NJ Transit

If Amtrak workers strike at the end of January, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit systems will be crippled. Why? Because even though multiple train companies use the rails at Penn Station, Amtrak operates and controls the rail switches. An Amtrak strike would basically shut down Penn Station. Both systems are currently working out contingency plans in the event of a strike. NJ riders will have to rely on buses or take the PATH. LIRR riders will likely have to switch to the E train in Jamaica. The Subway Blogger thinks the strike will result in crammed subways and heavy car traffic. “If the option is drive to a PATH station or parking lot near a subway stop, people will probably just say 'screw it' and drive all the way in…Folks that choose not to drive are going to get crammed into PATH and Subway trains like they’ve never seen before."

Read Newsday editorial, “Amtrak Strike would harm Long Island commuters”

Listen to Marketplace report: “Amtrak strike may derail an economy”

Read the Subway Blogger on why an Amtrak site will be a subway disaster.