The region’s other major transit facility that opened last week was NJ Transit’s Secaucus Transfer, which began weekday service Monday.

NJ train commuters responded variously with excitement, irritation or indifference. While Bergen and Rockland County commuters were exuberant about shorter, more direct commutes, riders on lines that already reach Manhattan seemed irked at the prospect of more riders packing into trains for the last part of the trip. Some Secaucus users groused over difficult transfers — the station does not provide Jamaica-like cross-platform train changes.

  The station provides a connecting hub for 10 of the 11 NJ Transit rail lines, and provides Bergen County residents a Hoboken-free link into Penn Station. It will also for the first time provide connecting service to NJ destinations like New Brunswick, Trenton and other points on the rail network. Newark Airport may especially be a destination that begins to see trips from north-of-Secaucus, as some air travelers opt to forego congested highway routes and expensive airport parking.

According to the Bergen Record, about 1,600 passengers used the service during the its first morning rush. Ridership estimates predict an increase to about 4,500 during the morning peak period (or about 7,500 per day).

Manhattan-bound trains are expected to stop every nine to eleven minutes or so during rush hours, though some mid-day scheduled transfers will be up to 20 minutes. Schedules will also be tougher for those using the station for intra-NJ trips. NJ Transit Executive Director George Warrington told news outlets last week that the agency would likely adjust the schedule as it observed the station’s workings and listened to riders who use it. 

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