NJ Transit report on Raritan Valley Line one-seat ride to New York Penn presents options

The Raritan Valley Line's "one-seat" or direct ride into New York Penn Station was studied by an NJ Transit consultant, and the report presented extensive ideas for consideration.

Of the five scenarios presented in the report, the cheapest and quickest plan would cost $125 million in upfront construction costs and $4.6 million in annual operations costs, and would take six years to implement, the study found. The two most expensive and lengthy of the scenarios are reliant on the stalled Gateway projects, which would provide two additional Hudson River tunnels into New York Penn Station and other improvements.

"Each of the scenarios would require increased annual funding for operation and maintenance and significant capital investment," reads the report, authored by Virginia-based consultant group Dewberry. "The study determined that full-time direct rail service to Manhattan will be best achieved by expanding trans-Hudson and [New York Penn Station] infrastructure capacity based on the overall Gateway Program, which would benefit riders on all of NJ Transit’s northern New Jersey rail services, including the [Raritan Valley Line]."

The 98-page report, which was mandated to be completed in six months in a law passed by state legislators in January, was provided to lawmakers, local officials and advocates Monday after a presentation with NJ Transit officials and representatives from Dewberry, which has offices in New Jersey. The cost of the study, which was awarded to Dewberry through a task order process so it could be completed in the required time frame, is not yet available, as not all the invoices are in.

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The scope of the study included analysis of the history of the train route, why its direct service into New York Penn Station was stopped years ago, how ridership on that line is trending, and how a peak-service seat directly into the midtown-Manhattan hub could work. 

It did not include recommendations, nor did it take into account the ridership changes from COVID-19, which have left NJ Transit trains with a fraction of normal ridership and an unclear trend line of when or if people will resume taking commuter rail at pre-COVID levels.

U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-Hunterdon, who has advocated for Raritan Valley Line riders to have direct access to New York Penn Station, wants Dewberry consultants to go back to the drawing board.

"Bottom line: It’s a report that makes it appear much too hard and much too expensive to make even the slightest changes to the existing train schedule," he said after attending the private presentation virtually and asking questions. "And while I acknowledge some of the complexity, I do still find it hard to believe that making even small changes to the current arrangement would take as much time as the construction of the entire Gateway project."

Even the smallest schedule changes, however, are complicated. The tracks that bring trains into New York Penn Station and out to Sunnyside Yard in Queens are the busiest in the country. Changing schedules would require buy-in from not just NJ Transit, but also Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, PATH and Conrail.

"I was encouraging them to look at a larger number of options, and to come back to us with a deeper examination of the minimal investment and disruption that would be required to improve the status quo even if the result isn’t optimal," Malinowski said.

In anticipation of the study's release, state lawmakers from Monmouth and Middlesex counties released statements last week urging agency officials to avoid altering the schedule in favor of the Raritan Valley Line because it could mean taking a train away from their constituents.

Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Long Branch, said he heard rumors about what the outcome of the study was and wanted to be a proactive voice for commuters in his district, who mainly rely on the North Jersey Coast Line. 

"We’ve got a lot of folks who are working-class families who rely on this Coast Line transit line to get to work. This is their form of transportation, and to take this line out would devastate them," Gopal said. He added that depending on the outcome of the study, he will be prepared to organize and defend Monmouth County commuters.

Bruce Bergen, president of the Raritan Valley Coalition, which has for years advocated for direct service to midtown Manhattan, tuned in to the virtual presentation Monday and said he was assured by NJ Transit officials that the study is a first step.

"As much as I’m disappointed that this report doesn’t give us a step-by-step way to make some changes in the next six months, two years, whatever it may be, I’m also encouraged by transit saying this is a start," Bergen said. "I’ve never looked for a final and total solution immediately, but we need to be making progress, so if the next step is to get trains during peak shoulder, that’s the next step. If we go on to get the overall plan and need to reallocate slots, then that’s the next step."

Bergen and Malinowski said the consultants should give more consideration to options that might skip smaller stations along the Raritan Valley Line, known as a "skip-stop" pattern, and include analysis with stations whose platforms are not long enough to handle longer trains. In the latter scenario, they said, riders could be informed over the public announcement system where to position themselves on the train to board and disembark.

Calls have been made for years for the Raritan Valley Line to secure direct service through the Hudson River tunnels to New York Penn Station during the typical morning and evening commuter hours. 

Raritan Valley customers got a partial victory in 2014 when a one-seat ride was made available during off-peak hours. But this was suspended in September 2018, along with several other trains on other lines, while NJ Transit devoted resources to installing the complex, federally mandated braking system, positive train control.

In November 2019, the agency restored all but one train of the Raritan Valley Line's off-peak direct service.

Without the direct service, Raritan Valley customers have to change trains at Newark Penn Station, a switch that can be a race of flying up and down stairs or elevators to make the connecting train at a different platform.

Here are additional details about each of the scenarios presented in the report:

• Scenario A: Allow three Raritan Valley Line trains to enter New York Penn Station directly in the "shoulders" of the morning commute, meaning before 7 a.m. or after 9:20 a.m. No significant change in ridership would likely occur, the study found. Capital costs are estimated at $125 million; annual operation costs are estimated at $4.6 million; time frame to implement is estimated at six years.
• Scenario B: Have three Northeast Corridor trains end at Newark Penn Station to allow three Raritan Valley Line trains to provide direct service to New York Penn Station between 7 and 9:20 a.m. This could result in modest ridership declines, the study found. Capital costs estimated to be $346 million to $704 million; annual operation costs are estimated at $6.7 million; time frame to implement is estimated at seven or more years.
• Scenario C: Have two Northeast Corridor trains and two from the North Jersey Coast Line end at Newark Penn Station to allow four Raritan Valley Line trains to provide direct service to New York Penn Station between 7 and 9:20 a.m. This could result in ridership declines, the study found. Capital costs estimated to be $1.6 billion; annual operations costs are estimated at $6.7 million; time frame to implement is estimated at 11 years.
• Scenario D: Same as Scenario C, but with weekend service. Capital costs estimated to be the same as Scenario C plus the Gateway tunnels project estimated at $15 billion. The time frame for this plan is estimated at 11 years.
• Scenario E: Full implementation of the estimated $30 billion Gateway plan, which doesn't have a time frame in the report.

Colleen Wilson covers the Port Authority and NJ Transit for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering the region’s transportation systems and how they affect your commute, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. 

Email: cwilson2@lohud.com Twitter: @colleenallreds