NJ Transit Quiet Commute Program Expands to Off-Peak Hoboken Trains

NJ Transit is expanding its Quiet Commute program to off-peak trains that serve Hoboken Terminal.

The pilot program will begin Monday, May 5 with Quiet Commute cars added to all off-peak trains arriving and departing Hoboken Terminal between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays only.

This includes trains on the Morris & Essex, Montclair-Boonton, Pascack Valley, Main, Bergen County and Port Jervis lines, along with the 2300-series trains on the North Jersey Coast Line.

"We heard from our customers that they want to enjoy the benefits of Quiet Commute cars on trains during off-peak hours in addition to peak periods, and we are taking action based directly on their recommendations," Executive Director Veronique Hakim said in a statement released Tuesday. "We want our customers to know that their feedback will continue to be the driving force behind NJ Transit's ongoing efforts to improve their overall experience on our system."

The designated Quiet Commute car will be the first one on trains traveling into Hoboken, and the last car on trains departing Hoboken, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Quiet Commute cars are intended to provide a subdued environment for customers who wish to refrain from using cell phones and are willing to disable the sound feature on pagers, games, computers and other electronic devices, according to an NJ Transit statement.

"Conversations should be conducted in quiet voices, and headphones should be used at a volume that cannot be heard by other passengers," according to the statement.

NJ Transit plans to monitor and evaluate the pilot program and will consider feedback from customers in guiding further expansion across the system.

The following peak trains already feature the Quiet Commute cars:

• All Northeast Corridor “3900-series” express trains. The designated Quiet Commute cars are the first and last cars of each train.
• On Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Midtown Direct and Raritan Valley line trains that arrive in Newark or New York between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., and trains that depart Newark or New York between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The designated Quiet Commute cars are the first and last cars of each train.
• On Morris & Essex, Montclair-Boonton, Pascack Valley, Main, Bergen County and Port Jervis line trains that arrive in Hoboken Terminal between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., and depart Hoboken Terminal between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.  The designated Quiet Commute car is the first car on trains traveling into Hoboken, and the last car on trains departing Hoboken.

NJ Transit launched the peak period Quiet Commute program in September 2010 and expanded the program in January 2011 to all peak-period, peak-direction trains that begin or end at New York Penn Station or Newark Penn Station. NJ Transit completed a system-wide rollout in June 2011 to peak-period trains in and out of Hoboken Terminal.