The network of buses, ferries and trains that keeps Hudson County moving is currently expanding. Three stations for the new NJ Transit light rail train system are expected to open Nov. 18 at Harborside, Harsimus Cove and Newport in Jersey City; several new ferry stops have been added in the area, and construction is under way on the Secaucus Transfer train station.
With much fanfare and excitement, New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman officially launched the first segment of the Hudson-Bergen light Rail system earlier this year. The proposed 20.5-mile train route, when completed in 2010, will run from Bayonne through Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, West New York, North Bergen and to Ridgefield in Bergen County. 21st Century Rail Corporation, a consortium of companies led by Raytheon Infrastructures, was awarded the design and building contract for the rail line in 1996. In addition to building the system, 21st Century will operate and maintain the system for a 15-year period.
NJ Transit opened the first segment of the system, spanning 7.5 miles and 12 stations, on April 15. It runs from East 34th Street in Bayonne through East 45th Street in Bayonne, as well as Danforth Avenue, Richard Street, Liberty State Park, Jersey Avenue, Marin Boulevard, Essex Street, West Side Avenue, Martin Luther King Drive, Garfield Avenue and Exchange Place in Jersey City. The light rail is currently operating 29 low-floor light rail vehicles, which are accessible to people with disabilities and convenient for stroller and handcart use.
Ridership has been lower than expected, with a daily usage only 2,500, much lower than the 10,000 riders that NJ Transit had hoped would use the system when opened. But NJ Transit Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh is still confident with the effect that the light rail has had on Hudson County. “The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system has already transformed the landscape of Hudson County,” said Warsh, “stimulating new economic development, creating thousands of jobs and leading to the rebirth of residential neighborhoods along the alignment.”
In 2002, the line will extend from Jersey City’s Exchange Place to the Hoboken train terminal, which already has 40,000 NJ Transit and PATH commuters.
Thanks in part to a $485 million grant from federal Department of Transportation, the second phase of construction is now able to start. The grant, announced Oct. 18, will allow for six new stations that will run along Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen. In addition, there will a new park and ride parking lot built there, and 30 new 90-foot light rail trains will be added to the system. Phase two will run through Hoboken, Weehawken and North Bergen, and is scheduled for completion in 2005. The entire light rail project will be finished in 2010.
New ferries at renovated Liberty Harbor
The Christopher Columbus, NY Waterway’s newest high speed ferry, was christened at the newly renovated Liberty Harbor Ferry Terminal at the foot of Jersey City Marin Boulevard Oct. 6. The ferry company carries eight million passengers per year on 10 routes between New Jersey, Queens and Manhattan.
Gov. Whitman and NY Waterway President Arthur E. Imperatore, Jr., were joined by Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski for the boat launching last month. “Jersey City is a major transportation hub, and the Liberty Harbor Ferry Terminal gives commuters a fast, viable option for getting to Manhattan quickly,” Imperatore said at the christening. Jersey City now has four ferry terminals, Weehawken has three and Hoboken has one, with another for Hoboken’s northern waterfront on the way.
The newly renovated Liberty Harbor Ferry terminal in Jersey City features an indoor and tented outdoor waiting room, two ticket windows and parking spaces for 975 cars. NY Waterway currently offers 30-minute service between Liberty Harbor and Manhattan’s World financial Center from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
“As the region’s marketplace continues to grow, Hudson County not only relies on NY Waterway to transport Hudson residents to New York City,” said Hudson County Executive Janiszewski, “but also to transport New York’s residents whose jobs have moved to Hudson County.”
One thousand and four hundred of those commuters actually take the ferry from Manhattan to go to work on the fast-growing Jersey City waterfront.
Also on the horizon is a new ferry terminal at Port Imperial South in Weehawken. Pending funding and loan approval from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the new terminal will be built approximately 100 yards from the existing ferry at Port Imperial North. According to the pubic relations representatives for NY Waterway, if completed, the new terminal will more than double the daily capacity for passengers in the Port Imperial area, from 12,000 to more than 25,000. A spokesman said that the new terminal will become necessary because of new developments planned on the Weehawken waterfront and because of the expected influx of new commuters on the proposed Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System. A sister terminal is planned for West 39th Street in New York.
Allied Junction/Secaucus Transfer nearing reality
The Allied Junction/Secaucus Transfer rail station is a new $450 million terminal in Seacaucus that will connect all NJ Transit rail lines serving northern New Jersey.
The transfer station will permit commuters to transfer from the Main, Bergen County, Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines to the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, and Midtown Direct service, as well as Amtrak trains traveling on the Northeast Corridor.
These days, a rider coming from Paterson on the Main Line would have to ride into Hoboken and then take the PATH train into Manhattan. But once the transfer opens, these riders will be able to transfer onto a Northeast Corridor train, which goes directly into Manhattan and which will save commuter about 15 minutes each way.
The station has been designed to accommodate commercial development planned by the Allied Junction Corporation and will serve an estimated 32,000 passengers per day. It is scheduled to open in 2002.
Transportation and local officials met at the site last month to discuss the plans and to talk about a question on the Nov. 7 ballot asking the public to authorize the dedication of revenue to transportation projects from the existing sales tax and gross receipts on the sale of the petroleum products. If authorized, the transportation fund will stand to gain 1.12 billion in dedicated sources of revenue over the current fiscal year and the next three fiscal years.
“We are fortunate to enjoy a robust economy that can allow us to program state funding for transportation projects over the next four years without an increase in state taxes,” said Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein as he toured the Seacaucus Transfer site. “Since our transportation needs for the next four years far outweigh our resources, we need additional dedicated sources of revenue to continue to build upon the past achievements of the Transportation Trust Fund.”