NJ Transit Engineers Are on Strike. Here’s What to Know.

New York|How to Get Around During the New Jersey Transit Strike

Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey Transit commuters woke Friday morning to the state’s first transit strike in more than 40 years.

The engineers who run commuter trains walked out after contract talks broke down between the union that represents them and the agency.

The engineers want parity in pay with engineers at other commuter railroads in the area. The agency’s chief executive, Kris Kolluri, has said that it cannot afford the pay increases the union is demanding.

New Jersey Transit has a contingency plan of supplemental buses, but it doesn’t begin until Monday. Even then, Mr. Kolluri has said that the additional buses could handle only about 20 percent of the daily train riders. The agency has asked commuters to work from home if they can.

How to get in and out of New York?

There are still ways to enter and escape from New York, though it will cost more in money and time. You have options by land, sea and air:

• N.J. Transit rail passes and tickets will be accepted on its buses.

• PATH subway trains run by Port Authority are functioning as usual from Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken. PATH is not cross honoring N.J. Transit tickets, so riders will have to pay the normal $3 fare.

• Drive if you dare. The peak-hour toll to enter New York by bridge or tunnel in a passenger car is $16.06. Tack on $9 if you enter the congestion pricing zone below 60th Street.

• The private Boxcar luxury bus runs to and from 12 stops in northern New Jersey. The company plans expanded service as of Monday.

• Amtrak trains continue to run to Penn Station in Manhattan, but the cost is far higher than the N.J. Transit commuter lines. There are stops in Trenton, Princeton Junction, New Brunswick, Metropark and Newark.

• New York Waterway will run ferries as usual from docks in northern New Jersey and South Amboy to the city and is preparing to augment its service during the strike. One-way adult fares are about $10. Seastreak ferries are also running from Belford, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands, and the company plans to increase capacity on Monday.

• Blade helicopter service is available from West 30th Street to Newark Liberty International Airport for $285.

• Private bus service is available from Manhattan to the Shakira concert on Friday at MetLife Stadium. Coach USA is providing service between the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the stadium, beginning at 4 p.m. Return trips begin at 10:45 p.m. Tickets cost $25 round trip. A similar schedule is set for Beyoncé’s shows this weekend. Reservations are required.

• New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will allow Metro-North customers in Orange and Rockland Counties who must use N.J. Transit lines to ride on its Hudson or Harlem routes for no extra cost. Commuters must drive, catch a ferry or take a bus to rail stations on the other side of the Hudson River.

• There is no rail service to or from Newark Liberty International Airport. N.J. Transit bus lines run from the airport to points in the state. There is Coach USA bus service to Manhattan.

What is N.J. Transit’s backup plan for Monday?

Most commuters do not remember the last transit strike in New Jersey, which happened in 1983 and lasted about three weeks. Another strike loomed in 2016 but was averted a day before it would have begun.