The new Portal North Bridge is open

The wait is over. On March 12, Governor Mikie Sherrill and officials from NJ Transit and Amtrak rode the first ceremonial train across the new Portal North Bridge. Starting Monday, March 16, the first track on the new bridge enters regular passenger service. Regular NJ Transit schedules resume Sunday, March 15.

Phase 1 of the cutover is complete. After four weeks of reduced service, Hoboken diversions, and single-track operations between Newark and Secaucus, riders can return to their normal commutes.

What this means for riders

Starting Sunday, March 15, the temporary cutover schedules end. Here is what changes:

• Montclair-Boonton and Morris & Essex lines return to New York Penn Station. No more Hoboken diversions.
• Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line resume full service frequency.
• Raritan Valley Line restores one-seat rides to Penn Station.

On Monday, March 16, westbound trains begin using the first track on the new Portal North Bridge. Eastbound trains continue on the old bridge until Phase 2 in the fall.

What is the new bridge?

The Portal North Bridge is a modern, high-level, fixed-span bridge that rises 50 feet over the Hackensack River. It replaces the 116-year-old Portal Bridge, a swing bridge that had to open for boat traffic dozens of times each year — and frequently got stuck. The new bridge eliminates that problem. Trains can travel up to 90 mph, compared to 60 mph on the old structure.

The $2.3 billion project is the first major bridge cutover completed on the Northeast Corridor, part of the Gateway Program.

What comes next

This is not the end. Phase 2 will move the second track onto the new bridge, expected in fall 2026. That means another round of temporary schedule changes and service reductions. Reroute NJ will be here for that, too.

Once both tracks are on the new bridge, the original 1910 Portal Bridge will be permanently retired and dismantled in 2027.

Four weeks of disruption for decades of better, faster, more reliable service. It was worth it.

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