NJ Transit riders are facing massive service disruptions as the system barrels like a runaway train toward Thursday’s midnight deadline to avoid its first major rail strike in over 40 years. The Garden State-owned rail service has already festooned stations with screaming-red signage warning of deep service cuts starting at midnight Friday if contract negotiations with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers union fall through.

NJ Transit rail engineers are set to strike if a deal cannot be reached by the midnight deadline, impacting hundreds of thousands of commuters.

NJ Transit is spending $2.7 billion to retire all its old trains, which will increase reliability for riders by 2031.

Talks continue Thursday to avert a walkout by NJ Transit engineers Friday at 12:01 a.m., sending 350,000 to find alternate rides.

Gov. Phil Murphy campaigned for the State House eight years ago on a promise to fix New Jersey’s transit system. He called NJ Transit a “national disgrace,” and blamed his predecessor Chris Christie for not investing in the system used by more than 170,000 weekday rail riders.

Concertgoers heading to MetLife Stadium for Shakira’s concerts Thursday and Friday night will have limited public transportation options after NJ Transit said it will not be providing train or bus service ahead of a potential engineers’ strike.