NJ Transit and an engineers’ union appear to be heading toward a major rail strike that would start Friday — the first one in decades. Currently, both sides are in Washington, D.C. participating in mediation,

The workers are striking because of a pay dispute: BLET argues NJ Transit’s wage proposal puts them below their peers at other passenger rail lines in the region, while NJ Transit argues the union’s demands are unreasonably high and would raise prices for commuters.

Residents of South and Central New Jersey and Pennsylvania are scrambling for travel options after NJ Transit engineers walked off the job.