Hoboken-Jersey City Light Rail Resumes With Limited Service; Riders Frustrated

HOBOKEN, NJ — Service on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line from Second Street in Hoboken to Jersey City's Newport station was suspended Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, frustrating riders.

UPDATE: "Limited" service resumed around 4 p.m.:

"Overhead wire repairs continue," explained a spokesperson at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

After the lines were snarled Tuesday morning because of a derailment of one car, passengers complained about a lack of timely notification, and repeated their complaints Wednesday.

"At least this time they give us a heads up unlike yesterday it took me 3 hours trying to commute to work with this issue," wrote one rider. "This time I use[d] an alternate route not dealing with the light rail and made it with no issue."

Several riders complained of delays on other segments of the light rail Wednesday, including at the southern terminus, Bayonne's Eighth Street station.

You can click on the agency's social media for updates:

1/2:Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service remains suspended between Newport and 2nd Street. Customers should use substitute busing for travel between Newport and 2nd Street. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service is also suspended between Newport and Hoboken Terminal.
— Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (@NJTRANSIT_HBLR) April 24, 2024

On Tuesday, according to agency spokesman Jim Smith, at approximately 5:40 a.m., a Hudson Bergen light rail vehicle experienced a minor derailment of a single car on the viaduct leading from Jersey City into Hoboken Terminal.

"The vehicle remain[ed] upright," Smith said. "No injuries were reported to the two customers or the operator on board at the time. Crews are on scene assessing if there [was] any damage to the overhead wires or to the track. The cause remains under investigation."

Service resumed at 2 p.m. Tuesday, until it was suspended again hours later.