NJ Transit Restores Lines After the Newark Drawbridge Stop
Published: November 7, 2026
By: Adam Burns
NEWARK — NJ Transit said on Friday, November 6, that Morris & Essex Line service had resumed between Hackettstown and Dover, and that Montclair-Boonton Line service had resumed between Hackettstown and Montclair State University. The agency tied the gap to crew and equipment impacts from Newark Drawbridge problems the day before. The advisory schedule field runs from 21:45 on November 5 through 18:00 on November 6. That field is the notice window. It is not a clock for when the bridge stuck open.
NJ Transit PL42AC #4019 is pushing an eastbound train on the old Erie main at Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey on May 13, 2023. Doug Kroll photo.
What resumed on Friday
The Friday advisory says the Newark Drawbridge was built in 1903, and that marine traffic required the agency to open it. Personnel were eventually able to close the drawbridge on Thursday night. Service still could not operate between Hoboken and Newark Broad Street for most of Thursday. The advisory says a stop of that length affects hours of service for crews and keeps train sets from reaching the places they need to be for the next morning. That is the reason it gives for the adjusted schedules on the Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton lines. The agency apologized for the impact on the Friday morning commute.
An NJ TRANSIT post at 6:03 p.m. Eastern on Friday said the same two restorations: Morris & Essex service in both directions between Hackettstown and Dover, and Montclair-Boonton service in both directions between Hackettstown and Montclair State University. The post clock is 23:03:18 UTC on November 6. The advisory window ends at 18:00 the same day. Those are two labeled times. The advisory does not print a minute for the Thursday closing of the span, and it does not print a minute for when the span stuck open. It says most of the day.
The Friday resumption notice names the Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton lines. It does not name the Gladstone Branch, and it does not say the Gladstone Branch was suspended that morning.
What stopped on Thursday
An earlier NJ TRANSIT post, at 7:02 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, November 5, said service was suspended in both directions between Newark Broad Street and Hoboken. The lines named in that post are the Morris & Essex Line, the Gladstone Branch, and the Montclair-Boonton Line. The stated cause was that the drawbridge was stuck open. The post clock is 00:02:31 UTC on November 6.
That Thursday post said rail tickets and passes would be cross-honored on NJ Transit buses and on private-carrier buses, on NJ Transit light rail, and on PATH. The PATH stations named are Newark Penn Station, Hoboken, 33rd Street, and Penn Station New York. Hoboken Terminal, DL&W's Spectacular Watefront Station is the waterfront terminal on that suspension. The Portal Bridge replacement is a different project, already covered in The 1910 Portal Bridge Is Handed Over for Demolition.
How to check a train
The advisory tells riders to use My Transit alerts, the NJ Transit app, the Travel Alerts page, or the @NJTRANSIT account. Customer service is (973) 275-5555, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. The public advisory page later marked the notice as expired. The text used here is the agency copy that was still posted on the content site.
Related reading on American-Rails.com
- The 1910 Portal Bridge Is Handed Over for Demolition
- PATH Director Clarelle DeGraffe Will Retire at the End of 2026
- Hoboken Terminal, DL&W's Spectacular Watefront Station
- Rail News
Sources
- NJ Transit service advisory, “Morris & Essex Line, Gladstone Branch, and Montclair-Boonton Line: Rail Service Update – Friday, November 6, 2026,” content.njtransit.com/service-advisory/2195368. Schedule field from 21:45 on November 5 through 18:00 on November 6. Morris & Essex service resumed between Hackettstown and Dover. Montclair-Boonton service resumed between Hackettstown and Montclair State University. The bridge dates from 1903. Marine traffic required an opening. The span was closed Thursday night, after Hoboken to Newark Broad Street had been out for most of the day. The advisory gives that duration as the reason for the Friday adjustments and apologizes for the morning commute. It does not name Gladstone in the resumption paragraph. Customer service (973) 275-5555, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Alerts: My Transit, the app, Travel Alerts, and @NJTRANSIT. The public page later said the advisory had expired.
- NJ TRANSIT post, November 6, 2026, 23:03:18 UTC, 6:03 p.m. Eastern. Morris & Essex service resumed in both directions between Hackettstown and Dover. Montclair-Boonton service resumed in both directions between Hackettstown and Montclair State University, after the Newark Drawbridge issue the day before.
- NJ TRANSIT post, November 6, 2026, 00:02:31 UTC, 7:02 p.m. Eastern on November 5. Service suspended in both directions between Newark Broad Street and Hoboken on the Morris & Essex Line, the Gladstone Branch, and the Montclair-Boonton Line because the drawbridge was stuck open. Rail tickets and passes cross-honored on NJ Transit and private-carrier bus, NJ Transit light rail, and PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken, 33rd Street, and Penn Station New York.
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