Judy Rife

judyrife@verizon.net

NEWARK, N.J. – Metro-North trains in Orange and Rockland counties will begin running on weekend schedules Friday as NJ Transit adjusts service in the wake of plummeting ridership.

NJ Transit announced late Thursday that weekday train service on all its lines except the Atlantic City one will switch to weekend schedules until further notice. Bus and light rail service remain on normal schedules.

NJ Transit operates Metro-North’s service on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines.

A NJ Transit spokeswoman said ridership has now fallen 88 percent in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the attendant transition to working from home.

Metro-North’s east-of-Hudson rail lines and its sister Metropolitan Transportation Authority transit agencies have also seen dramatic declines in ridership but have not reduced service. Metro-North alone is down 90 percent.

Short Line, the commuter bus company, cut some service Tuesday and now is poised to cut more starting Friday.

SPECIAL REPORT: Coronavirus in the Hudson Valley