03/04/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/04/2026 13:07
March 4, 2026
NEWARK, NJ - Want to go green for St. Patrick's Day celebrations? Leave the driving to NJ TRANSIT and help the environment! NJ TRANSIT is ready for the season of St. Patrick's Day celebrations around the region over the coming weeks including the New York City parade and festivities in Belmar and Pearl River.
Customers attending the St. Patrick's Day festivities in Hoboken on Saturday March 7 and March 14 via Morristown Line or Gladstone Branch trains should travel through Secaucus in both directions. Hourly connections to Hoboken will be available at Secaucus throughout the day. Due to ongoing Portal North Bridge cutover work, the usual timely cross-platform connections are not available at Newark Broad Street. Customers should use the trip planner or station-to-station features on at njtransit.com to obtain schedules for travel to/from Hoboken.
On Tuesday, March 17 - when the New York City St. Patrick's Day parade takes place - trains and buses will operate on a regular weekday schedule. Light Rail systems will operate on their normal weekday schedules. Customer service ambassadors will be at Penn Station New York, Secaucus, Aberdeen-Matawan and Middletown, NJ stations to assist customers.
NJ TRANSIT will also enhance rail capacity on the Pascack Valley Line (PVL) on Sunday, March 22, to/from the parade in Pearl River.
On Saturday, March 28, NJ TRANSIT will accommodate the anticipated larger volumes of customers for the Belmar St. Patrick's Day parade by enhancing service on the North Jersey Coast Line with hourly shuttle trains between Long Branch and Bay Head. Customer service ambassadors will be at Long Branch and Belmar stations to assist customers. Complete NJCL schedule information for this will be available at https://www.njtransit.com/schedules/printable after March 15.
IMPORTANT NOTE : For these special events, customers are advised that NO BEVERAGES, INCLUDING ALCOHOL - OPEN OR CLOSED - WILL BE PERMITTED on any train, bus, or platform on Saturday March 7 for festivities in Hoboken and the weekend of March 14 and 15 for festivities in Hoboken, Morristown and South Amboy; The beverage ban will also be in place Tuesday, March 17 for the New York City parade; Sunday, March 22 for festivities in Pearl River, as well as Saturday March 28 to accommodate festivities for this year's Belmar St. Patrick's Day parade.
This policy will be strictly enforced.
On these dates, customers may see an increased presence of New Jersey Transit Police across the transit system.
NJ TRANSIT's Role in Sustainability
Public transportation is an inherently sustainable service. Every mile a person travels on mass transportation, instead of sitting in traffic, plays an important role in a better future for the planet. According to the Federal Transit Administration, the estimated change in an individual's carbon footprint by shifting from driving to mass transit would be a 47 percent reduction if shifting to bus, a 63 percent reduction if shifting to light rail, and a 69 percent reduction if shifting to commuter rail. By providing these passengers with an alternative to driving cars, NJ TRANSIT reduces automobile vehicle miles traveled in New Jersey by 1.5 billion every year and is one of the single greatest mitigators of auto congestion on New Jersey roadways.. Learn more at https://www.njtransit.com/sustainability .
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About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 264 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 165 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.