Jersey Shore residents who like to travel to New York City may be unhappy to hear about some recent changes to the New Jersey Transit train schedule.
For people who are used to taking the train to Asbury Park, Belmar or Bayhead, the usual 1 a.m. train out of New York City is now gone. The last train out of Manhattan is now 11:18 p.m.
A 1 a.m. train will stop in Long Branch, but this is as far south as the trains will go.
This is all part of NJ Transit's recent service adjustment and fare hike. The adjustment went into effect Sept. 14. According to NJ Transit, less than 100 people were riding those late-night trains to those towns.
The changes aren't sitting well with some residents, especially in light of the recent 9 percent fare increase.
"If I'm a cab driver in Long Branch, I'm pretty happy," says Asbury Park resident Geoff Neumann. "There'll be a lot more people stopping there."
New Jersey's Association of Railroad Passengers also voiced their displeasure with the change. In a statement, a spokesperson says, "NJ Transit is in the business to serve the customer. To reduce the late night train is not in the public interest. If riders were polled I think they would pay more to have the convenience of trains."
NJ Transit says that they make these types of service adjustments several times a year. Their goal is to align service with ridership demand.