Talks resume on Thursday between NJ Transit and its rail engineers' union to try to reach an agreement to avert a walkout by the union early Friday.

Governor Phil Murphy said Wednesday night that he's "hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst" regarding a possible NJ Transit rail strike.

After voting down a potential agreement, the union that supports NJ Transit workers may go on strike Friday, impacting travel in and around New York City. But, NJ Transit services nearest Philly will remain operational.

NJ Transit engineers are preparing to walk off the job on Friday, which could affect 350,000 commuters in New Jersey and New York City.

If the engineers do walk off the job, the agency plans to increase bus service, saying it would add “very limited” capacity to existing New York commuter bus routes in close proximity to rail stations and will contract with private carriers to operate bus service from key regional park-and-ride locations during weekday peak periods.

NJ Transit and an engineers’ union appear to be steaming ahead to the first major rail strike in decades starting early Friday, even as both sides convene in Washington, D.C., where they pledged to continue negotiations.

Beyonce fans might be better off riding a horse to next week’s “Cowboy Carter” concerts at MetLife Stadium if a strike shuts down NJ Transit rail service. NJ Transit’s train engineers could walk off the job as soon as Friday after Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers members voted to reject a tentative agreement between the leaders of the agency and the union.

With a strike looming as soon as Friday, officials of NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers met with the National Mediation Board on Monday in Washington. No agreement was reached. NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri thanked the board for convening the meeting in a statement,