NJTransit hearings on proposals for new rail service in Bergen County began last week. While officials and citizens at the hearings agreed that Bergen and Rockland Counties are grossly underserved by rail transit and suffer from severe road congestion, positions varied widely regarding the best solution. 

The three proposed rail lines — the West Shore line (between West Nyack and Hoboken), the Northern Branch (between Tenafly and Hoboken), and the Cross-County line (between Hoboken and Maywood or Hawthorne in Passaic County) — would all utilize freight rail right-of-way or track. Each line features some conflict with freight service, which may require right-of-way purchase for passenger service. 

Bergen County Executive Pat Schuber got a jump on the hearings with a press conference presenting his vision for a regional rail network based on intra-county transportation hubs. He pushed for the construction of all three lines, but his hub plan relies heavily on the construction of the Cross-County line.

Schuber proposed adjusting the alignment for the planned third segment of the Hudson-Bergen light rail to run from North Bergen to Edgewater, rather than to the Vince Lombardi Park & Ride in Ridgefield. The Hudson-Bergen Edgewater station would then serve as a hub with transfers between the Cross-County line, the Northern Branch and the Hudson-Bergen line. The plan includes construction of a new rail transfer station in Hackensack and a stop in East Rutherford along the Pascack Valley line.

In contrast, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign suggested that officials and NJTransit planners must set clear criteria for prioritizing the proposed lines because it is unlikely that federal and local funds will be sufficient to pursue all three lines in the near term. Beginning passenger service on each line is projected to cost at least $240 million — and up to $330 million in the case of the longer West Shore line. The Campaign argued that criteria for a decision should be level of ridership, maximum regional mobility, greatest reduction of auto trips, multi-modal station access, funding possibilities, and simplicity of construction and operation. The Campaign argued that the West Shore line best meets these criteria.

Additionally, only the West Shore will bring new transit service to Rockland County and reduce Rockland-based car trips into Bergen County. The West Shore would also serve private interests like Continental Airlines Arena redevelopment and the Palisades Center Mall, which may also contribute to local funding.

Hearings on West Shore rail proposals continue this week.  See our calendar, and visit the internet action alert developed by Environmental Defense and the Tri-State Campaign.

West Shore Rail Action Alert

Bergen Debates Cross-County Rail -  October 16, 2000

West Shore Solution: 3 Line Network - May 7, 1999

Bergen Rail Cross Currents - August 22, 1997

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