have to deal with from Sunnyside Yard to New Haven, which is 12.5 kV at 60 Hz (not to be confused with the old Pennsy part you're on, which is 12 kV at 25 Hz)!
The Northeast Corridor Line is my favorite on NJ Transit! I've been on the whole thing between New York City and Trenton, as well as the Princeton Dinky.
Great video - nice to see a familiar route! I usually take Amtrak from NYC or EWK to Philadelphia but I have taken NJT to visit other family in NJ. I don’t recall having any problems with my Canadian (Canadian $) Visa card but it’s possible I went to the ticket office at Penn station (a few years ago). I have taken a train at night from Edison, NJ and New Brunswick, NJ to NYC and I don’t recall having an issue with the ticket machines at those stations. The problem I occasionally have when using a Canadian credit card is making an online purchase on a site that won’t accept a Canadian billing address. As you have travelled all over the US I assume you didn’t have problems with your card anywhere else. I’d like to try taking NJT and then SEPTA to Philadelphia but the connections in Trenton seem tricky, especially if you’re shlepping a suitcase as I would be.
I just took the NEC from Newark Airport to Hamilton a few hours ago - a super convenient way to get to/from the airport. Funny enough, I was on an ancient car - brown cracked pleather, faux woodgrain paneling, barf brown lino floor...maybe 80s vintage? - and I found myself wondering what Thibault would think of this well-past-prime specimen. Bonus - the end doors wouldn't close and the overhead racks were too small for modern carryon luggage!
As someone else said, you can almost always find Arrows on Gladstone Branch trains, but if you want them running with long trains at higher speeds, generally try to catch the NEC trains to Jersey Avenue around 4-6 PM. Often they run as Arrows during that time. Also, in my experience, train #3873, which leaves New York at 6:14 PM is *always* a 10, 11, or 12-car train of Arrow EMUs, and runs all the way to Trenton.
Loved this video, I'm glad you got one of the good double decker cars, they still employ the now rare Bombardier Comet II cars on that line sometimes. Surprised you didn't mention the Portal Bridge though, which was right after Secaucus. One of the most unreliable lengths of track in the region, since the bridge gets stuck "open" frequently to cause heavy delays since it only has two tracks, one for each way.
A quick note about the catenary. The frequency and voltage between New York (Gate interlocking) and Washington/Harrisburg is still 25Hz at 13Kv. With the introduction of solid state frequency converters allowing conversion from 60Hz down to 25Hz Amtrak has decided to stick with 25Hz for now. The section of constant tension catenary you saw was on a 10 mile section east of Trenton that was installed to allow 160 MPH speeds. This was also done as a test bed for conversion of the rest of the PRR catenary from variable tension to constant tension catenary.
10:52 Looks like I watched this one a year ago and commented then, too. Anyway, these poles are original to when the line was electrified but Amtrak has actually upgraded the catenary in this area recently (from New Brunswick to Trenton). Some poles have been replaced, others have not, but they have changed how the wires are suspended to allow constant tension in all weather. This should allow higher speeds on this fast, straight, level segment when the next-generation Acela (Avelia Liberty) trainsets go into service...eventually....maybe. It's still 12kV/25Hz though.
if you wanted to try an arrows III, you could've tried the princeton dinky at princeton junction, a little shuttle train that goes between the station and princeton university
These multilevel coaches were selected as they actually fit in the Hudson River tunnels, the LIRR on the other side of NY Penn Station bought double decker coaches that do not fit in the East River Tunnels, so they can only go as far as Long Island City, where passengers would have to transfer to the 7 train on the subway to get into the city. Usually you will see them being used on the non-electrified lines only (I live about one street away from the LIRR main line tracks so we see all kinds of LIRR trains.)
Nope. The LIRR double deck coaches do fit through the tunnels and are used for peak time services to and from Port Jefferson as well as destinations on the Montauk branch. Some of the diesel locomotives that haul them are dual mode capable and fitted with third rail shoes to run electric only through the tunnel and into Penn station. Its probably more because of track capacity why they don't all run to Penn. th-cam.com/video/kc5OOaQrFuo/w-d-xo.html
@@a.nonymouse1291 never saw that, this would be great on those days when the Queens Blvd line can’t run and they cross honor metro cards on the LIRR, but no I’m always stuffed into the single level car at forest hills.
@@joermnyc Yeah i think the double decks generally run express from Jamaica, and there's not that many of them in the first place as well that run into Penn. Only a handful.
You wanna ride an Arrow III? Try the Princeton branch "Dinky". Its the shortest commuter line in the US. And did I mention the power for that branch is always Arrows?
NJTransit got the Bombardier cars before MARC. I remember being in Baltimore in 2013, visiting the Baltimore Streetcar Museum with a friend, when a freight train rolled past the Museum, and there were 3 Bombardier cars at the end of the freight in NJTransit Paint Logos, heading South, which led to Me and My Friend chasing the freight to outside Baltimore, to see if what we saw was true (it was).
I rode the NJ Transit multilevels for the first time last week. Nice ride, but the issue I had was with the lexan windows becoming opaque and unable to see out of them. Doesn't look like your train had that issue. Those turboliners are some of the only ones left. I remember when they used to run on the Hudson Line.
@@solo6058 exactly, but those coaches are allowed even in Penn Station, so Amtrak could try them on the Northeast Regional, considering they wouldn't use an European design because of the lack of sparing parts, maybe this wouldn't be a problem if those coaches are already common
Eight NJ Transit multilevels were modified with business and first class seating and bar facilities for a short lived premium service between New York and Atlantic City beginning in 2008. Amtrak was said to have taken a look at it in planning eventual replacements for its Amfleet in NEC service, even though it was an NJT operation on behalf of Atlantic City casinos.
@@nicopavvi8494 The tunnel under the Hudson River is larger than tunnels in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC... Please don't assume all of the tunnels have the same dimensions...
The Arrow IIIs are still fun to ride, even if they show their age. I'm sorry you missed out. As others noted, they are always in use on the Princeton shuttle as well as on the Gladstone Branch (for trains going to Hoboken rather than New York, since they can't switched voltages on the fly, and the Hoboken division uses 25kV/60Hz), but the best place to experience them is still on the NEC in those big 10-12 car consists. They are significantly slower at top speed but they accelerate so well that you think you're going faster than on the multilevels. Plus the picture-of-wood interiors are just glorious. If you're of a certain age it's is an instant nostalgia trip back to the "wood age" when everything had fake woodgrain decoration. The multilevels are objectively better, but the Arrows will certainly be missed when they go away. I don't really feel that way about the mix-and-match Comet II/IV/V trains, though. Just be glad you didn't get one of those.
Oh NJ transit, good and bad memories with for many of us. I appreciate you got to experience both an out of service bathroom and what looked like a pee filled toilet 😂 truly a New Jersey experience. Might I suggest a route though? The Boston North Station commuter rail from Boston to Salem is what I used to commute in on to Boston when I lived in Salem. It’s a very nice ride, verrry friendly staff, and a bit of history- you can see the sig. for the factory that makes marshmallow fluff along the way. I miss that commute!
If you want to ride the Arrow MU's, they run almost exclusively on the Gladstone Branch. Any 400 series weekday train between Hoboken and Gladstone or 700 series weekend train between Summit and Gladstone.
2:45 I was shocked by the low frequency. How can they have a 40 minute gap in service on the busiest line of the system? I would expect at least 15-minute service off-peak especially so close to the city.
North East Corridor in NJ only has ALP-46 with multilevel consists now. Off peak/overnights are single level Comet IVs and IIMs. Peak hours is when the Arrow Cars show up. The two lines that only use arrows are the Princeton Dinky, and the Gladstone branch, the Morristown line sometimes gets them. But it really comes down to availability
Great video as always. A simple note: 1) I see you paid $16.75 because you started at Secaucus Junction, it's always cost more there, if you started at Newark Penn, it's only $12.75. 2) The train now changed rom 3:06pm to 3:13pm for your same train previously 3) EMU hardly shows up on weekends, mostly during rush hours on these super express and the Gladstone trains 4) You can use your card at these TVM as long you choose 'Credit' and put zip as 00000 and you'll be able to purchase tickets 5) I see you are on a weekend schedule, try go on a weekday and go on a super express, it's more fun and they only make 2 or 3 stops on entire line and it's always packed!
The super express trains from Newark to Trenton are a remnant of the old Amtrak Clocker trains from NY to Philly. Amtrak sold the train slots to NJ Transit after ending the Clocker service.
As someone who took a similar commute daily, you hit the jackpot there. It feels like it was common to expect at least 15 minutes of delays both to and from, and the seats were always packed. Still way better then most other public transport options i had though. and yes there are only 1-2 toilets on the whole train. still beats walking though.
Simply Railway nice video . If you really want a nice ride on NJT NEC try Train 3917 in the AM . It stops at SEC, Newark Penn , The Airport , New Brunswick , Princeton Jct , Hamilton and Trenton
Remember one time we took the multilevels from MSU to NYP? Conner The Sushi Packer was riding along with us until the smelly storm hit the train after he had diarrhea in the bathroom, forcing 30 people in the hospital and everyone else off the train at Newark-Broad to catch the next! Riley and Lucy are extremely angry at him! What a smelly adventure we took on New Jersey Transit!
Literally just took this line to NYC out of Hamilton 2 weeks ago 😂😂 never fails to amuse me when I see something local-ish on here. On the way there we had double decker cars and on the way back it was one of the really old non-updated wood paneled cars. It was interesting to say the least.
Just about every railroad bridge over a river in America were built before the turn of the last century. Some wooden bridges have been replaced with steel bridges. Bridges over and under highways is another story depending on when the highway was built, not much different than anywhere else worldwide... A few railroad bridges built for new commuter rail have been built recently, but none are freight main line railroad bridges...
Ah you made it to my home line (though I only moved here a few months ago). A few corrections, it's Newark Penn Station not Union, and the Adams Yard is in North Brunswick not New Brunswick. I hope you do a video on the Trenton Line from Trenton to Philly. Some of the stations are very basic and interesting to see. You think it's hard using European credit cards here, try using US credit cards in Europe. It's literally impossible to buy fuel in France and many other countries without cash...and good luck getting gas in a small French town on Sunday when the stations are unstaffed!
Not sure if its mentioned here but pro tip if you ever use a foreign card to pay for a transaction and it requires a zip code just press 00000. It usually works, and its the way to do it on the Subway.
It's common in the U.S. for point-of-sale purchases to only accept payments that go through U.S. financial institutions. It' s not just New Jersey Transit. Even Canadians will go to the considerable trouble of getting credit card accounts in U.S. dollars to use in the U.S. All the Canadian banks offer such a service.
It's just weird that these ticket machines only accepts U.S cards. I have spend roughly 18 months in the US during the last 30 years and I can't remember any place where my foreign cards where declined (at least not all of them). Shouldn't at least a foreign Amex card work?
@ 3506Dodge, the reason for that *_may_* be because most banks in the United States are small savings & loan institutions (c.f. The Bailey Saving & Loan in _It's A Wonderful Life_ ) and they don't get a lot of foreign transactions, hence this requirement.
@@Neville60001 There are huge American banks. too. It doesn't have anything to do with that. It's for legal reasons. American banks are subject to 'know your customer' legal requirements.
Excellent video, warts and all. PATH is an acronym for Port Authority Trans Hudson. The lack of toilets was most surprising. How do Americans put up with this? The journey was not that short! The older catenary masts were probably the originals from the earliest days of electrification! Would you believe there are no tensioners for the wires so in very hot weather the wires expand and can cause untold damage! The US does not really do trains properly.
Metro-North, north of NYC, rebuilt their (even older!) catenary with tension weights over the last decade, so they don’t have as many issues anymore. It’s just that Amtrak is too backward. They spent more money on fixing their brain-dead 25hz system than it would have cost to change to 60 hz
They DO accept EU cards. You just have to choose Credit instead of checking/debit. It’s a quirk of the US banking system in my experience.
same in Canada
MTA takes international cards as well. If they ask for a zip code you just need to put 00000.
NJTRANSIT IS BY FAR THE ABSOLUTE WORST & MOST UNRELIABLE MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM IN THE ENTIRE U.S..ALWAYS HAVE BEEN ALWAYS WILL BE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY HIKE UP THE FARES
Fun fact: when Secaucus Junction opened, there was virtually no road access since the station was designed to be an interchange station. Over the past several decades, though, a relatively large bus interchange station has been added as well as (privately owned) parking and NJ Turnpike interchange 15X to access the station! Not to mention the large apartment complex that was built next to the station--it has ended up being an excellent example of not just transit-oriented development, but transit-encouraged development, as the surrounding land was pretty much all brownfields before the station was built..
Um, Secaucus Junction is not that old lol. Sure you're not confusing it with Manhattan Transfer?
Secaucus Junction is, like, a couple of decades old at most. I remember opening day...
@@Rickyrab Right. "Large apartment complex" and "interchange station" sounds more like Manhattan Transfer (aka Harrison). Secaucus Junction is in the middle of nowhere where most NJ Transit commuters happen to intersect 😅
@@samuelitooooo Secaucus Junction is almost 20 years old at this point...and while it still isn't as busy as most of north Jersey, there's a whole lot more there now than when it first opened, when it literally was in the middle of nowhere.
I heard somewhere that Exit 15X sees the least traffic on the NJTP. It is really close to the main exit to Secaucus, so 15X sees mainly for the station, the industrial area to the west of the station, and that apartment complex.
The only flaw with the Multilevel coaches is the material the windows are made from. Over the years they have fogged and pitted up. If you want a clear view you have to actively seek out a clear window which is becoming harder and harder to find
Same thing is true for the M7 fleet. All the windows on the south side of the train are completely hazed over
convertible coaches anyone?
This is so true. I was on an NJ Transit multilevel coach from Princeton Junction Station to New York Penn. It was basically impossible to get a clear view of the outside. This was July 2021.
I ride the NEC on weekends and although I like the size of the windows in the multi-level, it is so difficult to find one that's not totally dirty on one side (usually opposite to which the train is moving). It drives my OCD crazy!
Check out my Frontrunner video. The multilevel coach I used had nice windows. The are old NJT coaches the UTA purchased.
One nice thing NJ Transit did is to build a rail station at the Meadowlands when the new MetLife Stadium was built. They run a shuttle train service from Secaucus Junction to the stadium on days of events. When I lived on Long Island it made it much easier to get to the stadium rather than driving and paying the exorbitant parking fee.
Great Video! Though, the main station at Newark is not called Newark "Union" Station. Its name is Newark "Penn" Station.
It served as a union station back in the day when other railroads besides PRR stopped there (Lehigh Valley, Central of NJ, Reading), and it does today with Amtrak and NJT. The name is truly Pennsylvania Station, just like in New York and Baltimore.
@@charlesbaran1106 Correct. To refer to the current name Newark PENN station prevents confusion over the other NEWARK train station, Newark Broad Street station which is also has NJ Transit service.
@@kengazda6453 Good point!
@@charlesbaran1106 That is not what a Union station is; a Union station is not a station served by multiple railroads. A Union station is technically and officially a station that is jointly owned by multiple railroads, rather than a single railroad. Union stations form when multiple railroads are interested in building a new station in a specific location but no single company wants to bear the sole costs. The railroads will set up a subsidiary company which will own and operate the station. Each interested railroad will themselves own some share of the subsidiary, which are sometimes but not always equal shares. The owning railroads don't need to actually serve the station for it to be a Union station, but they almost always do.
@@Saxshoe As I'd noted, it is named Pennsylvania Station (for its original owner), only having served as a union station. Thanks for the legal clarification.
I used to ride this train often between NYC or EWR and New Brunswick when I was in College. Nice memories.
Rutgers alumni?
@@tianxiangzhu5275 Rutgers represent
If I am not mistaken the area around 11:10 is where they recently upgraded the catenary system (the NEW JERSEY HIGH-SPEED RAIL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM) so that a stretch of track between New Brunswick and Trenton can support speeds of up to 160 mph (~260 kph)
Amtrak owns part of one other line, its Michigan Line between Chicago and the Detroit area. It owns the stretch between Pine Junction at Chesterton, IN and Battle Creek, MI. Amtrak also has leased the line east of Battle Creek from Norfolk Southern Railway; thus it controls almost the entire length of the former Michigan Central main line between Detroit and Chicago.
Also the Keystone line from Philadelphia to Harrisburg.
I used to ride the MARC version of this daily, on the Brunswick line. That single seat truly is the gem - plenty of room, and if you have a long commute and want to nap it is perfect for it.
Not quite sure what happened to the ticket vending machines - my friends and I have used Japanese and Chinese credit cards on them before and they worked perfectly well
So have I, a few months ago actually, with no issues.
2:08 I don't know if it makes any difference, he/she tried to use a debit card, not credit card.
Bi-level interiors much nicer than I expected. Thanks for the ride.
Thanks for this video, it was really well done (as usual)! I rode this train each morning to work in the city for many years. I’d ride my bike to downtown Princeton, hop on the dinky train to Princeton Jct., and then proceed to NYC on the NE Corridor.
Ay, thanks for checking out my little state's rail network! I am glad that at least NJ has decent rail service, as a kid I loved these steel beasts, whizzing by. Haven't rode on em in a while, boy do I miss it.
One reason I dislike the Arrow IIIs vs the newer equipment: on the Northeast Corridor NJ Transit operates at up to 100 mph but the Arrow IIIs have been restricted to 80 mph max for many years, I believe due to the traction motors overheating at higher speeds. Before the 1993 rebuild by ABB, they routinely ran at 100 mph. Before they were rebuilt they had analog speedometers and you could watch the speed in the intermediate unused cabs of the consist. Back in my youth I remember seeing the speedometer at 105 mph between New Brunswick and Princeton Junction.
The newer catenary set up that you saw is an upgrade that was done a few years ago for higher speed service.
@Ann Hanover Do you even have a clue?
NJT is certainly one of my favourite US commuter railroads, especially their Bombardier fleet (ALP-45 and 46). They have a very modern and sleek look that will only be rivaled by CalTrain when they get their Stadler KISS units, and perhaps SEPTA and MARC get close with their electric loco-hauled trains. I wish they would introduce regular spacing between train departures though. Running trains at fixed times every hour makes using the service way more convenient as it's easier to remember departures.
The Northeast Corridor has got the best trains and beautiful stations and scenery.
Great trip report as always. I have used that line to Trenton on many occasions and also the North Jersey Coast Line to Middletown and Redbank when my brother lived in that area. I like those bi-level cars and back the mid 2000s when I travelled on those lines - there was also the ALP-44 locos which looked similar to the retired Amtrak AEM-7s.
Great video Thibault. Sorry you had difficulty buying your ticket.
I've ridden this NJTransit line many times.....multilevels(upper level) and Arrow Ill's. Always a great experience.
👍👍😄😄💚💚
The new catenary runs from Monmouth Junction down a little past Princeton Junction. It is modern constant tension catenary design to allow for 160 mph operation of the next generation Acela aka the Alstom Avelia Liberty, but unlike the New Haven to Boston 25 kV catenary it is still the old voltage.
While they may have built new poles and wires by the tracks, the old power supply system remains in place...
Hello! Welcome to the NJT NEC Line. Glad you enjoyed the ride, and a great video review. Prior to COVID, the NEC line was my ride to Midtown Manhattan.
A few things:
- That bridge you passed over into Newark Penn is known as "Dock" Bridge. Believe it or not, that bridge is a lift bridge that must be opened for marine traffic on the Passaic River with (I think) 4 hours' notice. I've seen that in action, and yes, when it is opened, given how older bridges tend to be maintained in NJ, you PRAY it closes properly. Note also you probably passed over another major swing bridge after leaving Secaucus Jct. (not sure if you pointed that out in your previous videos) - that's the famous (and much older) PORTAL bridge over the Hackensack River, and it's a source of delays to Amtrak and NJT trains because of maintenance issues and speed restrictions. The good news is that there are plans, now being funded, to replace PORTAL bridge as part of the Gateway Project.
- It's good to see that NJT Rail Ops is trying to keep its onboard bathrooms clean. They had real problems doing so prior to COVID. That said, they are tough to come by on longer trains like the one you rode. You are in for a walk to get to them.
- Stinks what happened to you at the ticket machine in Secaucus. NJT is in the process of replacing its ticket machines with those that can accept contactless payments. I wish the customer service agent was more helpful than just saying "Go to the ATM."
- Finally, towards the end of the video, you caught a glimpse of the SEPTA Silverliner Vs (Hitachi-built, IINM). Trenton Transit Center is a major interchange point between NJT NEC services and SEPTA Regional Rail's Trenton Line (formerly the "R7" Line), with a connection of 30-45 minutes between the two (maybe less in some cases). It is not uncommon for commuters to transfer between the two if they are shuttling between NYC/NJ and Philadelphia, PA
Correction: The Station is called Newark Penn. Not Newark Union.
So it is newark union? Gotcha
@@xistaticxi7243 You people dont read comments these days do you?
@@GEP43DC it was a joke man mainly bc I thought everyone knew it was penn
@@xistaticxi7243 Ok just making sure
You're absolutely right about the power supply--don't forget the third flavor that Amtrak locos have to deal with from Sunnyside Yard to New Haven, which is 12.5 kV at 60 Hz (not to be confused with the old Pennsy part you're on, which is 12 kV at 25 Hz)!
Dude, that's awesome! I watch NJ Transit videos all the time because I live on Long Island in New York.
The Northeast Corridor Line is my favorite on NJ Transit! I've been on the whole thing between New York City and Trenton, as well as the Princeton Dinky.
Love all your videos! Your content is great, keep up the good work!
Great video - nice to see a familiar route! I usually take Amtrak from NYC or EWK to Philadelphia but I have taken NJT to visit other family in NJ.
I don’t recall having any problems with my Canadian (Canadian $) Visa card but it’s possible I went to the ticket office at Penn station (a few years ago). I have taken a train at night from Edison, NJ and New Brunswick, NJ to NYC and I don’t recall having an issue with the ticket machines at those stations.
The problem I occasionally have when using a Canadian credit card is making an online purchase on a site that won’t accept a Canadian billing address.
As you have travelled all over the US I assume you didn’t have problems with your card anywhere else.
I’d like to try taking NJT and then SEPTA to Philadelphia but the connections in Trenton seem tricky, especially if you’re shlepping a suitcase as I would be.
Thanks for the heads-up about the ticket machines.
I just took the NEC from Newark Airport to Hamilton a few hours ago - a super convenient way to get to/from the airport.
Funny enough, I was on an ancient car - brown cracked pleather, faux woodgrain paneling, barf brown lino floor...maybe 80s vintage? - and I found myself wondering what Thibault would think of this well-past-prime specimen. Bonus - the end doors wouldn't close and the overhead racks were too small for modern carryon luggage!
When I ride the NJ Transit multilevels I prefer the lower deck. It feels more cozy and private than upstairs.
Class 101 aka the ALP-46 might be one of my favorite electric locomotives in America. right behind the HHP-8
As someone else said, you can almost always find Arrows on Gladstone Branch trains, but if you want them running with long trains at higher speeds, generally try to catch the NEC trains to Jersey Avenue around 4-6 PM. Often they run as Arrows during that time. Also, in my experience, train #3873, which leaves New York at 6:14 PM is *always* a 10, 11, or 12-car train of Arrow EMUs, and runs all the way to Trenton.
Loved this video, I'm glad you got one of the good double decker cars, they still employ the now rare Bombardier Comet II cars on that line sometimes.
Surprised you didn't mention the Portal Bridge though, which was right after Secaucus. One of the most unreliable lengths of track in the region, since the bridge gets stuck "open" frequently to cause heavy delays since it only has two tracks, one for each way.
Portal North Bridge is currently undergoing a $1.8 billion redevelopment.
@@syed2194, that's good news to hear.
Cool great I have to take this train this week! Very informative video awesome thanks!
I actually came from Hoboken to Secaucus and from there to Hamilton by myself on the way home, it was an amazing experience , I love NJT
I like the train engine, It's iconic to me.
A quick note about the catenary. The frequency and voltage between New York (Gate interlocking) and Washington/Harrisburg is still 25Hz at 13Kv. With the introduction of solid state frequency converters allowing conversion from 60Hz down to 25Hz Amtrak has decided to stick with 25Hz for now.
The section of constant tension catenary you saw was on a 10 mile section east of Trenton that was installed to allow 160 MPH speeds. This was also done as a test bed for conversion of the rest of the PRR catenary from variable tension to constant tension catenary.
Yep! Even the NJT trains got a slight speed boost through that section as a result.
10:52 Looks like I watched this one a year ago and commented then, too. Anyway, these poles are original to when the line was electrified but Amtrak has actually upgraded the catenary in this area recently (from New Brunswick to Trenton). Some poles have been replaced, others have not, but they have changed how the wires are suspended to allow constant tension in all weather. This should allow higher speeds on this fast, straight, level segment when the next-generation Acela (Avelia Liberty) trainsets go into service...eventually....maybe. It's still 12kV/25Hz though.
That smell in Secaucus. It's been on record since the 18th cen.
methane gas from the surrounding marshes.
if you wanted to try an arrows III, you could've tried the princeton dinky at princeton junction, a little shuttle train that goes between the station and princeton university
It was great when your train meet Acela.
These multilevel coaches were selected as they actually fit in the Hudson River tunnels, the LIRR on the other side of NY Penn Station bought double decker coaches that do not fit in the East River Tunnels, so they can only go as far as Long Island City, where passengers would have to transfer to the 7 train on the subway to get into the city. Usually you will see them being used on the non-electrified lines only (I live about one street away from the LIRR main line tracks so we see all kinds of LIRR trains.)
IIRC they were deliberately designed so that they would fit into those tunnels, giving them their distinctive shape.
Nope.
The LIRR double deck coaches do fit through the tunnels and are used for peak time services to and from Port Jefferson as well as destinations on the Montauk branch. Some of the diesel locomotives that haul them are dual mode capable and fitted with third rail shoes to run electric only through the tunnel and into Penn station. Its probably more because of track capacity why they don't all run to Penn.
th-cam.com/video/kc5OOaQrFuo/w-d-xo.html
@@a.nonymouse1291 never saw that, this would be great on those days when the Queens Blvd line can’t run and they cross honor metro cards on the LIRR, but no I’m always stuffed into the single level car at forest hills.
@@joermnyc Yeah i think the double decks generally run express from Jamaica, and there's not that many of them in the first place as well that run into Penn. Only a handful.
Ding ding! I'm a tram and I approve this video :)
You wanna ride an Arrow III? Try the Princeton branch "Dinky". Its the shortest commuter line in the US. And did I mention the power for that branch is always Arrows?
Excellent video of the NJT's Northeast Corridor Line. For New Yorkers it's a most cheaper way to use that and SEPTA regional rail to Philly.
NJTransit got the Bombardier cars before MARC. I remember being in Baltimore in 2013, visiting the Baltimore Streetcar Museum with a friend, when a freight train rolled past the Museum, and there were 3 Bombardier cars at the end of the freight in NJTransit Paint Logos, heading South, which led to Me and My Friend chasing the freight to outside Baltimore, to see if what we saw was true (it was).
I rode the NJ Transit multilevels for the first time last week. Nice ride, but the issue I had was with the lexan windows becoming opaque and unable to see out of them. Doesn't look like your train had that issue. Those turboliners are some of the only ones left. I remember when they used to run on the Hudson Line.
Great video !!
It’s so funny to see this perspective of NJ Transit because it’s my work commute and the absolute bane of my existence 😭
I wonder if an intercity version of those multilevel coaches would help with the always crowded Northeast Regional.
The superliners are multi levels that run on long distance trains but they are too tall for the overhead wires
@@solo6058 exactly, but those coaches are allowed even in Penn Station, so Amtrak could try them on the Northeast Regional, considering they wouldn't use an European design because of the lack of sparing parts, maybe this wouldn't be a problem if those coaches are already common
Eight NJ Transit multilevels were modified with business and first class seating and bar facilities for a short lived premium service between New York and Atlantic City beginning in 2008. Amtrak was said to have taken a look at it in planning eventual replacements for its Amfleet in NEC service, even though it was an NJT operation on behalf of Atlantic City casinos.
@@nicopavvi8494 The tunnel under the Hudson River is larger than tunnels in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC... Please don't assume all of the tunnels have the same dimensions...
The Arrow IIIs are still fun to ride, even if they show their age. I'm sorry you missed out. As others noted, they are always in use on the Princeton shuttle as well as on the Gladstone Branch (for trains going to Hoboken rather than New York, since they can't switched voltages on the fly, and the Hoboken division uses 25kV/60Hz), but the best place to experience them is still on the NEC in those big 10-12 car consists. They are significantly slower at top speed but they accelerate so well that you think you're going faster than on the multilevels. Plus the picture-of-wood interiors are just glorious. If you're of a certain age it's is an instant nostalgia trip back to the "wood age" when everything had fake woodgrain decoration. The multilevels are objectively better, but the Arrows will certainly be missed when they go away. I don't really feel that way about the mix-and-match Comet II/IV/V trains, though. Just be glad you didn't get one of those.
Oh NJ transit, good and bad memories with for many of us. I appreciate you got to experience both an out of service bathroom and what looked like a pee filled toilet 😂 truly a New Jersey experience. Might I suggest a route though? The Boston North Station commuter rail from Boston to Salem is what I used to commute in on to Boston when I lived in Salem. It’s a very nice ride, verrry friendly staff, and a bit of history- you can see the sig. for the factory that makes marshmallow fluff along the way. I miss that commute!
Would take the train from pjunction to NYP frequently in college, miss those days!
If you want to ride the Arrow MU's, they run almost exclusively on the Gladstone Branch. Any 400 series weekday train between Hoboken and Gladstone or 700 series weekend train between Summit and Gladstone.
10:39
Amtrak is also owner of Michigan Line in Kalamazoo region, Michigan.
Don't get me started on Timbuktu jokes...
2:45 I was shocked by the low frequency. How can they have a 40 minute gap in service on the busiest line of the system? I would expect at least 15-minute service off-peak especially so close to the city.
North East Corridor in NJ only has ALP-46 with multilevel consists now. Off peak/overnights are single level Comet IVs and IIMs. Peak hours is when the Arrow Cars show up. The two lines that only use arrows are the Princeton Dinky, and the Gladstone branch, the Morristown line sometimes gets them. But it really comes down to availability
Gladstone branch trains that go to NY Penn Station use locos.
Great video as always. A simple note:
1) I see you paid $16.75 because you started at Secaucus Junction, it's always cost more there, if you started at Newark Penn, it's only $12.75.
2) The train now changed rom 3:06pm to 3:13pm for your same train previously
3) EMU hardly shows up on weekends, mostly during rush hours on these super express and the Gladstone trains
4) You can use your card at these TVM as long you choose 'Credit' and put zip as 00000 and you'll be able to purchase tickets
5) I see you are on a weekend schedule, try go on a weekday and go on a super express, it's more fun and they only make 2 or 3 stops on entire line and it's always packed!
The super express trains from Newark to Trenton are a remnant of the old Amtrak Clocker trains from NY to Philly. Amtrak sold the train slots to NJ Transit after ending the Clocker service.
As someone who took a similar commute daily, you hit the jackpot there. It feels like it was common to expect at least 15 minutes of delays both to and from, and the seats were always packed. Still way better then most other public transport options i had though. and yes there are only 1-2 toilets on the whole train. still beats walking though.
The NEC station in Newark is also called Penn Station. It can be confusing.
Simply Railway nice video . If you really want a nice ride on NJT NEC try Train 3917 in the AM . It stops at SEC, Newark Penn , The Airport , New Brunswick , Princeton Jct , Hamilton and Trenton
great video on loco hauled double deck train through new jersey
Remember one time we took the multilevels from MSU to NYP? Conner The Sushi Packer was riding along with us until the smelly storm hit the train after he had diarrhea in the bathroom, forcing 30 people in the hospital and everyone else off the train at Newark-Broad to catch the next! Riley and Lucy are extremely angry at him! What a smelly adventure we took on New Jersey Transit!
You should ride the Raritan valley, and Montclair Boonton lines you'll see gorgeous scenery
Literally just took this line to NYC out of Hamilton 2 weeks ago 😂😂 never fails to amuse me when I see something local-ish on here. On the way there we had double decker cars and on the way back it was one of the really old non-updated wood paneled cars. It was interesting to say the least.
The schedule Board is pretty useful!
The MARC multi levels are NJT rejects. Outlets are on the lower level at the end.....
Great video, I take this train to New York City all the time. Just one correction though... Adams Yard is actually in North Brunswick. (My hometown.)
6:18 Wow, that bridge is ancient! And that tracking shot of the moving Acela 7:00 is really great!
Just about every railroad bridge over a river in America were built before the turn of the last century. Some wooden bridges have been replaced with steel bridges. Bridges over and under highways is another story depending on when the highway was built, not much different than anywhere else worldwide... A few railroad bridges built for new commuter rail have been built recently, but none are freight main line railroad bridges...
Excellent review!!
10:11, same thing happen to me when i was filming a trip report on this very train!
Ah you made it to my home line (though I only moved here a few months ago). A few corrections, it's Newark Penn Station not Union, and the Adams Yard is in North Brunswick not New Brunswick. I hope you do a video on the Trenton Line from Trenton to Philly. Some of the stations are very basic and interesting to see.
You think it's hard using European credit cards here, try using US credit cards in Europe. It's literally impossible to buy fuel in France and many other countries without cash...and good luck getting gas in a small French town on Sunday when the stations are unstaffed!
damn
I agree with you about the interest of the trip on the Trenton Line (Trenton to Philly) : not really easy to access the train from few stations.
There isn't an ATM at Newark airport? (Or at least the station)?!
You can use foreign cards. Choose credit and if it asks for a zipcode just put 00000
Fun fact: the Northeast Corridor runs practically next to the site of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park labs (well, a few blocks away).
Sweet Video!
While you were in Trenton, did You get to ride the River Line to Camden?
That section of rail between N Brunswick and Princeton Junction the train often hits 100 mph. Do trains reach that speed anywhere else in the state?
Not sure if its mentioned here but pro tip if you ever use a foreign card to pay for a transaction and it requires a zip code just press 00000. It usually works, and its the way to do it on the Subway.
Now NJ Transit is my Favorite Thing ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
How do these Multilevels feel spacious and not cramped, unlike the C3s on LIRR?
It’s hard to explain, there are a lot of factors.
You should try SEPTA. They are around Philadelphia, and stops at Trenton too!
Awesome video!
My state commuter rail!
You should try out their other lines like the Main Line, Raritan Valley Line, or the North Jersey Coast Line
You guys should do the mbta next time your in the area.
I also had an issue last weekend trying to use the ticket kiosk with my debit card. Good thing I had just enough cash on hand!
It's common in the U.S. for point-of-sale purchases to only accept payments that go through U.S. financial institutions. It' s not just New Jersey Transit. Even Canadians will go to the considerable trouble of getting credit card accounts in U.S. dollars to use in the U.S. All the Canadian banks offer such a service.
It's just weird that these ticket machines only accepts U.S cards. I have spend roughly 18 months in the US during the last 30 years and I can't remember any place where my foreign cards where declined (at least not all of them). Shouldn't at least a foreign Amex card work?
@
3506Dodge, the reason for that *_may_* be because most banks in the United States are small savings & loan institutions (c.f. The Bailey Saving & Loan in _It's A Wonderful Life_ ) and they don't get a lot of foreign transactions, hence this requirement.
@@Neville60001 There are huge American banks. too. It doesn't have anything to do with that. It's for legal reasons. American banks are subject to 'know your customer' legal requirements.
@@3506Dodge, thanks for the info on that.
@@MrPeddapee Your cards must have been with major international financial institutions who do the work of meeting U.S. legal requirements.
11:03 there a turbo liner with name RTL lll in acela paint job
When you get a chance to you should do Australia, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne have some interesting features.
Will you travel with the renewed hungarian coaches once? I must say, they are pretty nice.
From Trenton once I took a SEPTA train to reach Philadelphia.
Secaucus Junction: where passengers can transfer from the "Main Line" to the main line.
Newark Union Station? Did you mean Newark Penn Station? Great video BTW.
riden this many times to NYC trips from Trenton to Penn Station first via NJ Transit Riverline....senior citizen rate
I just qualified for the senior citizen rate this year and took advantage with a trip from Trenton to NY Penn.
Perfect,I like DB 101.
Good video, Oh and it's called Newark PennStation not union lol.
As a NJT commuter, I like getting double deckers and sit on the top floor until I bump my head to that mu%%}% luggage rack 😂
I would love to go on this train. We have New Brunswick as a province in Canada.
Excellent video, warts and all. PATH is an acronym for Port Authority Trans Hudson. The lack of toilets was most surprising. How do Americans put up with this? The journey was not that short! The older catenary masts were probably the originals from the earliest days of electrification! Would you believe there are no tensioners for the wires so in very hot weather the wires expand and can cause untold damage! The US does not really do trains properly.
Metro-North, north of NYC, rebuilt their (even older!) catenary with tension weights over the last decade, so they don’t have as many issues anymore. It’s just that Amtrak is too backward. They spent more money on fixing their brain-dead 25hz system than it would have cost to change to 60 hz
11:18 yes, it’s still 12kv at 25hz