NJ Transit officials canceled almost 30 trains on Sunday, due to a lack of engineers to operate them. But commuters Monday morning were spared from a spike in missing trains.

The Sunday shortage was blamed on a switch to new rail schedules that took effect on Sept. 8, which requires engineers to select new work assignments, officials said. Only one of the 29 canceled trains was axed to a mechanical issue, on the Pascack Valley Line, according to official agency alerts.

Riders on the North Jersey Coast line had the worst of it, with 12 trains canceled on Sunday. Buses substituted for two of those Coast Line trains. Six trains were canceled on the Northeast Corridor line, according to agency alerts.

NJCL train #4729, the 10:46am from Long Branch is cancelled due to engineer availability. Customers to substitute bus service. — North Jersey Coast Line (@NJTRANSIT_NJCL) September 8, 2019

“The implementation of the rail schedule change, which took place on Sunday, had an impact on engineer availability yesterday as they pick their new assignments,” said Nancy Snyder, an NJ Transit spokeswoman. “The current shortage of engineers compounds this situation.”

NJ Transit lost engineers over the past decade due to retirements, employees leaving for higher paying jobs at other railroads and a lack of training classes, the agency has said. It went on an engineer hiring blitz last year, and recruits who passed screening are being trained in several classes expected to graduate later in the fall.

“Once all engineer assignments have been chosen or picked, which typically takes a few days, this issue should abate,” Snyder said.

Monday morning’s commute saw one canceled train reported on the NEC due to mechanical problems, according to NJ Transit alerts.

NJ Transit started the last spring and early summer with a spike in canceled trains that was blamed on an unofficial union protest. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers members accused NJ Transit of violating a contract with the union by offering overtime to select engineers to work the BTS concert at MetLife stadium in May.

In protest, some engineers decided not to work overtime on their relief days, which is their equivalent to weekend time off.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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