Lawmakers require NJ Transit to study one-seat rides to NYC on Raritan Valley Line

Mike Deak | Bridgewater Courier News

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TRENTON – A bill requiring NJ Transit to study the feasibility of restoring full one-seat-ride service to Manhattan on the Raritan Valley Line has passed both houses of the Legislature.

The bill passed the Assembly by a 76-0 vote on Monday. The state Senate passed the bill by a 37-0 vote on June 10.

The bill now goes to Gov. Phil Murphy for his signature.

The bill requires NJ Transit to prepare the study and submit a report within six months of the bill’s enactment.

The bill’s passage is a victory for the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition, which has been advocating one-seat rides into Manhattan without a transfer in Newark. The one-seat ride is seen as the key to economic development in towns along the rail line from Union County to Hunterdon County.

“Raritan Valley Line riders deserve a one-seat ride to New York Penn,” said state Sen. Tom Kean Jr., R-21st District, who was one of the bill's sponsors in the Senate. “We’ve succeeded in restoring off-peak, one-seat rides, but that doesn’t help the thousands of commuters in my district who are catching the train to work during rush hour each day. This study will help us better serve NJ Transit riders, leading to shorter, smoother and safer commutes.”

EARLIER: NJ Transit: Raritan Valley Line one-seat ride to New York Penn being restored

The Assembly bill was sponsored by Democrats Linda Carter, James Kennedy, both 22nd District, and Roy Freiman, 16th District.

“For residents who work in the city and live close to the Raritan Valley Line, the ability to jump on a train that goes directly into Manhattan is convenient and time-saving for many," the three Assembly members said in a statement. "There should be a more direct route for riders. We’re simply asking New Jersey Transit to look into how to restore the direct rail one-seat ride on the Raritan Valley Line during peak times and the cost of this service for NJT to implement and to the commuter. If it’s feasible, after reading their report, then we should get this done for New Jersey commuters.”

Raritan Valley Line’s single-ride service into Manhattan was suspended in 2018 to free up the installation of Positive Train Control on NJ Transit trains statewide. The off-peak service was restored in November.

The Raritan Valley line comprises 6.7 percent of NJ Transit’s daily rail ridership and is the only line that does not have one-seat service into Manhattan any day of the week during peak service hours.

According to the Office of Legislative Services, the bill will result in a “nominal” one-time cost for the agency.

READ: NJ Transit: Pressure grows for one-seat rides to New York on Raritan Valley Line

The study, according to the Office of Legislative Services, should be “relatively simple” by using information the agency already has, such as the number of time slots available for trains in the tunnels and at Penn Station in Manhattan, the number of dual mode locomotives required and the current schedules of the various NJ Transit lines which use the Northeast Corridor tracks. The dual locomotives are necessary because the Raritan Valley Line is not electrified, unlike the Northeast Corridor tracks into the city.

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The report should “simply” require the compilation of existing data about ridership, the cost of additional dual mode locomotives and some reporting on previous business decisions made by NJ Transit, according to the Office of Legislative Services.

NJ Transit could use existing staff members to prepare the report though “it is not clear whether it will entail overtime costs or redirecting staff time in a way that will result in indirect costs elsewhere in the agency.”

Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentraljersey.com