Long lines snaked throughout the third floor of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan Monday afternoon, well ahead of the usual rush-hour crush, as commuters scrambled to catch shuttles to park-and-ride lots on the other side of the Hudson.

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri spoke Saturday at Newark's Broad Street Station, saying the agency is preparing for the workweek commute by “surging” buses to help commuters at train stations. But he cautioned that the buses can't handle the entire volume of the commuter rail system.

The initiative by banks and other employers in New York to bring back workers to the office is being undermined by an unexpected roadblock in a neighboring state.