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(erielack) NJ Transit - Hoboken, NJ

New York Post - Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004
Unattended package on NJ Transit causes delays

> NEW YORK CITY -- An unattended package on an NJ Transit train in Hoboken
> wreaked havoc on the evening commute yesterday (Aug. 30) for thousands
> of riders on a day when commuters experienced a smooth ride into Penn
> Station, despite extra security on the rails and traffic restrictions on
> the streets. 

> The box was spotted on a train seat around 5 p.m. by a conductor,
> forcing cops to shut down the Hoboken station, halting service for over
> an hour on NJ Transit and PATH trains. 

> The incident caused widespread delays throughout the evening for
> thousands of riders trying to get home. 
> 
> "Unfortunately, it happened during the height of rush hour, but because
> we are on heightened security, the police were already here," said NJ
> Transit spokeswoman Penelope Bassett Hackett. 
> 
> The commute had gone relatively well throughout the day as commuters
> streamed into Penn Station amid a sea of police and bomb-sniffing dogs
> on the opening day of the Republican National Convention. 
> 
> Commuters who were expecting an elbows-in-the-gut trip on packed trains
> were treated to a hassle-free ride and empty seats. 
> 
> So many New Yorkers left the city this week fearing traffic tie-ups, a
> potential terror attack or out-of-control protesters that the
> much-feared gridlock around the transit hub never materialized. 
> 
> "I was holding my breath when I got off the train, thinking it was going
> to be this nightmare," said Dave Brahar, 32, who made the trek into the
> city from Rockville Centre, L.I., on the LIRR. "Now I'm thinking, 'This
> is great. It's eerie, but great.' " 
> 
> Don Coney, 54, a real-estate broker from Freeport, L.I., said the GOP
> confab slowed him down a bit, but didn't cause him any headaches. 
> 
> "It's first time I can ever remember having a row of seats to myself
> first thing in the morning," he said. 
> 
> Transit officials have encouraged LIRR riders to avoid Penn Station by
> transferring to subways at Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn and Woodside,
> Hunters Point Avenue, Long Island City or Jamaica stations in Queens. 
> 
> Subway riders heading into 34th Street were also treated to an
> uneventful commute. 
> 
> "The train was emptier than usual. People must have just decided to take
> the week off," said Robert Ferrer, 39, who took the No. 2 train into
> Penn Station from the Upper West Side. "It was like a holiday. I got on,
> got off - no problem." 
> 
> Even though pedestrians are being asked to bear the largest burden
> because of street closures, some said getting around on foot was
> relatively easy. 
> 
> "This is what happens when everyone panics for no reason," said Brenda
> Auer, 38, of Hempstead, L.I. "The rest of us can take advantage of it."

=====
Gary R. Kazin
DL&W Milepost R35.7
Rockaway, New Jersey

http://www.geocities.com/gkazin/index.html


	
		
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