Metro North to add two trains to Port Jervis line

PORT JERVIS-Metro North Railroad will add two trains to the Port Jervis line, effective Oct. 31. "We were aware that moving Train #42 nine minutes earlier and adding seven NJ stops, thereby increasing the running time by 12 minutes, might generate some complaints among the 100 customers who use it," Metro North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said in a press release. "However, this change makes possible the other service improvements. In addition to adjusting the time of the first Port Jervis departure of the day, we are adding service both inbound in the morning and outbound late at night." The changes are: • A new inbound train that departs Port Jervis at 7:36 a.m. and arrives at Hoboken at 9:47 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. The only stops in New Jersey are Route 17 and Secaucus. • A late-night departure from Hoboken at 12:05 a.m. seven nights a week, arriving in Port Jervis at 2:34 a.m. Currently this train operates Saturday and Sunday only. The existing Friday-only 11:55 p.m. departure will be shifted to 12:05 a.m. Metro North added two trains in April (the 4 a.m. inbound and the 7 p.m. outbound) at an annual cost of $1 million. The current schedule adjustments are being done with available crews and equipment at a savings $300,000, according Anders' press release. In addition to the two new trains, a number of midday schedule changes are being made to improve the spacing and frequency of train service, according to the railroad. These include: • Moving Train #56 from an 8:21 Port Jervis departure to a 9:01 a.m. departure (no additional New Jersey stops) was done in conjunction with the addition of the new 7:36 a.m. departure. This, Anders said, results in better, more evenly spaced service for all customers through the inbound midday time period. • Port Jervis gets an additional train, departing at 11:32 a.m. This is an extension of the 10:54 a.m., which now originates in Middletown; however, it will now make 11 New Jersey stops. • The 12:35 p.m. out of Port Jervis becomes the 1:31 p.m. and there is a net reduction of one New Jersey stop. • The last train to Hoboken, #64, the 9:27 p.m. departure from Port Jersey, now departs two minutes earlier at 9:25 p.m. and loses five New Jersey stops, making the trip eight minutes faster. • People who want to get to Port Jervis first thing have a new train. The railroad has extended the first outbound train, #43, which formerly terminated at Middletown. It also will now stop at Route 17, as will the second daily outbound, #45. • The current 4:20 p.m. weekend train from Hoboken (#77) will now depart 20 minutes earlier. By eliminating eight stops in New Jersey to save 18 minutes of travel time, customers will arrive in Port Jervis at 6:14 p.m. compared to the previous arrival time of 6:52 p.m. There are no timetable changes on the Pascack Valley this time. New Jersey Transit is upgrading the Pascack Valley Line. Once these projects are completed, regularly scheduled off-peak weekend and weekend train service could be offered.