350,000 commuters affected as New Jersey Transit strike halts service

On Friday, May 16, 2025, New Jersey Transit train engineers initiated a strike, disrupting travel for approximately 350,000 commuters across New Jersey and New York City.

With rail service halted, affected individuals were forced to seek alternate transportation or stay home entirely.

Picket lines formed outside NJ Transit headquarters in Newark and at Hoboken Terminal.

There, striking engineers held signs reading messages like “Locomotive Engineers on Strike” and “NJ Transit: Millions for Penthouse Views, Nothing for Train Crews.”

Drivers passing by honked in support.

This action follows a breakdown in negotiations on Thursday, marking New Jersey’s first transit strike in over four decades.

The strike occurred just one month after union members strongly rejected a tentative labor agreement offered by management.

Tom Haas said the union had presented a final proposal during Thursday’s talks, which NJ Transit rejected with two hours left in the negotiation window.

Haas is the general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).

“They walked away,” Haas stated.

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri described the negotiations as a temporary pause rather than a complete breakdown.

Speaking at a Thursday press conference alongside Governor Phil Murphy, Kolluri expressed optimism about restarting talks.

“If they’re willing to meet tonight, I’ll meet tonight.

“Tomorrow morning? I’m ready.

“This is a solvable issue, the question is, are they willing?” he said.

Murphy and Kolluri announced plans for a Friday morning press briefing.

The governor emphasized the importance of crafting a deal that balances fairness to employees with fiscal responsibility.

“We have to reach a final agreement that is fair to workers but also affordable for New Jersey commuters and taxpayers,” Murphy said.

He added that the state cannot overlook NJ Transit’s financial challenges.

According to the union, Thursday’s talks spanned 15 hours without yielding a resolution.

NJ Transit, the nation’s third-largest transit system, provides nearly one million weekday rides.

The strike has brought all commuter rail operations to a standstill.

These routes connect New York City’s Penn Station with several northern New Jersey towns and the Newark Liberty International Airport.

The airport is reportedly already facing unrelated delays.

In anticipation of a potential strike, NJ Transit had prepared limited contingency plans.

These included bolstering nearby bus service.

It also included contracting with private bus carriers to operate from key park-and-ride hubs during weekday peak hours.

However, the agency cautioned that these buses would only serve about 20% of regular rail passengers, urging people to work from home where possible.

Even before the strike officially began, its looming threat had begun to impact travel plans.

NJ Transit preemptively canceled both train and bus services for two Shakira concerts scheduled for Thursday and Friday at MetLife Stadium.

Efforts to resolve the dispute have included intervention by a federal mediation board.

The board reportedly hosted talks in Washington earlier in the week and participated in Thursday’s negotiations.

Kolluri mentioned that the board had proposed resuming talks on Sunday morning.

The main point of contention remains wages.

The BLET argues that NJ Transit engineers are underpaid compared to their counterparts at other regional passenger railroads.

Currently, they earn an average annual salary of $113,000, according to the union.

They are demanding a raise that would bring the average to $170,000.

NJ Transit disputes these numbers, claiming engineers already make $135,000 on average, with some earning over $200,000.

Both parties acknowledge the need for wage increases.

On the other hand, the challenge lies in implementing them without triggering similar demands from other unions.

This, observers say, could create financial strain for the agency.

Kolluri and Murphy emphasized this issue during their Thursday evening remarks.

Although Congress has the authority to intervene and force a resolution,  lawmakers have so far shown no indication of stepping in this time.

Congress had reportedly done something similar in 2022 to avert a national freight rail strike.

New Jersey Representative Josh Gottheimer urged both parties to remain at the negotiating table continuously until a deal is reached.

“All parties need to keep negotiating day and night, this is too important to walk away from,” he said in a statement Friday.

The union is also dealing with a shrinking workforce.

This is as engineers leave NJ Transit for better-paying positions at other railroads.

In recent months, the number of engineers has declined from 500 to about 450.

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