NJ Transit brings back some late night service

The 12:56 a.m. Morris & Essex lines train out of New York's Penn Station and the 11:30 p.m. train from Dover to Hoboken will operate under a new schedule that takes effect on Sunday. However, the last train to leave New York on the North Jersey Coast Line at 1 a.m. still only goes as far as Long Branch.

"The plan is to review the North Jersey Coast Line service and possibly bring it back as 'seasonal service' next year for the summer time when the ridership at that time of night in that area warrants the service," wrote Jennifer M. Nelson, NJ Transit's Director of Media Relations in an email to New Jersey 101.5.

Nelson wrote that the service is not being "restored" as the times on the new schedule are slightly different. The 12:56 a.m. train is actually a "shifting" of an existing train that was leaving at 12:34 a.m. and the 11:30 p.m. train is not  an exact replication of the original Dover to Hoboken service.

"The service eliminations were made in order to account for changes in ridership and to maximize the efficiency of our crews and equipment. We review our bus, rail, and light rail schedules multiple times a year for this purpose," wrote Nelson.

NJ Transit made the schedule changes without advance notice, which upset many riders, as they were not mentioned in hearings leading up to fare increases.  NJ Transit officials said the increases were needed to close a $60 million budget gap that remained even after the agency cut $40 million.