Commuting to Raritan Site by train?

Considering applying for position in regulatory affairs in the Raritan, NJ site. Live in NYC but wonder how practical it is to commute by train to Raritan? Any serious insights would be appreciated.

 

Train station is about a mile away and no JNJ shuttle so you're either walking or taking a taxi ($10-15 each way). Also misconnects are common between the train from NYC and the Raritan train leaving Newark so a great deal of patience and flexibility is necessary. Must you work in Raritan or can the job be done from corporate (New Brunswick) or the consumer office (JNJ offers a shuttle to Skillman from Hoboken)? Other option is moving to Jersey City/Hoboken as you can easily lease/buy a car with the super low interest rates from what you're saving in not paying the NYC resident tax.

 

I'm a consultant based in NYC (Manhattan). J&J is my largest client, and on a few occasions I've had projects at different locations in Raritan where I've done that commute daily via NJ Transit trains.

Your proximity to Penn Station is obviously a big factor; living in Midtown West vs. living in Park Slope can make a sizable time difference before you even leave the city. With that being said, I personally would never consider doing that commute on a permanent basis. I live in Manhattan very close to Penn, and on a good day - door-to-door - I was still facing a nearly 2-hour commute each way getting out to Raritan. Keep in mind, that's the trip time without delays, which aren't exactly uncommon.

I guess the key question is - what is your personal tolerance for very long commutes? If you consider a minimum 1 h 45 min commute each way, each day to be fine, go for it. Otherwise, I'd think twice.

 

I live in Chelsea and used to commute daily to Raritan. The drive is not bad, about 50min-1h10 each way, and pretty reliable time wise.

Since I don't commute on a daily basis anymore, I've switched to Zipcar, which brings the commuting cost to approximately $100/day. For my pattern, that is a cost savings versus owning, maintaining, parking, etc. a car in NYC (which would probably be $1,000/mo with parking)

The training is feasible, but you might also like the Zipcar option if you have an early start or important meeting for reliability. The train requires a connection in Newark and I have only been caught once with a missed connection. The bigger issue is arriving in Raritan and having to walk to the the site... not a problem for NYCers, but technically you have to walk along side the road of a 4 lane highway for a short stretch without a sidewalk up a slight hill. Doable, but you definitely can feel out of place as you do it. A bike or inexpensive car which you could park cheaply at the Raritan train station would create a better experience.