Shortly after learning that half of all Americans will be obese by 2030, the Times has decided to investigate the pressing issue of fat Americans on public transportation. It's a real problem, you guys! Just ask Kevin Smith. more ›

Two teenagers were killed by a New Jersey Transit train as it passed over a railroad bridge over Route 46 in Wayne last night. Three unidentified boys were on the trestle on the Montclair-Boonton line when the train came through just after 9:45 p.m., on its way to a maintenance yard. The boys saw the train coming and started running, a police source tells NJ.com, but only one survived: a 15-year-old who jumped from the tracks to an embankment. more ›

This derailment of a NJ Transit train leaving Penn Station this morning translates not just into problems for NJ Transit and Amtrak—Long Island Rail Road commuters will suffer as well! The MTA said, "As a result of a New Jersey Transit train derailment near Penn Station, LIRR customers should anticipate some cancellations, track changes and delays during this evening's rush hour. NJ Transit and Amtrak will be sharing tracks 15 and 16 at Penn Station this evening as part of an effort to route their trains around the derailment. The LIRR will provide regular LIRR service from Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn and Hunterspoint Avenue in Queens." It couldn't hurt to grab a Staff Pick before you head home. more ›

From Burma-Shave to billboards in Times Square to the guys who tattoo radio station logos on their foreheads, man has a keen sense that the best and noblest way to make money is in advertising. So now that the New Jersey Transit trust fund is flat broke (with $34 billion needed in improvements over the next decade), the best thing for the state to do to raise revenue is to raise taxes slap a billboard on everything they own! All aboard the Gatorade Express to Preparation H Station! more ›

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie called his cancellation of the Trans-Hudson ARC tunnel project a "dollars and sense issue," as New Jersey couldn't afford the cost of $2.7 billion plus any overruns for the project. But now that he's cancelled it, the Federal Transit Administration is asking for the state to refund the cash they put in. In a letter written to NJ Transit head James Weinstein, the FTA says, “NJT must immediately repay all the Federal financial assistance expended for ARC under the [work agreement] which is currently estimated to be $271.091 million, plus reasonable interest and penalty charges that will be determined by FTA." Who wants to bet on when NJ Transit raises their fares? more ›

You would think NJ Transit would learn their lesson after that nightmarish mob scene which ensued after a U2 concert at the Meadowlands almost exactly one year ago. Could it be they just don't care that thousands of people have to grind together like livestock being herded toward the train platform, where there are too few trains to accommodate the crowd? Judging by the hellish accounts from commuters trying to get to and away from last night's Jets game, they just can't handle it. more ›

A former assistant NJT conductor pleaded guilty yesterday to reselling bundles of tickets and pocketing $3,500. Terance Campbell, 34, resold the tickets between January 2007 and September 2009. The assistant prosecutor said, "When a public employee commits a crime related to his job, he creates two victims — his employer and society." Just remember, when buying tickets to Rahway, the emotionless processes of the ticket machines are the only things you can trust. more ›

The MTA isn't the only transit agency pondering fare hikes. According to WCBS, NJ Transit officials claim they might need to increase fares if Gov. Chris Christie moves forward with his plan to cut $32 million in funding. Facing a $2.2 billion budget deficit, Christie says he has to reduce funding and suggested NJ Transit negotiate with unions before upping fares. NJ Transit executive director James Weinstein told ABC: "I pledge to our fareholders that we will look at everything possible on the cost side of the equation before we talk about imposing burdens on the riders of our system." The fare hike would be agency's the second in three years. more ›

The buzz was severely harshed last night for thousands of U2 fans making their way back from the Meadowlands to Manhattan. According to multiple reports, the post-concert scene was a total nightmare, with a packed mob left stranded for hours on the platforms. NJT officials tell 1010WINS there were plenty of trains, but there were too few ticket machines to accommodate the throngs of people. But one Gothamist reader describes a different scenario:

It was incredibly disorganized as there were not enough trains to accommodate the amount of concert-goers... At least a couple hundred people left during the encore in hopes of catching an earlier train and avoid the crowd, only to be met with a closed gate at the tracks. The staff didn't open the gates until people were completely pushed up against each other and 500 deep. When they finally allowed us on the platform, people shoved and pushed their way in. It was really unsafe.

The Friends of Moynihan Station shared a rendering of what Moynihan Station will look like, according to NY State. According to FMS, the Empire State Development Corporation has been "reluctant" to share them, but FMS thinks "looks great," though there's a lot that needs to be explained. more ›

Hundreds of thousands of commuters can breathe a sigh of relief today as a threatened strike by Amtrak workers has been avoided. A strike would have shut down Penn Station, diverting travelers on the Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak lines, and New Jersey Transit to subways and the PATH system. The city was already preparing contingency plans to have LIRR riders disembark in Brooklyn, and Jamaica Station and Woodside in Queens to take the subway. NJ Transit riders would be shunted to Hoboken, where they could board PATH trains to Manhattan. The chairman of a LIRR commuters group said "It is going to be worse than a nightmare - it will be a complete horror show." more ›

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"smart" that commuters could use for NJ Transit buses, PATH train, and maybe even city subways. And a dream plan would also include the AirTrain and ferries! According to the News, the Port Authority has asked financial institutions to "put together a system that essentially would feature some version of debit or credit cards that function like MetroCards - and that could also open PATH train turnstiles and be used to pay for trips on some New Jersey Transit buses and possibly even for commuter train rides on both sides of the Hudson River." Which would be a great - if hardly groundbreaking - idea. more ›

Well, Gateway National Recreation Area is right in our neck of the woods, extending in three New York City boroughs and into northern New Jersey. It is a good place to start your quest for the perfect patch of sand and cooling waters. more ›

Starting next week one of the biggest shifts in commuter rail in the past two decades will begin. In response to rider demand Metro-North, New Jersey Transit and the LIRR are all in the process of seriously upping their pre-dawn service. more ›

We have a building boom in the tristate area. The Yankees and Mets have already announced their plans for new stadiums to be built for the 2009 season, the Nets are building an arena in Brooklyn, the Devils are moving to a new arena in Newark and even the Metrostars have gotten into the act. more ›

Jesse Oxfeld more ›