Newark Penn Station exterior.JPG

NJ Transit riders who take Raritan Valley Line trains to and from New York will have eight trains which eliminating having to transfer here in Newark Penn Station.

(Larry Higgs|NJ Advance Media)

NJ Transit will run eight direct Raritan Valley Line trains to and from New York starting with the 6:39 p.m. train from Raritan on January 12.



On Friday, NJ Transit officials announced the specific times of the eight direct RVL trains, which spare riders from having to change trains in Penn Station Newark.

Direct inbound trains leave Raritan at 6:39, 7:52, 8:49 and 9:53 p.m. Direct outbound trains leave New York at 8:48, 9:48, 10:48 p.m. and 12:08 a.m., on weekdays, starting on January 12.



The $910,000 in federal clean air and congestion management funds that made the one-seat-ride possible were approved by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority in late November.



That expansion, originally planned to start in November, was postponed by NJ Transit officials in early October. Officials said funding needed to add the service hadn't been budgeted for.



But in late October, Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox and NJ Transit executive director Veronique "Ronnie" Hakim said they would apply for Federal Transit Administration funds to offer four new evening trains in and out of New York.



The one-seat ride or a transfer free train trip has been the goal of the Raritan Valley Line Coalition since it formed in the 1998. The daily transfer between electric powered trains to and from New York to diesel powered Raritan Valley Line trains means commuters have to go down and up two flights of stairs in Newark Penn Station.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.