By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media

NJ Transit riders often compare their daily commute to an ongoing endurance test.

The daily delays. The breakdowns. The overcrowding.

And what exactly is that mystery fluid running down the floor of the bus or train?

What do Gov. Phil Murphy and his team tackle first?

In a now infamous quote, Murphy said he wants to tear down and rebuild NJ Transit. Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit's new executive director has ridden the trains for 30-years and worked in transportation just as long. He said it's up to the agency now that Murphy increased state funding.

“We have the (financial) resources to deliver what is needed,” Corbett said after his first board meeting in March. “Now, the pressure is on us.”

That pressure comes from dissatisfied riders, some who bitterly complain they pay up to $400 plus for a monthly pass and get lackluster service.

@NJTRANSIT no compensation or apologies offered for cancelled train. Instead I get the privilege of paying you for missing my important 8AM presentation. #MOBO204 — kwaz29 (@kwaz29) March 28, 2018

Murphy and Corbett stressed the years of neglect and underfunding at NJ Transit won’t be fixed overnight and asked for patience. Here's seven issues from riders and experts to start with.

Don't Edit

(Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Replace the rolling train and bus museum.

NJ Transit riders have some colorful names for aging trains and buses that are years past their expiration dates. They capture the angst of riding in buses that a recent federal report said had the sixth worst breakdown rate in the country in 2016 and trains had the second worst record.

My @NJTRANSIT train pulled out of Penn station, on time at 6:41pm.We got halfway through the tunnel,and then came to a halt.We then reversed all the way back to NYP just so they can figure out "which door keeps on opening" so now we are sitting back at NYP. Your service is a joke — J.T.H (@thomascollins92) March 19, 2018

The 40-year old Arrow III self propelled rail cars are scheduled for replacement, but it will be years before the new trains are in-service. Some routine train repairs and inspections have been outsourced to keep the fleet rolling.

Meanwhile, aging, high mileage commuter buses also are slowly being replaced. That plan puts a few hundred new buses in service each year, out of a total 1,200 new buses being built. Until then NJ Transit is hiring more people and getting more parts to reduce bus breakdowns.

Somewhere in West Jersey, Elvis, Jim Morrison, Bigfoot, and Amelia Earnhardt are riding in one of those mythical new buses we're all paying for. — Eric Goebelbecker (@egoebelbecker) March 28, 2018

Don't Edit

Work with the landlords.

NJ Transit trains depends on Amtrak for use of the Northeast Corridor line, Penn Station New York and the Hudson River tunnels. Bus service largely depends on the Lincoln Tunnel and the midtown New York bus terminal, both run by the Port Authority.

A bad day at either tunnel and terminal mean delays that can top an hour. And riders say they're caught in the middle.

Relations between Amtrak and NJ Transit have been chilly at best, It's up to NJ Transit's new regime to thaw them out.

NJ Transit still owes its landlord Amtrak about $90 million for the rent and upkeep of the Northeast Corridor line. That payment was withheld by Gov. Chris Christie last year.

Amtrak needs the money to finance track work and a host of other work needed in Penn Station New York. In return, experts said NJ Transit needs an equal say in how it's trains are handled and dispatched in Penn Station. It's up to the administration to negotiate that.

Commuters also want Murphy to use his clout to get the Port Authority to better handle breakdowns and crashes in the Lincoln Tunnel and the Xclusive Bus Lane. While the Authority is evaluating a plan to rehabilitate the existing Port Authority Bus Terminal by adding two floors to handle more bus traffic, commuters complain the terminal continues to deteriorate.

Don't Edit

(Amtrak video)

A coming commuting apocalypse.

Amtrak's video proclaims it is ready to build the massive $30 billion Gateway Project, but the federal government isn't ready to write a check.

Meanwhile, the clock is running out on how long a 108-year old set of Hudson River tunnels and rail bridge over the Hackensack River will last. Shutting down a tunnel for one year of needed repairs will cause massive delays for commuters no matter how they travel to work. Portal Bridge is good for a delay-causing, epic fail on a regular basis when it gets stuck.

Funding the Gateway Project has dragged on for years and inspires a big yawn from riders, until something happens, such as March 16 rush hour failure of the 108-year old Portal Bridge to close. Then passengers ask why its replacement wasn't built yesterday.

in short: The tunnels are bad, but the portal bridge is just another portion of the Northeast Corridor's infrastructure on the verge of collapse. — Robert Marchini (@rhcm123) March 16, 2018

Gateway's first phase would build two new tunnels, replace the current Portal bridge with a two-track structure and complete a tunnel box under Hudson yards to Penn Station. Local say they $5.5 billion to match another $5 billion to build the tunnels. Portal Bridge has local matching money in place and permits in hand and is waiting for the federal checkbook to be opened.

Meanwhile, no formal planning has happened on either side of the Hudson since Amtrak's 2015 warning about tunnel damage from Hurricane Sandy and a resulting commuting nightmare if one is closed.

Don't Edit

Communication breakdown.

"Talk to us" when there are delays, breakdowns or cancelations is a constant rider complaint. Riders have used social media to air their grievances about NJ Transit, Port Authority and Amtrak communications when there are problems.

Hey, @NJTRANSIT - any reason why you tell everyone in Secaucus to go to track A for the 5:35 into Penn just for it pull in on track 2, the original track we were all on? Talk about incompetence. And when you ask the conductor they just go 🤷🏻‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/A48gmgBkt0 — Cher Horowitz (@ampoz) March 27, 2018

Recent complaints include when agencies “go dark” and don’t post alerts or announcements about delays and other problems that riders said they see happen first hand. Other complaints include dead spots where NJ Transit’s smartphone app doesn’t work. Corbett said he wants to step-up customer communications.

Communication issues led the New Jersey Sierra Club chapter to ask the legislature to create a "commuter ombudsman" or advocate to represent riders and their interests when they have complaints with NJ Transit.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

(Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Make the trains and buses run on-time

Do we even have to say it?

On-time performance counts, especially when the boss expects commuters to be at work at a specific time. NJ Transit claims 90 percent of rush hour trains to and from New York were on-time and 91 percent of buses to and from the Port Authority bus terminal were on-time in February. Customers say their experience is different.

Something needs to be done to make trains and buses more reliable.

This is beyond ridiculous. @GovMurphy how is this possible? Where does my money go? Why are @PABusTerminal @NJTRANSIT so inefficient? I’ll be lucky if I get home before 9 at this rate. pic.twitter.com/W9E5aSmp2L — I hate the commute (@hatethecommute) March 26, 2018

Some commuters have exhausted their hacks to get to work on time, including taking an earlier train or bus. For some riders who live a distance from their job, they've run out of early buses and trains to take.

Murphy and Corbett said the state economy and the ability to attract new businesses depends on a reliable mass transit system. The alternative is what some angry commuters threatened to do and some have done, to move out-of-state closer to their job.

Don't Edit

Go fund me.

NJ Transit riders will be spared from a fare increase at least until July 1, 2019, after Murphy provided more state funding for NJ Transit operations in his fiscal year 2019 budget.. Questions remain how much that cash will do.

On March 20, Murphy detailed where $207 million of the $242 million will be spent, including hiring more bus drivers, mechanics, engineers and conductors. That leaves $35 million remaining, however there are plenty of places to spend it.

@NJTRANSIT fares increase consistently but at lest 3x a week there are no conductors collecting fares from passengers. Meaning they are not doing our job which causes fares to increase due to lack of perception in ridership. — Kenny (@kmoyboy) January 18, 2018

Meanwhile, riders want the agency to make sure the basic happen such as collecting train fares. Customers are also looking for financing ideas from an audit Murphy announced in January.

A bigger question to answer is how to provide a dedicated source of operating funds, so NJ Transit doesn't have to beg for cash on an annual basis. Legislators said they looking to the Murphy administration for suggestions. But it's an important item on the to-do list.

Don't Edit

(Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Read more.

Opinion: Murphy tackles NJ Transit problems in earnest.



Commuters have suggestions for Murphy to fix NJ Transit.

From busted seats to delays, bus commuters have a to-do list for NJ Transit.

I've covered NJ Transit for 20 years, here's what I think an audit will find.