Train-Hopping Along the Jersey Shore

(Weekend Getaways)

Eileen and Rod Rafferty had been living in Manasquan, New Jersey, for a few years, taking full advantage of their new locale, traveling to restaurants and events in towns along New Jersey’s northern coastline. Six months ago, they ran into neighbors who had just taken the train back from dinner in Bradley Beach, 6 miles to the north. And a light bulb went off.

“We thought, ‘What a great idea!’” said Eileen Rafferty, 65, a retired executive recruiter who now regularly takes the train north for dinner with friends, or south to Point Pleasant Beach with her grandchildren. “It’s so easy and convenient. You don’t have to worry about drinking and driving, and it’s so much cheaper than Uber.”

The Raffertys are among a large number of Jersey Shore residents now using NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line’s trains as a local, not regional, transportation system. For just a few dollars, one can hop a train in Point Pleasant Beach and be in Asbury Park, 10 miles north, in 20 minutes, avoiding the challenge of parking, weekend traffic jams, and the ubiquitous local police who lay in wait, ready to snag potential DUI violators. Some residents walk to the stations or ride their bikes, ditching their cars altogether.

In the summer, the North Jersey Coast Line is a popular route for NJ Transit, the country’s largest statewide public transportation system. In the summer, there is an 11% increase in ridership, according to Kyalo Mulumba, senior public information officer for NJ Transit. The North Coast Line ridership jumps by about 20% in the summer months. And for stations south of Long Branch, those summer numbers increase by as much as 70%, which Mulumba noted was “largely driven by local coastal travel.”

For some area residents, the train provides an alternate mode of local transportation year-round.

“It’s my subway system to get to the different towns,” said Gregory Rice, 52, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker from Point Pleasant. “I’ll get on on a Friday or Saturday and the train is packed, with couples going to dinner in Belmar, or groups going to a show at the Wonder Bar or Stone Pony in Asbury.”

Growing up at the shore, Rice never used the train to go short distances. But when he lived in Manhattan after college, he took the subway everywhere. After coming back to the shore in the early 2000s, he missed that ease of travel and wasn’t eager to pay expensive cab fares. So he tried the trains. At that time, his fellow passengers were mostly local laborers, but that changed with COVID, with an explosion of people seeking year-round homes in shore towns once largely considered vacation destinations.

“People didn’t even know the specific towns. They said ‘I’ll take anything from Asbury to Bay Head,’” said Rice.

An increase in year-round residents meant an increase in home values, with prices doubling or even tripling after 2020, according to Patricia Mayer, a real estate agent with Diane Turton in Sea Girt. It also meant a lot more year-round traffic, making the train a welcome alternative.

“Taking the train up to Asbury or even to Red Bank is becoming more and more prevalent,” said Mayer, “especially as people are becoming more conscious about trying to save money.”

Both realtors said they educate clients on the characteristics of the various shore towns and the ease of traveling between them. “A lot of people like the vibe of Asbury Park,” said Mayer. “I tell them, you don’t have to live in Asbury Park to feel the vibe. It’s only a 10-minute train ride away.”

Unlike the New York City subway system, the North Coast trains only run every hour or two in each direction, so using NJ Transit for local transportation requires some advance planning. Toward the southern end of the line, a popular meeting spot is at the Irish Rail, a restaurant in Manasquan’s train station.

“I call it home base,” said Mark Collins, Irish Rail’s general managing partner. “Locals come in to see us and have a drink, then take the train to Asbury for a nice dinner, and then come back here for a nightcap.”

This was what Stefanie and Kenny Aber had in mind when they met their friends at the Irish Rail in early May, planning to grab drinks before catching the 5:39 p.m. train to Asbury Park, for a 6 p.m. dinner reservation at Brando’s Restaurant, just across the street from the Asbury train station.

Besides being convenient and economical, the train is part of the entertainment.

“It’s dinner and a show,” said Stefanie Aber, 59, a vice president for Hackensack Meridian Health, describing the appeal of train travel. “You never know what you’re going to see on the train.”

“It’s more fun on the train,” said Tara Collinson, 53, an interior designer in Manasquan, who arranges themed get-togethers with her friends who catch the train in their individual towns. “Everybody hops on at their various stations and it gets the activity started. You can bring food and,” she hesitated, “I’m not sure if you can have drinks on the train.” (While NJ Transit’s website prohibits smoking and vaping in its “how to ride” page, it makes no mention of eating or drinking aboard its trains.)

“We would certainly encourage people, whenever possible, to use transit to get where they’re going,” said David Behrend, executive director of North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, an organization that supports transportation initiatives throughout North Jersey. “It’s also more revenue for NJ Transit, especially for the off hours, when there’s less ridership,” he added. A resident of Middletown, New Jersey, Behrend said has taken the train himself to Asbury Park to attend entertainment events.

Riders heading to live shows in Asbury Park often beeline to Johnny Mac’s House of Spirits, a popular bar across the street from the train station that offers free pizza with each drink. “Everyone who takes the train stops in here first before continuing on to Cookman Avenue to bar hop,” said Urte Marcinonyte, a bartender at Johnny Mac’s for the past seven years.

For big events, like Point Pleasant Beach’s seafood festival or Belmar’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, the train becomes the de facto mode of transportation. And things can get a bit rowdy.

Aside from concerts or major events, Gen Zers tend to rely on Ubers to get around, especially when their parents are paying the tab. That’s not the case for 23-year-old Kate Capodanno, or her friends.

“Most of my friends love to take the train,” said Capodanno, a teacher in Trenton whose family lives in Manasquan. “It’s a different experience. You’re all together, people play music, and it’s fun. It’s like a big reunion.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Copyright 2026 The New York Times Company

This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 2:11 PM.