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.

New Jersey Transit train engineers will go on strike early Friday, leaving an estimated 350,000 commuters to seek other means to reach their destinations or consider staying home. The walkout comes after the latest round of negotiations on Thursday didn’t produce an agreement.