This D.C. Train Does Not Go To N.J. (Even If It Says It Does)

MILLBURN, NJ — Paul Meyer of Maryland was surprised during his commute at Union Station in Washington D.C. this morning to see a MARC (Maryland Rail Commuter) train pull up with a sign saying it was for Hoboken. The train is labeled Route 872, which in the past originated in Hackettstown with stops in Morristown, Summit, Short Hills, Millburn, Newark, and Hoboken. But there's no commuter train from D.C. up to New Jersey as of now.

Meyer wrote on Twitter, "Ahh it's MARC train 872 to...Hoboken?"

On Twitter, Meyer further explained that the trains were originally ordered by NJ Transit, which didn't use them, so the Maryland MTA bought them. But he said that "As of two years ago, they were still directing people to call NJ Transit if you saw anything suspicious!"

NJ Transit has its own problems, which Gov. Phil Murphy says he'll address in his 2020 State of the State speech next week. Over the summer, the New York Times reported that the agency —the third biggest commuter railroad in the country — had canceled 60 trains in one week. The transit agency often sends out alerts like this one saying they have canceled a train due to "engineer availability." In October, the state Senate announced a select committee to investigate the reasons for the agency's continued problems. This past Tuesday night, at a Town Committee meeting in Millburn, Gov. Phil Murphy said he will update people about NJ Transit in Tuesday's State of the State address.

"I'm putting together the State of the State address which is a week from today, so keep me in your prayers," he said. "We are slowly but surely getting to the place we need to get to, whether it's funding public education, making health care affordable, fixing NJ Transit, which we will fix if it kills me — and it might."

In August, as Patch reported, the agency tried to be more accountable by posting monthly performance reports for the public.

Meanwhile, commuter Twitter accounts and websites names like "NJTransh*t" continually chronicle delayed or canceled trains.

For his part, Paul Meyer got on his train and made it safely to Baltimore this morning, despite the confusing signage all around him. It's just more proof that humans, not robots, will continue to rule the world — at least, for a little while longer.