A strike by New Jersey Transit train drivers on Friday forced around 350,000 commuters in New Jersey and New York City to find alternative ways to travel or consider staying home.

This strike happened because the latest talks on Thursday failed to reach an agreement. It's the first public transport strike in the state for over 40 years, and it follows a vote a month ago where union members strongly rejected a deal with management.

"Tom Haas, the head of the train drivers' union, said that they had made a final offer, but it was turned down, leading to the breakdown of talks with only two hours left on the clock."

Chris Colurli, the CEO of New Jersey Transit, described the situation as a "temporary pause in negotiations."

"He stated late Thursday, during a joint press conference with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, that he hoped negotiations would restart as soon as possible. He added that he was willing to meet again that night if they were willing, or the following morning, because he believed the issue could be resolved quickly. The real question, he emphasized, was whether they were committed to finding a solution."

Murphy stated that it's important to be fair to employees while also reaching a final agreement that is affordable for New Jersey commuters and taxpayers.

According to the labour union, this announcement was made after 15 straight hours of contract talks, and they expect the picket line to start at 4 a.m. on Friday.

New Jersey Transit, the third largest public transportation system in the country, operates buses and trains throughout the state, providing around one million rides on weekdays, including commutes to New York City. This strike will halt all commuter trains running to New York City's Penn Station, northern New Jersey communities, and Newark Airport, which has already experienced delays recently.

In recent days, the organization announced plans to increase bus services as an emergency measure. However, they warned users that the buses would only add a "very limited" capacity to existing New York commuter routes, with services beginning on Monday. They are also planning to contract private companies to provide bus services from key park-and-ride locations during weekday peak hours.

However, the organisation says the bus service can only handle about 20% of current train passengers. Therefore, if a strike happens, they strongly recommend that people who can work from home do so.

Even the *threat* of the storm had already disrupted travel, and with the situation uncertain, public transportation cancelled train and bus services to Shakira's concerts scheduled for Thursday and Friday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Those involved discussed the issue with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services in Washington on Monday, and a mediator was also present during Thursday's talks. Corlruy stated on Thursday night that the Mediation Service had suggested a meeting to restart negotiations on Sunday morning.

The main point of disagreement in talks between the train drivers' union and management is wages. The union wants pay equal to that of other local passenger railways. According to the union, its members earn an average of $113,000 a year, and they might agree if the CEO, Chris Corluri, agrees to an average salary of $170,000.

However, New Jersey Transit officials disagree with the union's figures, stating that the average engineer earns $135,000 annually, with top earners exceeding $200,000.

On Thursday night, Mr. Kolrulli and Mr. Murphy said the real question was not whether they could agree on a pay rise, but whether it could be done without other unions demanding the same, which would create an impossible financial situation for New Jersey Transit.

Although the parliament has the power to step in and stop the strike, forcing the union to accept a deal, so far, no politicians seem willing to act like they did in 2022 when they intervened to prevent a national freight rail strike.

The union has seen a steady decline in members at New Jersey Transit, as more seek better-paying jobs with other railway companies; the number of engineers, which was 500 a few months ago, has now fallen to around 450.