NJ Transit trims service for five weeks during Portal North Bridge cutover
The Portal North Bridge cutover will shift the second and final track onto the new span, with NJ Transit on adjusted schedules for about five weeks from October 11.
Amtrak and NJ Transit plan to begin moving the last track on October 9. Once the work is complete, all rail traffic to and from New York City will use the new fixed span. The old swing bridge will then be permanently removed from service. NJ Transit expects regular schedules to return on Sunday, November 15, subject to completion of safety testing.
All NJ Transit rail lines apart from the Atlantic City Rail Line are affected. Some trains will be combined or cancelled, while others will leave at different times or call at different stations. For the duration of the work, only one track will be available between Newark and Secaucus, which means fewer weekday trains into Penn Station New York on the Northeast Corridor and the North Jersey Coast Line.
NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri said:
“Five weeks of adjusted schedules will deliver a modern, high-level bridge that ends a century of swing-bridge delays for customers traveling the Northeast Corridor to and from New York.”
Midtown Direct and Raritan Valley trips during the cutover
On weekdays, Midtown Direct trains on the Morris & Essex Line, the Gladstone Branch and the Montclair-Boonton Line will run to Hoboken rather than Penn Station New York. On weekends they will still serve Penn Station. Weekday riders should buy tickets or passes to Hoboken. These will be valid on PATH trains between Hoboken and 33rd Street, on NY Waterway ferries to West 39th Street and on NJ Transit’s 126 bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The agency warns that these alternatives have limited capacity and could be very crowded at peak times.
| Ticket type | What to buy for October and November | Weekday use | Weekend use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly or weekly pass | Pass to or from Hoboken (via Newark Broad St.) | Valid onward from Hoboken on PATH, NY Waterway ferries and NJ Transit buses | Honored on direct Midtown Direct trains to and from Penn Station New York |
| FLEXPASS | FLEXPASS to or from Hoboken (via Newark Broad St.) | Valid onward from Hoboken on PATH, NY Waterway ferries and NJ Transit buses | Honored on direct Midtown Direct trains to and from Penn Station New York |
| One-way ticket | Buy for each trip according to the day of travel | Ticket to Hoboken; PATH to 33rd Street, ferry to West 39th Street (Pier 79) or the 126 bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal | Ticket to Penn Station New York; Hoboken one-way tickets are not accepted there |
Answer: pass holders switch to Hoboken passes for October and November, while one-way riders pick the destination by day, Hoboken on weekdays and Penn Station New York on weekends.
Applies to Midtown Direct riders on the Morris & Essex Line, the Gladstone Branch and the Montclair-Boonton Line. Hoboken passes remain valid for travel to and from Penn Station New York from October 1 to 10 and from November 15 to 30. Sources: NJ Transit Portal Bridge Cutover page and NJ Transit release of September 17, 2026.
Riders who can work from home are asked to do so. Those who have to travel are advised to avoid weekday peaks by riding before 7am or after 9am in the morning and before 4pm or after 7pm in the evening. During the temporary timetable, Raritan Valley Line trains that normally provide one-seat service to and from Penn Station New York will instead start and end at Newark Penn Station. According to NJ Transit, a Hoboken ticket combined with PATH or the ferry can save up to 25% per trip, depending on the origin station.
Other track work scheduled for the outage window
Both railroads will use the lighter traffic to carry out further work. On the North Jersey Coast Line, maintenance on the Brielle movable bridge starts on October 11 and lasts two weeks, with buses running between Bay Head and Manasquan. On the Port Jervis Line, buses will replace eight midday off-peak weekday trains from October 11 to November 14 so crews can maintain the track between Suffern and Port Jervis, connecting with trains at Ramsey Route 17. Buses will also run instead of trains between Cranford and Newark on the Raritan Valley Line on Saturday, November 7, when Conrail replaces track. Amtrak is using the same window for eight more Northeast Corridor maintenance projects spread across six states and Washington, DC.
From split operation to a single fixed span
The first cutover began on February 13 and put one track on the new bridge into passenger service on March 16. Under the arrangement set out for that phase, eastbound trains to New York use the original bridge and westbound trains use the new one. The new Portal North Bridge is a two-track fixed span standing 50 feet above the river, so vessels can pass beneath it without stopping trains. The old bridge is due to be dismantled in 2027.
| Item | First cutover (one track) | Second cutover (final track) |
|---|---|---|
| Work starts | February 13 | October 9 |
| Adjusted NJ Transit schedules begin | Sunday, February 15 | Sunday, October 11 |
| Planned duration | About four weeks | About five weeks |
| Regular schedules due back | Sunday, March 15 | Sunday, November 15, subject to completion of safety testing |
| Rail lines affected | All NJ Transit lines apart from the Atlantic City Rail Line | All NJ Transit lines apart from the Atlantic City Rail Line |
| Weekday Midtown Direct trains | Run to Hoboken | Run to Hoboken |
| Outcome | One track in passenger service from March 16; eastbound trains to New York use the original bridge, westbound trains the new one | All rail traffic to and from New York City will use the new bridge; the old bridge will be permanently removed from service |
Answer: the second cutover follows the same service pattern as the first but runs about a week longer and ends the split use of the two bridges.
Sources: NJ Transit releases of January 15, 2026, March 12, 2026 and September 17, 2026. Second-cutover dates are planned and depend on completion of the work.
Most of the funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation, New Jersey and Amtrak. A Full Funding Grant Agreement signed in January 2021 secured $766.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration. In October 2021, NJ Transit approved a $1,559,993,000 construction contract with the Skanska/Traylor Bros PNB Joint Venture, which the agency describes as the largest construction award in its history.
Portal Bridge traffic since 1910
The Pennsylvania Railroad built the swing bridge now being retired, and it began carrying revenue trains in November 1910. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 450 trains a day operated by Amtrak and NJ Transit used it, together carrying about 200,000 passengers daily between Newark and Penn Station New York. NJ Transit describes the movable span as a major bottleneck, especially when it malfunctions while opening or closing for river traffic.
