Xanadu and Other things...

[JPhurst]

It looks like the Light Rail extension to Xanadu, at the expense of extending along the Northern Branch is gaining some momentum.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/bu ... 163701.htm

A poll suggests that Hudson County residents support it. So does Congressman Menendez, one of the most powerful democrats in the House of Representatives. Jersey City Mayor and State Senator (and political foe of Menendez) Glenn Cunningham opposes the extension.

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.s ... 327601.xml

I live in Jersey City. Personally, I want to see the Northern Branch. This isn't just because I think it's "fair" to Bergen County. The Northern Branch extension helps Hudson County in a couple of ways.

1) It takes commuters going to, or through, Hudson County out of their cars.

2) It gives Bergen County residents the opportunity to come and shop or otherwise spend time in Hudson County, particularly on Sundays when the county's Blue Laws are in effect. They can take the light rail to the shops in North Bergen, or the Newport Mall, or Hoboken.

The link to Xanadu? It's not all bad. I think the whole idea of Xanadu in the first place will be a disaster. But if you build it, you should have as many transportation links as possible. But I'd prefer to see the Northern Branch built first. On top of that, I think the West Side branch should be extended. The West Side of Jersey City near Route 440 is the next target area for development, much like the Hudson River Waterfront was in the past. It will need a light rail link. And if possible, send it further west as well, across the Hackensack River to Kearny (which has lost its rail service), Harrison (perhaps a link to the new MetroStars Complex and surrounding entertainment district) and while we're thinking big, to Newark and Liberty Int'l Airport. And there's also the possibility of building another "spur" to the Vince Lombardi Park and Ride to get more commuters (the original planned route). So the Xanadu extension is not without merit, but I don't want to see it at the expense of the other projects. I also think that with the proposed heavy rail link, light rail becomes at least partially redundant. Redundancy is not always a bad thing, but it means that the line is not an immediate need.

I note that the first article says that the Northern Branch can still run DMUs and hook up to the HBLRT. If one could actually make a one seat ride to Hoboken, that's a decent alternative, and the politicians from the various Bergen cities seems to agree with that. Also, a one seat ride is preferable, but I don't think a transfer is the death knell of the line that some make it out to be. As long as it's coordinated, like the PATH transfer at Journal Square between the Newark - WTC line and the JSQ - 33rd Street line, a transfer can work out fine. There may some psychological reluctance for people who think "I don't get a one seat ride" but in reality it's not an inconvenience if done right. Also, using DMU's now at least lays some groundwork for electrifying the line later and turning it into an HBLRT expansion. If the major cost of the $1 billion is putting up the electrical wires, get the DMUs running now and push for funding for electrical in the future, even if this means some delays (whether or not Xanadu is built).

The first article also mentions that the Bergen Passaic line is currently used by freight. Would this mean that any cross county service would have the same problems with hour restrictions like the River Line does? Would additional infrastructure have to be built to avoid this problem?

Finally, I note that NJ-ARP, of which I am a member, has been taking the tack that Hudson County politico's are being "selfish" by hogging the resources for themselves. I tend to agree. I note, however, that if you try this line on Hudson County representatives, or residents for that matter, most people are going to say that the Freeholder's and Representatives jobs are to look out for Hudson County's interests. Selfish? To an extent, but not the most effective advocacy approach when dealing with Hudson County politicians.

[blasito]

Am I missing something, or is this proposal a complete waste of money? NJT, with money from the PA is already going to run the Pascack Valley line through Xanadu. Last time I checked that line goes to Hoboken, where transfer to the HBLRT is available. So for the cost of coordinating transfers at Hoboken, almost the same service could be offered.

Then there is the proposal to extend the HBLRT to Secaucus via the Bergen Arches, which would provide a much more direct link to Downtown JC and Newport, and could be extended to Xanadu. The northern link being proposed by Hudson County only makes sense if they prefer to use the Bergen Arches as a roadway, and then I think we see what the real intent in all this is. That and giving a lot of $$ to 21st Century Rail and subsidizing Xanadu at the expense of existing cities.

[Irish Chieftain]

The PVL will not be re-routed through Xanadu; any commuter rail line going to Xanadu will be a branch off the PVL. Where it goes northward from there is anyone's guess, but the best way to work that would be to extend it to Little Ferry to join with the West Shore Line for commuter service to Rockland County in NY...if such a project were to ever get funded.

HBLRT to Secaucus via Bergen Arches is, as stated, merely a proposal. There is no definite route that HBLRT could use, and since the former BCL (Erie RR) route is already to be turned into a road, it is not likely it will be restored as a rail artery. However, HBLRT to/from Xanadu would be even more expensive than a PVL spur – due to the electrification, new ROW acquisition plus a new bridge over the Hackensack River.

[wantsrail]

For Immediate Release March , 2004
Statement to the Board of The NJTPA.

As you can learn from the handout, the whole concept of a light rail system, running from Rockland County through Bergen and Hudson Counties to Bayonne originated with Arthur Adams, of the Transit Committee of Bergen County.

Unfortunately, Bergen County officials whose attention had been focused on restoring service on the West Shore, failed to give us any meaningful support until it was too late. Meanwhile, when some Hudson County officials began to show some interest in light rail, the Transit Committee of Bergen County united with NJ-ARP and some local Hudson County groups to form the Coalition for Alternatives Transportation Solutions. COATS for short.

COATS, spent considerable time and efforts to sell the proposal that had been laid out to the officials of Hudson County and NJ Transit. However, the Transit Committee of Bergen County, absent the backing of the Bergen County Executive and facing opposition from the County Planner, was forced to yield on several key points.

We yielded to NJ Transit, who insisted on using the Weehawken Tunnel. Our alternative route through the Edgewater Tunnel would have much less expensive.

Our original proposal was to build the first segment, northward from Hoboken into Bergen County, which is where the highest ridership is located. In other words we were looking to build a Bergen-Hudson Light Rail Line

Lastly we yielded on the using Lombardi as the Bergen terminal when NJ Transit (Ms. Delibro) promised that they will be reconsidering that decision as part of a new West Shore Study.

We yielded in a spirit of compromise. We felt that it was necessary to yield just to get any light rail going anywhere in New Jersey, and we yielded because Hudson officials promised to help Bergen get their segment.

On Jan 25, 1993, a meeting attended by Bergen and Hudson County officials together with State and NJ Transit leaders, was held in the Science Center in Liberty State Park. They all spoke in favor of Alt IX as the locally approved light rail alternative which would run from Bayonne through Hudson County and on into Bergen County. Hence the name Hudson-BERGEN Light Rail. A spokesman for Hudson County predicted that it would go from Bayonne to the George Washington Bridge. Not one Hudson County official opposed its going into Bergen County. In fact they all supported going north because they realized that a vast number of riders from Bergen would now become customers of Hudson County merchants.

In October 1996 this NJTPA approved a Major Investment Study to consider the restoration of passenger service on three rail lines in Bergen County. In the summer of 2001, NJ Transit, having completed the MIS began the Draft Environment Impact Study phase on all three alternatives.

Because NJ Transit was not in a position to set priorities, the Bergen County Board of Freeholders set out to evaluate the situation.

Delays, due to environmental considerations of crossing wetlands ruled out the West Shore line.

High costs and low ridership projections resulted in little support for the Cross County line.


Extending the HBLR to Tenafly on the Northern Branch was the only viable alternative that could be completed in a few years, at a reasonable cost with considerable benefits to large ridership.

On Oct. 3, 2001, The Bergen County Board of Freeholders unanimously passed a resolution
"Requesting that the Northern Branch Light Rail Line receive priority for New Passenger Light Rail Service in Bergen County"

This resolution states that Tenafly should be the Northern Terminal of MOS-3 instead of the Lombardi park and ride on the NJ Turnpike.

Jamie Fox, then Commissioner of the DOT arranged for a meeting of the Bergen County Legislative Delegation to be held in Rutherford on. May 30, 2002
The consensus of the delegation was that all their efforts were to be aimed toward getting the HBLR extended to Tenafly. The Commissioner and NJ Transit agreed. It should be noted that the then Assemblyman Paul Sarlo, who was in attendance also supported the Tenafly destination.

Now Hudson County Officials are reneging on the promise made by their predecessors. They are breaking their promise to help build the HBLR north into Eastern Bergen County. They have hired Jeff Warsh to lobby legislators in their effort to divert the HBLR westward from Tonnelle Ave. to Xanadu.

This is not just a matter of breaking a promise to the people of Bergen County. This is a matter of attempting to break the rules governing all MPOs in general and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority in particular.

Hudson County by directly lobbying the legislators is attempting to bypass the rational for having Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) that was set up in the original ISTEA law.

The concept of Metropolitan Planning Organizations was put in place to provide rational transportation planning based on needs and the greatest good for the communities. Its aim was to discourage funding projects selected by the whims of powerful individuals.

If this “Great Train Robbery” is allowed to take place it would sound the death knell of the NJTPA. Why waste millions of dollars on MPOs when all that is needed is to hire of few lobbyists to get votes favoring developers.

This is distorting the process. It is neglecting the needs of rail deprived Eastern Bergen County residents to favor more profits for developers Meanwhile, Bergen the most populous County in the State, has played by the rules and complied with eight years of studies of the Northern. Now it is threatened to being deprived of any relief on its most congested local roads in New Jersey.
.
Here is a warning to the representatives from all the Counties on this panel. If any group can get away with bypassing the NJTPA in this Xanadu matter, none of you can be sure that the priority for any of the projects you favor will be protected.


Albert Cafiero,

Chair Emeritus, Transit Committee of Bergen County
Transportation Advisor to Senator Gerald Cardinale
201 871-1218
[email protected]

[JLo]

You tell 'em, Al! Bergen County's elected reps should be ashamed.

We all should ask ourselves why aren't they standing up and fighting for Eastern Bergen County? I would no doubt that the reason for the tepid response is that many of them have visions of sugar plums and hands out from the developers of Xanadudu.

[JPhurst]

Am I missing something, or is this proposal a complete waste of money? NJT, with money from the PA is already going to run the Pascack Valley line through Xanadu. Last time I checked that line goes to Hoboken, where transfer to the HBLRT is available. So for the cost of coordinating transfers at Hoboken, almost the same service could be offered.

Then there is the proposal to extend the HBLRT to Secaucus via the Bergen Arches, which would provide a much more direct link to Downtown JC and Newport, and could be extended to Xanadu. The northern link being proposed by Hudson County only makes sense if they prefer to use the Bergen Arches as a roadway, and then I think we see what the real intent in all this is. That and giving a lot of $$ to 21st Century Rail and subsidizing Xanadu at the expense of existing cities.

Proponants of the LRT to Xanadu proposal usually talk about a "loop" that would go from Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen to the Meadowlands (with a stop or two along the way) and come back via the Bergen Arches. There would be presumably several intermediate stops, so the LRT wouldn't be completely redundant.

But the Northern Valley extension is still of greater priority.