Commuters are battling travel chaos this morning after New Jersey’s first statewide transit strike in more 40 years began.

Roughly 450 unionized locomotive engineers walked off the job at midnight, shutting down the New Jersey Transit’s rail network.

Picket lines are currently underway at Penn Station in New York City, the Atlantic City Rail Terminal and NJ Transit headquarters in Newark. 

The strike has left roughly 350,000 riders without transport today, impacting their ability to get from the Garden State and into New York City.

Hoboken, a popular commuter city in NJ, advised residents overnight to expect ‘significant disruption to regional transportation’ on Friday.

City officials have announced the suspension of all NJ Transit rail services due to failed contract discussions between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).

NJ Transit has encouraged commuters to work from home today and limit travel on the railway system to ‘essential purposes only’.

Union members from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen gathered to form a picket line outside the NJ Transit Headquarters in Newark early on Friday morning.

Approximately 450 unionized locomotive engineers initiated a work stoppage at midnight, resulting in the complete halt of New Jersey Transit’s rail operations. The image shows union members standing united on the picket line in Newark.

Picket lines are currently underway at Penn Station in New York City, the Atlantic City Rail Terminal and NJ Transit headquarters (pictured) in Newark

The strike began at midnight Friday after union and transit leadership failed to reach an agreement following 15 hours of nonstop contract discussions.

The dispute is largely over wages with union members, who claim to earn on average $113,000 annually, saying an agreement could be reached if their salaries were increased to $170,000.

NJ transit leadership disputes the BLET’s data, alleging most engineers earn $135,000 annually. 

The union has said it is simply aiming to raise the engineers’ salaries to match those at other commuter railroads in the region.

But NJ Transit claims it cannot afford the pay raises that the engineers are seeking because 14 other unions that negotiate separate labor contracts with the agency would demand the same, higher wage rates for their members.

The last NJ Transit strike, which took place in 1983, lasted for about one month. It is unclear how long this picket will continue, but it is expected to continue throughout the weekend. 

Officials told WNBC contract talks will continue over the weekend. If an agreement is reached before Monday, officials expect trains to run again next week. 

‘We presented them the last proposal; they rejected it and walked away with two hours left on the clock,’ said Tom Haas, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

NJ Transit workers arrive to the Secaucus Junction Station after NJ Transit’s locomotive engineers went on strike Friday at midnight

A person looks at a closed NJ Transit at Penn Station on May 16, 2025 in New York City

Travelers speak with NJ Transit employees at Penn Station on May 16, 2025 in New York

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri described the situation as a ‘pause in the conversations.’

‘I certainly expect to pick back up these conversations as soon as possible,’ he said late Thursday during a joint news conference with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. 

‘If they’re willing to meet tonight, I’ll meet them again tonight. If they want to meet tomorrow morning, I’ll do it again. Because I think this is an imminently workable problem. The question is, do they have the willingness to come to a solution.’

PATH trains are running on their normal schedules today and additional trains are being added to help avoid crowding, officials say.

But riders are warned to expect ‘temporary crowding conditions’ on the PATH and are encouraged to avoid travelling on trains altogether if possible. 

The MTA Metro-North Railroad is cross-honoring some tickets and is providing park-and-ride services. 

NJ Transit is also cross-honoring rail tickets for buses and light rails during the strike. 

The agency said it would also increase bus services on existing lines and charter private buses to operate from several satellite lots in the event of a rail strike but warned buses would only be able to handle around 20 per cent of rail customers. 

People exit the 33rd Street Path Transit line on May 16, 2025 in New York City as about 450 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen are on strike

Passengers sit a the waiting area during a NJ Transit Railroad Engineers Strike at Newark Penn Station in New Jersey on May 16, 2025

A NJ Transit Costumer Care worker provides Information to passengers during a NJ Transit Railroad Engineers Strike at Newark Penn Station on Friday morning

NJ Transit train terminals were quiet for Friday’s rush hour as estimated 350,000 daily commuters in New Jersey and New York City were forced to seek other means to reach their destinations.

Groups of picketers gathered in front of transit headquarters in Newark and at the Hoboken Terminal, carrying signs that said ‘Locomotive Engineers on Strike’ and ‘NJ Transit: Millions for Penthouse Views Nothing for Train Crews.’

Friday’s rail commute into New York from New Jersey is typically the lightest of the week.

In New York, some commuters from New Jersey said they could not work remotely and had to come in, taking busses to the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan.

David Milosevich, a fashion and advertising casting director, was on his way to a photo shoot in Brooklyn. At 1am he checked his phone and saw the strike was on.

‘I left home very early because of it,’ he said, grabbing the bus in Montclair, New Jersey, and arriving in Manhattan at 7am. ‘I think a lot of people don’t come in on Fridays since COVID. I don’t know what´s going to happen Monday.’

A few blocks from the Port Authority bus terminal, the NJ Transit train terminal was quiet, with an NJ transit worker in an orange hoody on hand to warn riders it was closed, Signs read: ‘service suspended.’

The South Amboy train station, an express stop on the NJ Transit rail line, was vacant. But the Waterway ferry that began service only 18 months ago from a waterside launching point that´s a 10-minute walk from the train station was busier than usual for its 6:40 a.m., 55-minute nonstop trip to Manhattan.

The ferry runs once an hour during the morning and evening commutes. With about three dozen people aboard, more than half the seats in the ferry´s lower deck were empty.

Murphy said Thursday night that it was important to ‘reach a final deal that is both fair to employees and at the same time affordable to New Jersey’s commuters and taxpayers.’

‘Again, we cannot ignore the agency’s fiscal realities,’ the Governor added.

Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla, whose city is heavily impacted by Friday’s disruptions, has criticized the ‘frustrating’ industrial action. 

‘This is a deeply frustrating moment for Hoboken and the region. NJ Transit and BLET had months to reach an agreement and prevent this disruption, which now impacts hundreds of thousands of commuters and residents,’ he posted on X late Thursday. 

‘I ask residents to please avoid driving if possible, as we expect heavy congestion starting tomorrow, and to leave extra time to commute into NYC via the PATH, bus and ferry given the anticipated influx of commuters.’ 

Murphy and NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri have planned a Friday morning news conference. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.