NJ Transit to lower some commuter-rail fares during Penn Station work

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ordered New Jersey Transit to reduce fares for its Midtown Direct service on the Morris and Essex lines during this summer's repairs at Penn Station in Manhattan.

Fares will be cut 56 percent to 63 percent for July and August, Christie announced earlier this week.

From July through August, Amtrak has scheduled major repair work to be performed at the station, which was the site of two recent derailments caused by track disrepair. The work will require some track running into the station to be closed during some peak travel times.

"These fare reductions, in my view, are absolutely necessary to compensate for Amtrak's failings, and to give NJ Transit customers some financial relief in addition to the relief we are going to try to give them by also running more ferry service, more bus service, and obviously having access to [Port Authority Trans-Hudson trains]," Christie said in a statement.

Riders on the Midtown Direct service on the Morris/Essex lines will be diverted to Hoboken to be able to access Midtown Manhattan. In the first week of June, NJ Transit will release information on its modified schedules during the Penn Station repair period.

The repair work is expected to reduce the number of trains using Penn Station by about 20 percent during peak travel times. Amtrak operates the station. The work won't affect NJ Transit's other lines, according to Christie.

On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled an action plan to address the station's challenges.