Govind Tekale
Passenger Impact and Service Reductions
Between October 11 and November 14, 2026, commuters across New Jersey and the Northeast Corridor are experiencing significant service disruptions as Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT execute a five-week operational cutover of the Portal Bridge, a 116-year-old swing bridge spanning the Hackensack River between Newark and Secaucus. During this work, only one track can operate through this critical section, forcing the agencies to reduce train frequencies across multiple lines and reroute several services. NJ TRANSIT Northeast Corridor trains fall from 133 weekday trains to 113. North Jersey Coast Line service drops from 99 to 87 daily trains. The Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line collectively lose nine trains. Raritan Valley Line service decreases from 51 to 50 trains. Amtrak’s Acela service is cut from 20 to 18 weekday trains, Northeast Regional from 44 to 40, and Keystone service from 24 to 10. Amtrak has added 44 weekday Secaucus-New York Penn Station shuttle trains to compensate, with 22 each direction.
Weekday passengers on the Morristown, Gladstone and Montclair-Boonton lines who normally reach New York Penn Station via Midtown Direct trains are instead being routed to Hoboken, where cross-honored alternatives include PATH trains, the New York Waterway ferry service and NJ TRANSIT bus routes. NJ TRANSIT estimates this routing can save some passengers up to 25 percent per trip, though agencies warn that ferry and bus alternatives have limited capacity and may experience crowding during peak travel periods. Weekend Midtown Direct service continues to Penn Station. The agencies strongly encourage passengers to avoid peak travel windows—before 7 a.m. or after 9 a.m. in morning periods, and before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. in evenings.
What the Cutover Entails
The work began on the evening of October 9 and involves transferring the final active track, power systems, signals and communications from the deteriorating swing bridge to the second track on the new Portal North Bridge, a fixed-span structure. Amtrak describes the project as encompassing a 2.5-mile section, approximately 4,500 feet of new track and catenary infrastructure, a new turnout with two switch machines, and five new signals. The scope requires roughly 40,000 labor-hours, organized across two shifts operating seven days a week. Work includes removal and deactivation of legacy infrastructure, track realignment, installation of new electrical catenary, signalling upgrades, communications systems, interlocking equipment installation and comprehensive testing and commissioning. NJ TRANSIT is adding staff at Hoboken, Secaucus, New York Penn Station and other stations to manage the disruptions. The agency is also offering a 20-trip FLEXPASS with a 15-percent discount and cross-honoring certain rail tickets on designated bus services.
Broader Context and Return to Normal Service
The cutover represents a delivery milestone within the Gateway Program, the multijurisdictional infrastructure renewal initiative for the New York-New Jersey rail gateway. According to Amtrak interim president Byl Herrmann, the work will “deliver a modern, high-level bridge that ends a century of swing-bridge delays.” The swing bridge has created operational vulnerabilities and capacity constraints on the Northeast Corridor for over a century. NJ TRANSIT President and CEO Kris Kolluri stated that the agencies worked closely on “a service plan that maximizes capacity and keeps every rail line running.” Simultaneously with the Portal cutover, Amtrak is executing eight additional critical maintenance projects across six states and Washington, D.C., using the reduced traffic window. Modified service is scheduled to resume Sunday, November 15, subject to safety testing, with full normal service returning by Monday, November 16. A concurrent maintenance project on the North Jersey Coast Line between Manasquan and Bay Head—replacement service for Brielle Bridge work—continues through October 25 and is not part of the Portal cutover itself.
