The New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is the state agency that owns the public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It operates buses, light rail, and commuter rail services throughout the state, connecting to major commercial and employment centers both within the state and in its two adjacent major cities, New York City and Philadelphia. In , the system had an annual ridership of .
Covering a service area of , NJT is the largest statewide public transit system and the third-largest provider of bus, rail, and light rail transit by ridership in the United States.
NJT also acts as a purchasing agency for many private operators in the state, in particular, buses to serve routes not served by the transit agency.
History
NJT was created on July 17, 1979, as an offspring of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), mandated by the New Jersey Legislature to address many then-pressing transportation problems. It came into being with the enactment of the Public Transportation Act of 1979 to "acquire, operate, and contract for transportation service in the public interest." NJT originally acquired and managed a number of private bus services, one of the largest being those operated by the state's largest electric company, Public Service Electric and Gas Company. It gradually acquired most of the state's bus services. In northern New Jersey, many of the bus routes are arranged in a web. In southern New Jersey, most routes are arranged in a "spoke-and-hub" fashion, with routes emanating from Trenton, Camden, and Atlantic City.
In 1983, NJT assumed operation of all commuter rail service in New Jersey from Conrail, which had been formed in 1976 through the merging of a number of financially troubled railroads. Conrail had operated two extensive commuter railroad networks in northern New Jersey under contract to NJDOT; in turn, these lines were the successors of numerous commuter routes dating from the mid-19th century. NJT now operates every passenger and commuter rail line in the state except for Amtrak, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH), which is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the PATCO Speedline, which is owned by the Delaware River Port Authority, two SEPTA Regional Rail lines, the West Trenton Line the Trenton Line, and a handful of tourist trains in the southern and northwestern parts of New Jersey. Since inception, rail ridership has quadrupled.
In the 1990s, the rail system expanded, with new Midtown Direct service to New York City and new equipment. On October 21, 2001, it opened a new station at Newark Liberty International Airport. On December 15, 2003, it opened the Secaucus Junction transfer station, replacing the former Harmon Cove station, connecting its two commuter networks in northern New Jersey for the first time. The new station allowed passengers on trains to Hoboken Terminal to transfer to trains to New York Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, saving an estimated 15 minutes over connecting with PATH trains at Hoboken. On October 31, 2005, NJT took over Clocker (NY–Philadelphia) service from Amtrak. Four new trains were added to the schedule, but cut back to Trenton.
From 2009 to 2011, NJT operated the Atlantic City Express Service (ACES) from New York Penn Station to Atlantic City Rail Terminal as a seasonal/weekend train under contract with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.
During Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, the rail operations center of NJ Transit was flooded by of water and an emergency generator submerged. Floodwater damaged at least 65 locomotive engines and 257 rail cars.
On May 16, 2025, a strike by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen caused the suspension of the entire NJ Transit rail network due to pay disputes. An agreement was reached on May 18 to end the strike, with full train service resuming the following Tuesday, May 20, after safety inspections.
Governance The governor of New Jersey appoints a thirteen-member board of directors, consisting of eleven voting and two non-voting members. The voting members consist of eight from the general public and three state officials. The two non-voting members are "recommended by labor organizations representing the plurality of employees". The governor has veto power on decisions made by the board.
In 2026, the United States Supreme Court held in Galette v. New Jersey Transit Corp. that NJ Transit is not an arm of the New Jersey government, meaning NJ Transit is not entitled to interstate sovereign immunity. Accordingly, NJ Transit may be sued by people in courts outside of New Jersey.
Current operations
NJT splits its operations into three classes: bus, light rail, and commuter rail, operated by four legal businesses: NJ Transit Bus Operations, Inc., subsidiaries NJ Transit Mercer, Inc. and NJ Transit Morris, Inc., and NJ Transit Rail Operations, Inc..
Bus
NJT Bus Operations operates 253 bus routes using 2,356 buses. Its subsidiaries NJ Transit Mercer and NJ Transit Morris operate those routes concentrated in Trenton and Monmouth and Morris counties. 696 additional buses are also leased out to several private New Jersey operators, including Coach USA, Lakeland, Transbridge Lines, and Academy.
Light rail
NJT operates three light rail systems:
Hudson–Bergen Light Rail – Three lines comprising a total of 24 stations and in length, running along the Hudson Waterfront from Bayonne to North Bergen in Hudson County. Newark Light Rail – Two lines comprising a total of 17 stations and in length, running to and from major transportation hubs in Newark and the surrounding area. River Line – A single line comprising a total of 21 stations and in length, running along the Delaware River from Trenton to Camden. The line runs diesel multiple unit trains.
Commuter rail
NJT operates thirteen commuter rail lines, two of which are operated under a contract with Metro-North Railroad. Atlantic City Line Bergen County Line Main Line Meadowlands Rail Line (for special events at the Meadowlands Sports Complex only) Montclair-Boonton Line Morris & Essex Lines, consisting of: Morristown Line Gladstone Branch North Jersey Coast Line Northeast Corridor Line (includes the Princeton Branch) Pascack Valley Line (Stations in New York operated under a contract with Metro-North Railroad) Port Jervis Line (under a contract with Metro-North Railroad) Raritan Valley Line
Police
The New Jersey Transit Police Department (NJTPD) is the transit police agency of NJ Transit. New Jersey Transit Police operates under the authority of Chapter 27 of the NJ Revised Statutes. Title 27:25-15.1 states in part "The Transit Police Officers so appointed shall have general authority, without limitation, to exercise police powers and duties, as provided by law for police officers and law enforcement officers, in all criminal and traffic matters at all times throughout the State and, in addition, to enforce such rules and regulations as the corporation shall adopt and deem appropriate."
One of the primary responsibilities of NJ Transit Police is to provide police services and security to the hundreds of bus terminals, rail stations, light-rail stations and all other property owned, operated and leased by NJ Transit throughout the state. The Department employs approximately 250 sworn police officers.
Projects Ongoing projects Gateway Program
This project will expand and restore the Northeast Corridor through a series of phases. It will create new capacity that will allow the doubling of passenger trains running under the Hudson River. The program will increase track, tunnel, bridge, and station capacity, eventually creating four mainline tracks between Newark, NJ, and Penn Station, New York, including a new, two-track Hudson River tunnel. It is being undertaken in partnership with Amtrak, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the State of New Jersey, and the State of New York.
Portal Bridge Replacement Project This project will replace the existing century-old swing-span bridge with a new, fixed-span bridge over the Hackensack River. The current bridge causes train traffic and delays due to maritime traffic, as well as malfunctions occurring from opening and closing; the new bridge will eliminate the movable span, thus improving reliability and increasing train speeds. The project is partnered with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit, Amtrak, and United States Department of Transportation, with funding provided by NJ Transit, Amtrak, and the Federal Railroad Administration.
Hudson Tunnel Project This project will entail the design and construction of a new Hudson River rail tunnel serving Penn Station, New York, and the rehabilitation and modernization of the existing North River Tunnels, which incurred serious and ongoing damage during Hurricane Sandy. The tunnel was flooded with millions of gallons of saltwater during Hurricane Sandy, causing corrosion that continues to damage the century-old tunnel. It plans to build a new tunnel, rather than close and renovate the existing tunnel, as doing so would leave only one of the North River Tunnels in service, which would cause a massive reduction in rail service. As of 2018, the final design was completed and it is being advanced through the U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER grant. The project is partnered with the FRA, PANYNJ, NJ Transit and Amtrak, all of which have provided a total funding of $86.5 million.
Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) Northern Branch Extension
This project will extend the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail from North Bergen in Hudson County to Englewood in Bergen County. The extension will better meet the needs of travelers in the area, advance cost-effective transit solutions, improve regional mobility and access, reduce roadway congestion, and attract growth and development. There have been several public hearings so far, and the project has received the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement from the Environmental Protection Agency. The final EIS was expected to be completed by the end of 2019. As of December 2022, the project is still in its design phase, and NJT was given a $600K federal grant to study transit-oriented development along the proposed extension.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) Route 440 Extension This project will extend Hudson-Bergen Light Rail access in Jersey City. It will extend service from West Side Avenue Station by of new rail to a new terminus on the west side of Route 440. An environmental assessment has been prepared by NJ Transit, and the Federal Transit Administration has issued a Finding of No Significance Impact (FONSI). Preliminary engineering began in 2018. The new station will be a contributing factor to the $180 million urban renewal project of Bayfront. There is also a project to improve Route 440 itself near the rail extension. As of 2020, the project is still ongoing after upgrades were made to West Side Avenue Station
Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project
In May 2001, New Jersey acquired the right-of-way of the Lackawanna Cut-Off. Constructed by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad between 1908 and 1911, this provided a direct route with minimal curves and grades between Slateford Junction, two miles (3.25 km) below the Delaware Water Gap, and the crest of the watershed at Lake Hopatcong (Port Morris Junction), the connection with NJT's Montclair-Boonton Line. This would restore long-distance service that the Erie Lackawanna last provided with the Lake Cities in 1970.