Short Hills Trains Stop at Hoboken Until Mid-November. The 6:13 Is the One to Know.
Starting Sunday, October 11, every weekday Midtown Direct train out of Short Hills station will end at Hoboken Terminal. None will go to New York Penn Station. Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT start the final cutover work on October 9. That work moves the second of two tracks onto the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River and retires the 116-year-old swing bridge it replaces. The temporary schedules last about five weeks. Regular service is expected back on Sunday, November 15, if safety testing is complete. Monday, October 12 runs on the cutover weekday schedule too.
The Morris & Essex line went through this once already, from February 15 to March 15. That month showed where the time goes. Most of it goes at Hoboken, and very little of it on the train.
The Short Hills timetable barely moved
These are the morning departures from Short Hills on the temporary weekday timetable, which applies October 11 through November 14, with scheduled Hoboken arrivals.
| Leaves Short Hills | Arrives Hoboken | Hoboken arrival vs. 7 a.m. |
|---|---|---|
| 4:49 a.m. | 5:29 a.m. | Before |
| 5:16 a.m. | 5:47 a.m. | Before |
| 5:42 a.m. | 6:24 a.m. | Before |
| 5:58 a.m. | 6:44 a.m. | Before |
| 6:13 a.m. | 6:54 a.m. | Last one before |
| 6:47 a.m. | 7:20 a.m. | Peak |
| 7:04 a.m. | 7:33 a.m. | Peak |
| 7:30 a.m. | 8:03 a.m. | Peak |
| 7:43 a.m. | 8:12 a.m. | Peak |
| 8:02 a.m. | 8:31 a.m. | Peak |
| 8:26 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | Peak |
| 9:02 a.m. | 9:35 a.m. | After 9 |
| 9:24 a.m. | 10:04 a.m. | After 9 |
Put that next to the regular weekday schedule. Normally train 6318 leaves Short Hills at 8:03 a.m. and reaches Penn Station at 8:40 a.m. On the cutover schedule, the 8:02 a.m. reaches Hoboken at 8:31 a.m., nine minutes before the regular train would have reached Manhattan. The ride is about as long as usual. You still have to cross the Hudson after it.
The temporary timetable also prints PATH connections to World Trade Center and ferry connections to World Financial Center. The cross-honored routes in NJ TRANSIT's plan are narrower, and the next section covers them, so check that the route matches your ticket before you assume a downtown transfer is free.
Where February's extra time actually went
The first cutover cut weekday service from 332 trains to 178 and sent every Midtown Direct train to Hoboken. Before it started, officials forecast 18,000 more passengers than usual passing through Hoboken each morning and each evening. The Port Authority warned that Hoboken would probably be PATH's busiest Manhattan-bound station.
On the first full weekday commute, Tuesday, February 17, after Presidents' Day, NJ.com described Hoboken Terminal as crowded and confusing. Staff directed passengers toward PATH and the ferries, four morning trains were canceled, and some delays reached 50 minutes. Rider reactions that morning were mixed. Some described jammed trains, and others said the trip went better than they expected. That same report found ferry lines but a ferry that looked little used and uncrowded. A News 12 reporter found PATH crowded and also rode a busy NJ TRANSIT bus that got held in Lincoln Tunnel traffic.
The clearest numbers came from Railway Age, which tested the routes that first week from South Orange, two stops down the line from Short Hills:
- Train to Hoboken: 45 minutes, about 15 minutes longer than normal
- PATH plus the Hoboken transfer: about 20 minutes added one way
- Ferry plus shuttle: about an hour added compared with the usual trip to Penn
The same reporter judged the operation fairly smooth after the first two days, with riders and staff seeming to adapt over the rest of that week. No one has published a count of how riders actually split among PATH, ferry, bus and working from home. No one has published a Short Hills-specific account either. What exists is regional reporting from Hoboken.
Why the 6:13 matters
The most useful piece of advice from February came from NJ TRANSIT's customer advocate, who said Hoboken was quieter before about 7 to 7:30 a.m. For the second cutover, the agency has made that formal guidance. It asks riders who can travel off-peak to go before 7 a.m. or after 9 a.m. on weekday mornings, and before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. on weekday evenings. It also warns that the Hoboken alternatives have limited capacity and may see significant crowding at peak.
Compare that window with the table. Five Short Hills trains reach Hoboken before 7 a.m., and the 6:13, arriving at 6:54, is the last. The next one, the 6:47, arrives at 7:20, right in the stretch February riders described as busiest. After the 6:13, the next train that keeps you clear of the morning peak is the 9:02, which reaches Hoboken at 9:35.
So the choice comes down to two departures, a little before 6:15 or a little after 9:00. Between them, the train ride stays close to normal and the transfer gets slower. NJ TRANSIT's own list of what to expect points the same way: earlier departures, reduced frequency on some segments, longer travel times, and some trains consolidated or canceled. Its first suggestion is plainer still: anyone who can work from home should do so as much as possible during these five weeks.
The ticket to buy this week
October passes are already on sale, and the rules differ by ticket type. For October and November, NJ TRANSIT tells Midtown Direct riders on the Morristown Line to:
- Buy monthly passes, weekly passes and FLEXPASS to Hoboken via Newark Broad St. These are valid to Penn Station from October 1 to 10 and from November 15 to 30. From October 11 to November 14 they are cross-honored from Hoboken into Manhattan.
- Know which crossings are honored. PATH between Hoboken and 33rd St. only. NY Waterway between Hoboken and Midtown/W. 39th St. Pier 79 only, plus connections on any of the five NY Waterway bus routes from the Midtown ferry terminal. The No. 126 bus between Hoboken and Port Authority Bus Terminal, including Academy buses running the 126 route.
- Buy weekday one-way tickets to Hoboken. On weekends, one-way tickets have to say Penn Station. A Hoboken one-way ticket is not accepted to Penn on Saturday or Sunday.
FLEXPASS, a 20-trip ticket at a 15 percent discount, fits a hybrid schedule that might add home days during the cutover. Riders with mobility needs who are headed to Hoboken should tell their conductor ahead of time so accommodations can be arranged.
Weekends still go to Penn
Weekend service keeps the normal route. On Saturdays and Sundays during the cutover, Midtown Direct trains from Short Hills run straight to and from New York Penn Station. Hoboken monthly passes, weekly passes and FLEXPASS are honored on those trips. The weekend timetable itself is a separate temporary schedule, so the departure times you know may still have shifted.
One date in town falls inside the cutover. Explore Millburn-Short Hills has scheduled its Halloween event for Friday, October 30, from 2:30 to 6 p.m., with free downtown trick-or-treating, a costume contest, pumpkin painting, DJs, face painting and games. The stroll ends at 6 p.m., but NJ TRANSIT's suggested evening window means leaving Manhattan before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. That makes October 30 a natural day to work from home.
After November 15, the eastbound side changes next
The eastbound side of Short Hills station is where every train in the table above departs. Once regular service returns, it is the next part of the commute in line for change. At the September 1 Township Committee meeting, Millburn's administrator presented a redesign. It includes new medians and landscaped islands on Chatham Road, three crosswalks with two of them raised to slow traffic, a redesigned drop-off loop with limited parking and more accessible spaces, and reconfigured driveways to stop left-turn shortcuts. It also adds a rapid-flashing beacon at the busiest crossing and native, deer-resistant, salt-tolerant plantings developed with the arboretum. The stated goals are better pickup and drop-off flow, safer pedestrian crossings, and lower speeds in an area that also serves as a route to schools.
The project has a $479,000 Safe Routes to Transit grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Work under the grant must begin before the end of 2026, and the township said it would seek an extension. Boswell Engineering is handling the project, and lighting and electrical work will be a separate phase. The Township Committee authorized advertising for bids on July 14 under Resolution 26-176, with no opening date set. Once the work goes out to bid, the township has 60 days to award it. As of early October, no construction schedule has been published.
Living in Short Hills includes the train, and the team at NJ From A to Z keeps track of the station, the schedule and the drop-off loop the same way you do. If you're weighing a move and want to know how a particular street connects to Short Hills station, and how that's likely to change after November, ask us for a Free Local Market Consultation and we'll go through it with you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
