By: Kevin Modeszto | Publish Date: October 7, 2026
Starting Sunday, October 11, the New Jersey Transit schedules will be adjusted for a period of five weeks to accommodate the construction of Amtrak’s Portal North Bridge. This is the second time the schedule was adjusted for this construction, the first occurring from February 15 to March 15 earlier this year.
“Customers on all rail lines except the Atlantic City Rail Line will experience temporary adjustments to rail service beginning on Sunday, October 11 and continuing for approximately five weeks,” read a release from NJ Transit. “Expect modified train schedules to include some train consolidations or cancellations, and others with changed departure times and/or stopping patterns.”
These changes are expected to deliver substantial benefits. It is expected that NJ Transit schedules will return to normal starting Sunday, November 15.
Community Impact
Kean University is located next to Union Station, the final stop on the Raritan Valley Line before Newark Penn Station. Students who take the train may either continue on the Raritan Valley Line or transfer at Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction, or New York Penn Station to another NJ Transit line.
As a commuter school, the NJ Transit commuter-base of Kean University is substantial. Train schedules are significant enough for students that the university took the NJ Transit schedule into account when it changed its class schedules for the Fall 2026 semester.
The shift in NJ Transit schedules is expected to be felt by many Kean students who rely on the public transportation system for their daily commute.
“I would have to leave 20 minutes before my 2 p.m. (class) ends just to get to the train station,” sophomore Jasmine Torrente said.
Fellow Kean sophomore Reylin Reyes will have her commute impacted as well. Reyes does not ride the train daily, but she will return to visit home an hour later (approximately 10 p.m. verses approximately 9 p.m.) than she currently does. While she does not mind later rides, she told Tower reporters, Reyes also does not prefer to be out that late.
For Kean junior and daily train commuter Zenola Bristol, it is the decrease in the number of trains running rather than the planned schedule change that is bound to impact her commute.
“[My] impact will be more of people waiting for the train,” Bristol explained. “[If it’s too crowded], I’d have to take the next train and then I’ll be late for work, even when I plan to take an earlier train.”
Fellow junior Dylan Gindhart uses the New Jersey Coast Line to go to a hospital in Elizabeth for his clinical placements.
“Because of the reduced service, delays and cancellations have a greater impact on my travels. I’m planning to leave an hour or two earlier then I have to, which takes away time that I could spend studying,” Gindhart said.
Amtrak made the decision to complete the Portal Bridge construction in two rounds rather than one due to complications associated with the World Cup in summer 2026, which the transit system played a significant role in helping visitors to the tristate area. While Reyes supported the split and Bristol felt indifferent, Gindhart would have preferred otherwise.
“I wish that they had either done the cutover all in one go or finished construction over the summer when less college students are using the trains to get around,” Gindhart commented on the decision. “I still think this project is worth the disruptions, but this could have been timed better.”
Gindhart hopes that the project will result in improved NJ Transit service, which the website listed as its goal in the press release. According to the statement, more reliable service will enhance their commutes and alleviate stress in the long-term despite the disturbance it will cause to Kean’s NJ Transit commuters in the short term.
Per a card handed to NJ Transit commuters in the days before the adjustment, NJ Transit and Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) will cross-honor select tickets and passes during the construction.
To see the updated NJ Transit schedules, visit this link.
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