On Friday, New Jersey Transit train engineers started a strike, forcing around 350,000 commuters in New Jersey and New York City to find alternative ways to travel or consider not travelling at all.

The strike began after negotiations on Thursday failed to reach an agreement. This is the first time in over 40 years that the state's public transport workers have stopped working, following the rejection of a work agreement by union members last month.

"Tom Haas, head of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said they presented their final offer, but it was rejected, and the other party ended negotiations with two hours remaining."

NJ Transit's leader, Kris Kolluri, called the situation a "temporary halt in discussions."

He stated on Thursday, during a joint press conference with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, that he fully intends to continue these discussions as soon as he can. He added that he would be willing to meet that evening, or the following morning, if they were prepared to do so, because he believed the issue could be resolved quickly. The main question, he said, was whether they were truly willing to find a solution.

Murphy stressed the need to reach a final agreement that is fair to workers while also being affordable for New Jersey commuters and taxpayers.

The union stated the announcement was made after 15 hours of continuous contract negotiations, and they anticipate picket lines will begin at 4 a.m. on Friday.

NJ Transit, one of the biggest transport systems in the country, runs buses and trains in New Jersey, with almost a million journeys each weekday, including trips to New York City. The strike has stopped all NJ Transit trains, which are a key way for people to travel between New York City's Penn Station and towns in northern New Jersey, as well as Newark airport, which has also had its own problems with delays lately.

In preparation, the agency recently announced backup plans, including increasing bus services. However, they cautioned that these buses would only provide a small increase in capacity on existing commuter routes near train stations and wouldn't be available until Monday. The agency will also hire private bus companies to run services from park-and-ride areas during busy weekday times.

The agency pointed out that the buses would carry far fewer passengers – only about 20% of the usual train users. Therefore, they encouraged those who could work remotely to do so in the event of a strike.

The mere possibility of it happening had already led to travel problems, and due to the unclear situation, the transit company stopped train and bus services for Shakira's concerts at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday and Friday.

The groups involved met on Monday with a national mediator in Washington to talk about the issue. A mediator also attended discussions on Thursday. Kolluri said that the mediation board has suggested they meet again on Sunday morning to continue discussions.

The main disagreement in talks between the agency and the train drivers' union is pay, as the union wants its members to earn similar wages to those working for other local passenger train companies. The union claims its members currently earn $113,000 annually on average and believes a deal is possible if the agency boss, Kris Kolluri, approves an average yearly salary of $170,000.

However, NJ Transit's management questions the union's figures, stating that their engineers earn an average of $135,000 per year, and some top earners make over $200,000.

Kolluri and Murphy stated on Thursday that the main challenge isn't simply agreeing on a pay rise, but reaching an agreement that won't lead other unions to ask for similar increases, potentially creating financial difficulties for NJ Transit.

Although Congress has the authority to step in and stop the strike by making the union accept an agreement, lawmakers seem unwilling to do so this time, unlike in 2022 when they prevented a national railway strike.

The union at NJ Transit has experienced a continuous decline in members, as many are leaving for higher-paying positions at other railway companies. The number of engineers at NJ Transit has decreased from 500 to around 450 in recent months.