Knicks Fans Are Losing It As NJ Transit Trains Go On Strike Ahead of Game 6

New York sports fans are irate as they try to figure out how they will make it to Friday night's games as New Jersey Transit railways have come to a complete work stoppage after locomotive engineers went on strike as of midnight.

As a result, tens of thousands of New York Knicks fans as well as Yankees and Mets fans looking to see Juan Soto return to the Bronx since signing to the cross-town rivals in the offseason, play tonight. Even non-sports fans are affected as Shakira is set to perform at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where NJ Transit is the only railway that provides service. Or, used to have service, I should say!

OVER A MILLION PEOPLE USE NJ TRANSIT DAILY

The funny thing about time is that what is beneficial for one person isn't always ideal for someone else.

Needless to say, for the strike to happen the same day as Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Knicks and Celtics, in which the Knicks can advance if they win, definitely shows the importance of having a transit operation that not only runs effectively, but actually runs in the first place!

For the Knicks home arena of Madison Square Garden, NJ Transit trains literally stop below at Penn Station, making it the easiest mode of transportation for anyone coming from New Jersey. However, as of Friday morning, the New Jersey Transit corridor looked like a ghost town:

At issue is the fact that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is arguing with NJ Transit over wages. The union says that their engineers should be making more money, while NJ Transit leadership believes otherwise.   The nation's third-largest transit system provides service for nearly 1 million weekday railway passengers, many of whom are obviously sports fans.

As someone who has traveled NJ Transit for nearly two decades and dealt with an unbelievable number of train delays and cancellations as well as incompetent leadership from the top down, I'm #TeamUnion in this argument.  ESPECIALLY, when the public transportation organization ends up charging regular fees for anyone that might be driving or parking while the strike is occurring. Talk about not having a clue!

As a result of the strike, NJ Transit plans on running more buses; However, early estimates show that the additional routes will only be able to account for 20% of the total train traffic that was expected for Friday.

The last time engineers went on strike against NJ Transit was 1983 and it lasted nearly a month - which is a lifetime and a half in the year 2025.

One thing's for certain - the Knicks had better win tonight because I don't know how some of these fans are going to make it back home with no train service, and the last thing the team needs is a bunch of angry fans outside Madison Square Garden!

ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO ANY OF THE NEW YORK GAMES TONIGHT? IF SO, HOW? TWEET ME: @TheGunzShow