To the Editor:

Saturday night, March 26, hundreds of commuters to Princeton Junction saw first hand how inadequate New Jersey Transit would be in the event of a large serious emergency situation. At least four trains that left New York from 8 p.m. on were prevented from stopping at Princeton Junction because of what we were told on the speaker system was “police action at Princeton Junction.” Before New Brunswick, our train, the 9:01 express due in at 10:04, was halted. After we limped late into New Brunswick, the speaker system announced that we would go backward a bit to a different track and then would have to bypass the Junction and get off at Hamilton and then take the train on the “opposite platform” back to Princeton Junction.

When we arrived at Hamilton, there was no human being to direct us through the long walk on the platform to the escalator to the street level, and to the east-bound platform which we had to reach by going out into the street. We never saw an employee of NJ Transit after getting off the train at the low-level platform where there was a conductor. And no one came or even announced at 11 p.m. while we were waiting out in the cold at Hamilton when the next train would appear. There were babies, children, older people, and several who needed but could not find the way to an open bathroom. If we had found one, we’d have been afraid to leave the platform because we had no idea when the train home would arrive. Others had come from the airport with luggage after perhaps a day of traveling.

We kept hearing announcements about trains going west to Trenton. Several more trains came in with passengers destined for Princeton Junction. We arrived back at the Junction after midnight, two hours late for us but longer for the earlier trains that had been through the same situation.

Yes, it was an emergency at the Junction. When we passed going south we saw a car on the tracks and several police and fire vehicles. Yes, it was obviously a sad situation. But — where were conductors who could be trained in human communication? Why weren’t they walking through the cars? And why did no employee appear at Hamilton to direct us, open restrooms, and give us information?

Ideally, a bus would have been there to take us back. There were hundreds of people from several trains waiting.

Yes, it was not a national emergency and we all were aware that this was just a great inconvenience. And because the tragedy in Belgium was in many minds, the complaints were not large. Everyone seemed to bear it despite the cold and lateness of the hour.

My concern is where will the human being employees of New Jersey Transit be if a far more serious situation arises?

Obviously some training and serious preparation and mock situations need to be put into action.

Phyllis Spiegel

Plainsboro