Commuters cope with NJ Transit changes amid home stretch of Portal Bridge construction

Thousands of NJ Transit riders are facing a major change to their commute. 

For the next five weeks, trains that normally take some commuters directly into New York's Penn Station are being diverted to Hoboken. 

About 30,000 Midtown Direct riders are affected, according to NJ Transit. Weekday trains on the Morristown, Gladstone and Montclair-Boonton lines are being rerouted to Hoboken. To get into Manhattan, riders can transfer to PATH trains, the 126 bus, or a New York Waterway ferry. 

It's because work crews are now moving the final track over the 116-year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River. The old bridge has been a source of delays for decades. That's something NJ Transit says the new Portal North Bridge, which began construction in 2022, will fix. 

"If you give us these next five weeks, this bridge will not be a problem for the next 100 years," NJ Transit president and CEO Kris Kolluri said. 

So for now, that means a different daily routine. 

The first weekday of this arrangement has been manageable for some riders we spoke with. 

"Not bad at all. Easy peasy," one rider said. 

Riders had different experiences. While one person told CBS News New York the new arrangement caused him to leave home about 15 minutes earlier than usual, another woman said she left an hour and a half earlier than normal. 

With some workers off Monday for Columbus Day, Tuesday could be a bigger test of how well these changes work. 

"That's probably going to be the deal breaker, what happens the rest of the week," one rider said. 

NJ Transit is urging riders to check their schedules and to allow extra time getting to and from their destinations.

Normal service is expected to resume Nov. 15.