Toll of Commuting: Rahway couple’s commute takes three trains and a whole lot of planning
Daycare drop-offs, train connections and a $60-a-day commute are all part of this working couple's daily routine.
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For Brian and Molly, getting to work takes three trains. But keeping their family on schedule takes even more.
The workday starts long before they arrive at their jobs in Manhattan. The Rahway couple has two children, which means their morning commute begins with daycare and school drop-offs.
“Between daycare and school, it could be two drop-offs…We're leaving the house around 7:15 a.m., 7:20 a.m., dropping off one, dropping off the other and then parking the car and catching an 8 a.m. train,” Brian said.
From there, the couple takes a train from Rahway to Newark, a PATH train into Manhattan, and then the 1 train to Tribeca, where they both work.
So far, Brian says the commute has been fairly smooth — but it's the connections that can make or break their day.
“If there is a misconnection, if there is a cancelled train, any trouble like that, it really does produce a lot of stress because daycare closes at 6 p.m.,” Molly said.
Molly leaves work around 4 p.m. with one goal - make it home by about 5:15 p.m. to pick up both children.
Then, because the couple shares one car, she heads back to the train station to pick up Brian when he gets home.
“We have one car, so then if things work out and I get off the train a little after 6 p.m., she's then coming back to the train getting me,” Brian said.
Making that schedule work has also meant making sacrifices professionally. Molly says she negotiated a reduced salary so she could have the flexibility to pick up her children.
“I think that working parents have to do a lot. It's making adjustments for their professional growth,” she said.
And then there's the financial toll. Between parking and three different train lines, the couple estimates their commute costs about $60 a day. That's why they bring lunch and coffee from home to help cut down on the cost.
But Brian says the biggest toll isn't necessarily the money — it's the constant uncertainty.
“It is a strain, and a constant worry whether you're able to make that journey that you have to do every single day,” he said.
