Raritan Valley Line riders won’t learn when their direct off-peak New York trains will return, until NJ Transit works out a new spring schedule around Amtrak’s planned summer track work in Penn Station New York.

While Atlantic City Line and Princeton shuttle commuters got a May 24 date for the return of those trains, with some help from the governor and some vocal legislators, Raritan Valley Line commuters are still waiting for a date. Now, they have to change trains at Newark Penn Station, which can involve running up and down stairs to get to the correct track.

The wild card preventing restoration is proposed Amtrak track work in Penn Station New York this summer, NJ Transit officials said. Amtrak is NJ Transit’s landlord at Penn Station and the Northeast Corridor line.

“One-seat, off-peak service (returning) depends on Amtrak…it will impact the number of (train) slots into Penn Station,” NJ Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett said at a legislative hearing in Westfield last week. “Direct, off-peak service will be dependent on Amtrak and (availability of train) engineers.”

Amtrak officials declined to provide details about the scope of the track work, because the project hasn’t been publicly announced. NJ Transit officials said four tracks primarily used by the Long Island Rail Road will be involved, and displaced trains will have a spillover effect on NJ Transit operations. Penn Station has 21 tracks serving 11 platforms.

“Much of the work is on the LIRR side. There definitely will be an impact on us,” he said.

Amtrak officials are meeting with their New Jersey counterparts as NJ Transit prepares to roll out new train schedules in May.

“We are negotiation with Amtrak now, so we can set a definitive timetable to restore (off-peak RVL) service,” Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said at the Westfield hearing. “We’re not in a position to tell you when, until we hear from Amtrak.”

The other factor is NJ Transit’s efforts to rebuild the depleted ranks of engineers to operate the trains. With six training classes underway this year, officials expect to have a total of 30 to 40 new engineers graduated “in the October, November timeframe,” Corbett said.

Meanwhile, state legislators are pressing for a date when direct Raritan Valley Line trains will resume. Deputy Majority Leader Senator Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, introduced a bill requiring NJ Transit to do a feasibility study of restoring off-peak and peak Raritan Valley Line service to and from New York.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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