The Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project is a project under study by NJ Transit to reintroduce passenger service on a portion of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) right-of-way (ROW) in Passaic, Bergen and Hudson counties using newly built, FRA-compliant diesel multiple unit rail cars.[1][2][3] Plans call for service to run from Hawthorne south through Paterson, east to Hackensack and then southeast to North Bergen, where it would join the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR).

Single track NYSW bridge over the Passaic River, separating Hawthorne and Paterson

NJ Midland and NYS&W

ROW through Hackensack

The ROW was originally developed by the New Jersey Midland Railway in 1872.[4] The NJ Midland and other railroads were reorganized as the NYS&W in 1881. The NYS&W ran passenger service until June 30, 1966.[5] The line terminated at Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City until 1961, and until 1966 at Susquehanna Transfer in North Bergen, which had opened on August 1, 1939 to allow transfer to buses through the Lincoln Tunnel.[6] NYSW freight operations terminate at the Landbridge Terminal south of the North Bergen Yard near Secaucus Road.[7]

Background

West Shore Region Study

The West Shore Region Study was initiated in 1996 by NJ Transit and other stakeholders to examine multiple modal opportunities in the region that had once been served by the West Shore Railroad and the other railroads in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties. An alternatives analysis report published December 1999 identified three projects: the Northern Branch corridor (LRT), the Cross County corridor (LRT), and the West Shore corridor (commuter rail), the last of which did not advance.[8] The Vince Lombardi Park & Ride was seen as a potential interchange station for the HBLR, the Cross County, and West Shore.

Cross-County LRT

The Cross-County LRT was originally conceived as an extension of the HBLR with service running in Bergen County from Maywood to Hoboken Terminal under the assumption that HBLR would terminate at the Vince Lombardi Park & Ride, as had originally been planned.[9] (A western terminus at Saddle Brook/Interstate 80 was also discussed, as was running the line through the Edgewater Tunnel to the Hudson Waterfront.[10])

By 2001 the concept had evolved to extend the line to Paterson and eventually the Hawthorne station in Passaic County.[11] An Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement was announced for the Bergen-Passaic Cross County Corridor[12] and by 2002, the project was referred to as the Bergen-Passaic Rail Line.[13]

Also by 2002, cost, construction and operating complications of running the line through the North Bergen Yard led to a decision for the HBLR terminus being located east of that yard at the Tonnelle Avenue station in North Bergen and was decided to extend the HBLR along the Northern Branch.[14][15]

Passaic–Bergen Rail

The Hawthorne terminus would be a short distance to the Hawthorne Main Line station for transfers

By 2003, and the project was referred to as the Passaic-Bergen Rail Line. With clarity about the terminus of the HBLT terminus and the availability of FRA-compliant vehicles the project was re-conceived as running from Hawthorne to an eastern terminus in Hackensack along the NYSW corridor using the new equipment.[16]

In 2004, NJ Transit proposed the Tri-County Rail Concept Plan, a passenger rail initiative designed to combine existing rail infrastructure, the majority of which is the reuse of freight lines, with new construction to create an inter-connected network of rail lines serving Hudson, Bergen, and Passaic counties.[17]

By 2006, NJ Transit, the Passaic-Bergen Rail project sponsor, was exploring planning the availability of Federal Railroad Administration-compliant diesel multiple unit rail cars and changes in the alignment.[18]

In 2007, NJ Transit stated construction of the Passaic-Bergen Passenger Service Restoration Project could begin in early 2009 and last approximately 3 years; estimated the cost to be $156 million. In a memorandum of understanding NJT agreed to pay NYSW more than $20 million for a 75-year easement for trackage rights on its freight line.[19][20] The scope of the project ran from Hawthorne to Hackensack. It engaged SYSTRA for planning and design.[21][19] The line would run for approximate 8.3 miles in a generally east-west alignment, creating a cross-county corridor running between Hawthorne, where transfer to the Main Line would be available, and Hackensack. There would be five stations in Paterson, one station in Elmwood Park. It would pass through Saddle Brook, Rochelle Park and Maywood, without stops. Two stations were planned for Hackensack, including a terminus at State Street.[21][22] A new track would be laid for the line along the ROW, the existing track reserved for freight. The river crossing at Hawthorne would remain single track and shared.[23] While outside of the scope of the project, in 2013 the city of Hackensack replaced a rail trestle at River Street close to the proposed terminus with a contingency for a future additional track and passenger platform.[24]

Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit
MAIN to Suffern
NYS&W Main Line
 Hawthorne
MAIN to Hoboken Terminal
Passaic River
 6th Avenue
 Lafayette Street
 Madison Avenue
 20th Avenue
 Vreeland Avenue
Passaic River
 Boulevard
Bergen County Line
 BCL Bergen Line Transfer
 Rochelle Avenue
 Maywood Avenue
 American Legion Drive
Pascack Valley Line
 PVL Pascack Valley Line Transfer
 State Street (alternative)
 Downtown-River Street (alternative)
Hackensack River
 West Fort Lee Road
 Central Avenue – Bogota
 Mount Vernon Street
CP5
Overpeck Creek Bridge 10.73
New Jersey Turnpike Shield.svg
N.J. Turnpike
Western
Spur
 Vince Lombardi Park & Ride
New Jersey Turnpike Shield.svg
N.J. Turnpike
Eastern
Spur
 HBLR Northern Branch
 Hudson–Bergen Light Rail91st Street (Edgewater Branch alternative)
 Hudson–Bergen Light Rail69th Street – North Bergen
 Hudson–Bergen Light RailTonnelle Avenue
NYSW / HBLR
 

Potential stations (2019)

Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit

In October 2015, U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell joined state legislators in creating a coalition to revive the project,[26] and in January 2016, the local governments of the involved municipalities passed concurrent resolutions to restart the project.[27] In August 2017 NJT released an RFP to examine current conditions on the line and needs of communities it would serve[28][29] and expanded the project to include the connection to the HBLR.[1][30]

The Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project is the proposed connection of the NYSW right-of-way with the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. It adds stations not included in the 2007 environmental impact statement[21] (as well as transfers where are no NJ Transit railroad stations) and potentially shifts a Hackensack stop to River Street about two blocks from the Hackensack Bus Terminal. The route from Hackensack would bridge the Hackensack River to Bogota and Ridgefield Park, and then cross Overpeck Creek to Vince Lombardi Park & Ride at the New Jersey Turnpike in Rigdefield. It would then continue to North Bergen, where the line would terminate at Tonnelle Avenue station. The use of the Edgewater Branch (from a junction in Little Ferry Yard) to connect to the HBLR Northern Branch Corridor Project just north of the 91st Street station, including a station stop there, is being considered.[1][2][3]

As of 2015, the two-track NYS&W bridge 10.73 over Overpeck Creek was slated for reconstruction, but funding was unavailable.[31][32][33] Before it could be replaced, it collapsed in 2018.[34][35] The bridge was essentially replaced in 2020, largely paid for by the state.[36] The Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project was not included in NJ Transit's 2020 ten-year capital plan.

Potential stations (2019)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Passaic Bergen Hudson Transit Project". Projects & Reports. NJ Transit. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Passaic-Bergen-Hudson Rail Project". North Jersey Rail Coalition.
  3. 1 2 Wilson, Colleen. "Officials want to reconnect a Bergen-Passaic commuter line. Here's how to weigh in". North Jersey Media Group.
  4. ↑ "Maywood Railroad Station" (PDF). National Park Service. April 6, 2003. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  5. ↑ Mohowski, Robert E. (2003). The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad. Baltimore: JHU Press. p. 175. ISBN 9780801872228.
  6. ↑ Kaminski, Edward S. (2010), New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad in New Jersey, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7385-7367-0
  7. ↑ "NYSW in North Bergen". New York Susquehanna and Western. Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Northern Branch Corridor DEIS December 2011".
  9. ↑ Cross County Light Rail, Bergen County, New Jersey. Annual Report on New Starts: Proposed Allocations of Funds for Fiscal Year 2000 : Report of the Secretary of Transportation to the United States Congress Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5309(o)(1) (Report). Federal Transit Administration. 1999.
  10. ↑ A. Nielson Associates (October 1996). Bergen County Transit Enhancement Study Executive Summary (Report). Bergen County Department of Planning and Economic Development – via Proposed Conrail Acquisition (Finance Docket No. 33388) by CSX Corporation and CSX Transportation Inc., and Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NS), Control and Operating Leases and Agreements, To Serve Portion of Eastern United States D(6v in 9pts ..., Volume 6,Deel 1 Environmental Impact Statement, United States Surface Transportation Board, 1998.
  11. ↑ Hanley, Robert (July 10, 2001). "Bergen Officials Call for Ambitious Rail Service Expansion". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Federal Transit Administration Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Bergen-Passaic Cross County Corridor, Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey". The Federal Register Vol. 66, No. 117. The Federal Register. June 18, 2001. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Cross County Light Rail, Bergen County, New Jersey", Annual Report on New Starts: Proposed Allocations of Funds for Fiscal Year 2003 ... : Report of the Secretary of Transportation to the United States Congress Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5309(o)(1), Federal Transit Administration, 2002
  14. ↑ "Northern Branch Corridor Projct SDEIS". www.northernbranchcorridor.com. April 17, 2021.
  15. ↑ NJ-ARP Annual Report 2002-2003, Association of Railroad Passengers, November 15, 2003, ...to report that Vince Lombardi Park & Ride was no longer the northern terminus. The Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority determined that HBLRT should terminate in Tenafly via the Northern Branch and should also be linked up with Bergen Cross-County DMU service. In December, Governor McGreevey, Senator Corzine, NJDOT & NJT approved the change in terminus and announced that federal funds will be sought.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ↑ Bergen-Passaic Rail (Cross County Rail). Annual Report on New Starts: Proposed Allocations of Funds for Fiscal Year 2004 ... : Report of the Secretary of Transportation to the United States Congress Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5309(o)(1) (Report). Federal Transit Administration. 2005.
  17. ↑ "Final Scoping Document Northern Branch Corridor Project" (PDF). USDOT, FTA, NJT. March 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  18. ↑ Passaic-Bergen Rail (Cross County Rail) Northern New Jersey. Annual Report on Funding Recommendations Fiscal Year 2006 (Report). Federal Transit Administration. 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2021. The Cross County Light Rail line was recommended as one of three new rail lines under the West Shore Region Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The Cross County Rail alignment was proposed as an extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System (HBLRTS) starting at the originally proposed HBLRTS terminus at the Vince Lombardi park-and-ride and continuing to the town of Maywood, New Jersey, along the New York Susquehanna and Western (NYS&W) freight railroad, a distance of approximately 10 miles. Further extensions to Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, were also proposed. As planning progressed, the compatibility of light rail with railroad freight and the uncertainty about the ultimate terminus of the HBLRTS raised concerns about the Cross County as originally proposed. Currently, NJ TRANSIT, the project sponsor, is conducting additional planning work on both the potential availability of Federal Railroad Administration-compliant diesel multiple unit rail cars and possible changes in the alignment.
  19. 1 2 "Passaic-Bergen Rail Plan Advances" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. April 1, 2007. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2005.
  20. ↑ Freemark, Yonah (May 14, 2009). "Making Links in North Jersey". The Transport Politic. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  21. 1 2 3 "NJ Transit design and engineering services for the Passaic-Bergen Passenger restoration project". Systra Consulting. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  22. ↑ Passaic Bergen Rail Project NJT map 2008
  23. ↑ "NorthJersey.com: NJ Transit to expand passenger train service". May 19, 2009. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  24. ↑ Boswell Engineering. "River Street Rail Trestle" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 30, 2013.
  25. ↑ "NJ Transit Passaic-Bergen Passenger Service Restoration Project Madison Avenue/Commuter Rail Corridor Study". Passaic County. 2008.
  26. ↑ Higgs, Larry (October 30, 2015). "Coalition to revive Passaic, Bergen, Hudson light rail plan". NJ.com. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Municipalities Pass Resolutions Supporting Passaic-Bergen Rail Project" (Press release). Passaic County. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  28. ↑ Kofsky, Jared (August 10, 2017). "NJ TRANSIT Reactivates Proposal for Rail Service Between Hawthorne, Paterson, and Hackensack". jerseydigs.com.
  29. ↑ "NJ Transit Procurement Calendar". New Jersey Transit. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  30. ↑ "NJ TRANSIT Reactivates Proposal for Rail Service Between Hawthorne, Paterson, and Hackensack". August 10, 2017.
  31. ↑ Maag, Christopher (February 4, 2015). "Train bridge over Overpeck Creek in Ridgefield Park to be replaced". The Record. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  32. ↑ "NJDOT awards $5.1 million in rail and community-based grants in Bergen and Passaic counties" (Press release). NJDOT. February 4, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2016. NJDOT also is awarding a $4.3 million grant to replace the rail bridge spanning the Overpeck Creek in Ridgefield Park, Bergen County. The bridge serves as a critical link for freight rail in the region with an average of 25,000 rail cars traversing the bridge each year. It was originally built in the early 1900s with three spans – a north approach, a south approach, and a center span. The north and south approaches were rehabilitated in 1985. This project will replace all three spans with a new steel bent system and steel superstructure, as well as new steel and concrete abutments on the north and south sides.
  33. ↑ "Work on century-old rail bridge to begin this summer".
  34. ↑ "Susquehanna railroad bridge collapses under train in Ridgefield Park".
  35. ↑ "Railroad bridge collapses under the weight of Chris Christie's mismanagement". njtoday.net. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Reconstruction of NYS&W Railway over Overpeck Creek". Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  37. ↑ "T&E P.L.2017, CHAPTER 195, approved August 7, 2017 Senate, No. 2153 AN ACT requiring the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to st". webcache.googleusercontent.com. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority shall conduct a study and prepare a report concerning potential options for the construction of a rail station at the Vince Lombardi Park and Ride facility in Ridgefield, Bergen County. The proposed rail station shall allow the New Jersey Transit Corporation to provide rail passenger service connecting the proposed rail station to the existing rail station in the Borough of Hawthorne, Passaic County, and to the light rail station at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, Hudson County, through the use of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway right-of-way.
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