If decent bus connections are created, the new rail line could entice a large portion of the roughly 2,800 Islanders that work in Jersey City out of their cars. NYC Transit estimates suggest that at least 1,200 Staten Islanders would use a light rail bus connection daily. If not, the Bayonne Bridge could see hundreds of additional cars heading for the rail-line terminus.

With these concerns in mind, Congressman Vito Fossella wrote to NYC Transit chief Lawrence Reuter last week to press him to begin bus service between Staten Island and light rail line in Bayonne, as well as increase express bus service to Midtown Manhattan via New Jersey. Securing bus service over the Bayonne Bridge is also a goal of Borough President Guy Molinari. Although Reuter made no promises, some NYC Transit spokespersons indicated a service is in the works.

NJTransit Executive Director Jeffrey Warsh told the S.I. Advance that bus service from Staten Island should begin by the end of this summer, though it is unclear whether he was referring to an NJTransit or NYC Transit initiative. A Port Authority spokesperson also reportedly said his agency hoped to facilitate the bi-state endeavor and would support it financially.

Warsh also revealed broader ambitions for the Hudson-Bergen line. He told the Advance that he hope the line will eventually "go over the Bayonne Bridge and all the way down to Tottenville. Then someday over to Middlesex County."



The Bayonne Bridge was built to accommodate transit with wide platforms flanking the bridge at either sides. Al Fazio of 21st Century Railroads - the firm that designed and built the light rail - said extending the line across the bridge to the North Shore railroad could be completed within 2 to 3 years. Still, planned phases of the light rail system that do not involve bridge crossings or bi-state politics are slated well into the future (see previous page).



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