But, he added, "to really serve the region, we need both."
It's incredible the amount of support that MOM has down here in the Monmouth and Ocean county areas...and the Asbury Park Press is now running at least once a week an article or editoral about the line in one way or another.
But like quoted above, to adequately serve the region, we do need both the rail lines, Red Bank and Monmouth Jct. Of course, I
HIGHLY doubt NJT will decide in the DEIS that both lines should be built at the same time, but I hope that the CJRC adn NJ-ARP keep on NJT about building the other line (whichever isn't built first - Monmouth Jct or Red Bank) so the other gets built sometime or another, and money could be saved reusing the info in the DEIS and all that fun nonsense, so NJT doesn't have to start from scratch, when/if the other line gets built.
There is a tremendous potential for "cross county" service in Monmouth County, with a transfer if need be in Farmingdale, with trains running every other hour on each line - one hour up to red bank, the other out to Monmouth Jct, with a closely scheduled connection in Farmingdale with a train in the opposite direction. I think there would be a large lakewood/Bricktown to Red Bank ridership, along with a I believe Red Bank to freehold ridership, and as NJARP has stated many times, anytown to New Brunswick ridership
In private discussions with a few board members here, we started to talk about "local" ridership on the Coast Line, and I started to really pay attention to ridership to local stops compared to NY or NWK. I would estimate it to be around 30 to 35, maybe even as high as 40 percent local ridership (of course, it depends on the time of day, if its an express or not, rush hour or not, etc). There are times when on trains, that at a station, lots of people will board, but
NO-ONE will be going to NYP or NWK, all to local stops, or transfers in Rahway for Trenton (another significant destination for Coast Line riders) Red Bank to Perth Amboy...Perth Amboy to Elizabeth...Long Branch to Red Bank...Long Branch to Asbury Park.
I think connecting with the Coast Line in Red Bank, along with the NEC in Monmouth Jct would open up tremendous opportunites, and really give the state and NJT the most bang for their buck, and
MUST be pursued even after the one routing is decided upon. Imagine boarding a Bay Head bound summer beach express in Trenton. Or a train going to Monmouth Park from Trenton. Or "Blueclaw Express" trains to Lakewood...the possibilties are endless!