Jonathan White can’t wait to get back to the office in Manhattan.
Mr. White misses his 50-minute train ride from Westchester County, N.Y., to Grand Central Terminal that afforded time to read or listen to a podcast and calibrate for the day. He misses the separation of work and home life. Most of all, he misses impromptu conversations with colleagues and clients, and building relationships over business lunches and cocktails.
”Business is a contact sport,” said Mr. White, global head of fund sales at Intertrust Group, a specialized fund administrator. “Doing it over screens isn’t as good as doing it in person.”
Mr. White aims to start commuting one day a week in April, and to travel more frequently in the following months. Many commuters in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut share his desire.
Officials at New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs two commuter railroads as well as New York City’s subways and buses, have noticed that ridership is growing faster on weekends than weekdays. Officials believe the trend indicates that many people feel comfortable boarding buses and trains again, and that the only thing holding them back midweek is the reopening of offices, Abbey Collins, an MTA spokeswoman, said.
