This photo taken with a mobile phone shows commuters heading for New Jersey waiting at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, the United States, on May 16, 2025. New Jersey's train system saw its first statewide strike in more than 40 years on Friday, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. (Photo by Qin Mingwei/Xinhua)

NEW YORK, May 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. New Jersey Transit train engineers went on strike, leaving train terminals quiet for Friday's rush hour and an estimated 350,000 commuters in New Jersey and New York City to seek other means to reach their destinations or consider staying home.

According to The Associated Press, groups of picketers gathered in front of transit headquarters in Newark and at the Hoboken Terminal, carrying signs that said "Locomotive Engineers on Strike" and "NJ Transit: Millions for Penthouse Views Nothing for Train Crews."

Friday's rail commute into New York from New Jersey is typically the lightest of the week. In New York, some commuters from New Jersey said they could not work remotely and had to come in, taking buses to the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan.

"The walkout comes after the latest round of negotiations on Thursday didn't produce an agreement. It is the state's first transit strike in more than 40 years and comes a month after union members overwhelmingly rejected a labor agreement with management," noted the report. ■

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows commuters heading for New Jersey waiting at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, the United States, on May 16, 2025. New Jersey's train system saw its first statewide strike in more than 40 years on Friday, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. (Photo by Qin Mingwei/Xinhua)