As part of his mass transit and infrastructure plan, Councilman-at-Large/mayoral hopeful Ravi Bhalla says he plans on establishing a new bus route and train station, as well as subsidizing the cost of a ferry ride from Hoboken to New York City if elected.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“Our residents deserve to have reliable, reasonably priced transportation options that can also help to reduce traffic and improve our quality of life. As Mayor, I will work tirelessly to advocate for the necessary investments in our mass transportation infrastructure,” Bhalla said in a statement.

Bhalla is hoping for New Jersey Transit to add additional north/south 126 bus routes west of Clinton Street, and add buses on the current 126 routes exclusively for uptown Hoboken.

He also urged New Jersey Transit to modernize their bus stops in Hoboken with digitally signalized arrival times, similar to what is standard in other parts of the country and world.

“Our two 126 bus lines are packed to the brim on a daily basis during rush hour and lines are getting longer, especially at the uptown Hoboken stops,” Bhalla explained.

“While an overhaul of the Port Authority Bus terminal may provide us some relief decades from now, Hoboken deserves better in the short term, and NJ Transit must reexamine their bus services throughout the State to reallocate its services to those areas, such as Hoboken, that are most stressed.”

Other proposals Bhalla advanced are providing a new train station in Northern Hoboken as part of the $13 billion dollar Hudson Tunnel project, increasing PATH train service during rush hour.

“The project envisions constructing a new train tunnel under the Hoboken/Weehawken border, but goes directly to Secaucus and does not have a stop in Hoboken,” he said.

“In the years to come, the North End is likely to develop into a thriving new neighborhood focused on commercial development, retail and restaurants, creating a correlating need for public transit options for residents and commuters.”

Bhalla’s mass transit infrastructure platform also calls for public and private subsidies in ferry service uptown and downtown with the goal of a ferry ticket being in line with the $2.75 ticket price for PATH trains service, a goal that has already been achieve in inter-borough New York City routes.