This plan has gone off the rails.
A brand new NJ Transit ticket coverage has descended into insanity at Penn Station, making a chaotic rush hour bottleneck on the stairs to the platform the place riders now need to current their tickets one-by-one, The Submit has realized.
A now-viral video posted to X Tuesday reveals a maddening mosh pit of riders crowding a single NJ Transit employee scanning tickets on the entrance to a platform — as an alternative of on the prepare — as a part of a anti-fare evasion technique launched Oct. 9 by the transit service.
“This method helps guarantee acceptable fare assortment, significantly throughout peak weekday journey when ridership is highest,” an NJ Transit rep advised The Submit.
“Security stays our highest precedence, and the pilot has been designed and applied with that focus in thoughts,” the rep stated when requested in regards to the crowding.
“We’re dedicated to sustaining that focus, whereas persevering with to boost fare assortment and compliance.”
The pilot was apparently impressed by commuter complaints about rush hour trains changing into too crowded for conductors to move by way of and accumulate tickets, NJ.com reported when the plan launched.
Although some riders, like 27-year-old Swati Parel, argue the problem has solely moved the crowding from the prepare to the platform.
“Lately, it’s been very hectic making an attempt to catch a prepare, there’s additionally been a number of cancellations,” Parel stated, including they’ve “missed the prepare a number of occasions” because of the ticketing bother.
The check comes simply months earlier than the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in New Jersey in June, when an estimated 1.2 million guests will flood the transit system between New York and New Jersey.
“I feel it’s gonna get a lot worse,” Parel added. “I do know that for positive, simply because everyone’s making an attempt to get to a spot.”
“It’s insane to stroll down the steps,” NJ Transit rider Annora Hamilton quipped. “It’s simply holding everybody up. It simply makes it more durable at rush hour.”
“This coverage has made it more durable to get dwelling to my youngsters,” fumed rider Judy Ramirez, 46, whereas 28-year-old Mansfield Maurice Warren Jr., 28, stated the crowding has “positively gotten lots worse” because the new coverage was applied:
“I noticed one of many prepare conductors not likely have any air to breathe, as a result of everyone was combating to get to the prepare,” he stated. “Folks have been screaming and yelling, ‘why aren’t you opening the door? Allow us to by way of.’”
The brand new pilot comes after a month plagued with delays for NJ Transit, together with a very irritating Friday afternoon when three trains turned disabled in or close to the tunnels beneath the Hudson River.
January’s winter storm led to rail service working on a “extreme climate” schedule after trains have been suspended on Jan. 25 altogether because of the snowfall.
The service additionally plans to hike its fares 3 p.c yearly after a double-digit fare enhance in 2024. The primary 3 p.c hike went into impact final summer season.
NJ Transit reps defended the brand new fare-evasion ticketing coverage, arguing that LIRR works have been utilizing the measure at Penn Station earlier than the Backyard State service started its fare-evasion crackdown.
However not even NJ Transit staff are “all aboard” the plan.
“Folks hate it,” griped one NJ Transit worker, who declined to supply his title to The Submit. “It causes a bottleneck. Folks wish to get on the prepare and get a seat after which give their tickets.”
His recommendation to disgruntled passengers: “Write to NJ Transit customer support, and inform them it’s not good.”
