THE 1983 NEW JERSEY TRANSIT RAIL STRIKE: A SYSTEMATIC EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Many recent experiences with transportation system disruptions have affected the transit system distribution networks of urban core areas. The United Transportation Union strike of New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) Rail Operations, Inc., during March 1983 represented a unique situation. In this case, a statewide public transportation system, geared for the provision of longdistance line-haul access to a large urban center, implemented an emergency contingency plan to provide an alternative to this line-haul service. NJ Transit's contingency planning and implementation processes are described. The processes and results are compared with those of other large public transportation systems that have recently experienced service disruptions. A number of conclusions are drawn based on NJ Transit's performance in responding to the strike and the comparison with experiences of other transit agencies. The findings illustrate the importance of (a) predicting the necessity of having a plan and having the lead time to develop one and (b) establishing and maintaining close working relationships with other agencies whose cooperation is vital to successful plan implementation.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1984/992/992-014.pdf
• Summary URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=THE+1983+NEW+JERSEY+TRANSIT+RAIL+STRIKE%3A+A+SYSTEMATIC+EMERGENCY+RESPONSE&author=S.+Gordon&author=S.+Fittante&publication_year=1984
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Public Transportation Marketing and Fare Policy.
• Authors:
  • Gordon, Stephen
  • Fittante, Steven
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 77-84
• Monograph Title: Transit research developments
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 992
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus lanes; Buses; Charter operations; Contingency planning; Management; Park and ride; Railroad commuter service; Strikes
• Identifier Terms: New Jersey Transit; Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
• Geographic Terms: New Jersey
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Society; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00451182
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309038014
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Nov 30 1988 12:00AM