NEW YORK, May 16 (Xinhua) -- New Jersey's train system saw its first statewide strike in more than 40 years on Friday, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The strike was triggered after contract negotiations between NJ Transit, the state's public mass transit company, and the union representing train engineers broke down. Trains in the state were completely shut down one minute after midnight on Friday.

According to the Regional Plan Association (RPA), an American civic organization, New Jersey is home to approximately 450,000 commuters who travel to New York for work. Now, they must find alternative ways to cross the state, such as by bus or ferry, which can lead to congestion on other modes of transportation.

NJ Transit has developed contingency plans that will accommodate an extremely limited number of rail customers, also urging riders to work from home when possible, according to a statement of the company's website.

However, only about 20 percent of the existing rail passengers can be carried as the capacity of other bus systems cannot replace the railway, according to the statement.

The strike could lead to a state of emergency across the state, said Phil Murphy, New Jersey's governor.

"I am still hoping we find some resolution, but I am preparing for the worst," said Murphy.

NJ Transit is the largest state public transit system in the United States by area served. The strike comes at a precarious time for the agency, which anticipates a 1-billion-U.S.-dollar budget shortfall once its federal COVID-19 relief funding runs out in 2026. ■