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 to consider not travelling at all.

The strike began after negotiations failed on Thursday, marking the first transport strike in the state in over 40 years, and follows a strong rejection of a proposed agreement by union members last month.

"Tom Haas, head of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said they gave them the final offer, but it was turned down, and they left even though there were still two hours to go."

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri characterised the situation as a "temporary halt in discussions."

He stated on Thursday, during a press conference with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, that he fully intends to continue these discussions very soon. He added that he is ready to meet whenever they are available, even tonight or tomorrow morning, because he believes the issue can be resolved quickly. The only question, he said, is whether they are truly willing to find a solution.

Murphy stated that it was essential to "achieve a final agreement that is equitable for 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. They anticipate picket lines will form from 4 a.m. on Friday.

NJ Transit, one of the biggest transport systems in the US, 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 popular for travel between New York's Penn Station and towns in northern New Jersey, as well as Newark airport, which has also had its own problems with delays lately.

Recently, the agency shared its backup plans, stating they would improve bus services. However, they cautioned that these buses would only offer a "very limited" increase in space on current New York commuter routes near train stations, starting on Monday. Additionally, the agency will hire private bus companies to run services from main park-and-ride areas during busy weekday hours.

However, the agency warned that buses would carry far fewer passengers – only around 20% of the usual train users. They advised those who could work remotely to do so if a strike happened.

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

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

The main problem in talks between the agency and the train union is pay, as the union wants its members to earn similar wages to those at other local passenger train companies. The union states that its members currently earn around $113,000 annually and believes an agreement is possible if the agency's boss, Kris Kolluri, accepts an average yearly wage of $170,000.

However, NJ Transit's management challenges the union's figures, stating that their engineers earn an average of $135,000 per year, and the highest-paid engineers make over $200,000.

Kolluri and Murphy stated on Thursday that the main issue isn't just agreeing on higher wages. It's whether they can agree in a way that doesn't lead other unions to ask for the same, which would create financial problems for NJ Transit.

While Congress could step in to stop the strike and make the union agree to a deal, as it did in 2022 to avoid a national railway strike, lawmakers have so far been unwilling to do so.

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