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Kearny's mayor hopes to persuade NJ Transit to revive plans to construct a new train station on Bergen Avenue below Schuyler Avenue in the town. The transit agency had targeted Kearny for a station years ago, but scuttled the plan.

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NJ Transit's busiest rail line is also its best route to New York, according to the commuters who ride it to work daily.



Riders who took NJ Transit's quarterly scorecard administered between November and December gave the busy Northeast Corridor line the highest satisfaction ranking of any of its major routes to and from New York City. The line with the top ranking was the Atlantic City Line.

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The agencies quarterly scorecard survey ranked each rail line and regional bus service, allowing riders to see how their ride stacked up.

On a whole, train and bus riders in South Jersey gave NJ Transit higher grades in its quarterly report card than their commuting counterparts in North Jersey.

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But the borderline passing grades aren't the kind of report card a parent would hang on the refrigerator with pride.



Perhaps the biggest surprise is the ranking of the busy Northeast Corridor line, which leases trouble prone track and aging infrastructure from Amtrak. NEC riders gave it a six for overall satisfaction. Atlantic City line riders gave that line a 7.5.



"That's because the Corridor has more frequent train service," said David Peter Alan, chairman of the Lackawanna Commuter Coalition and a regular rail rider.



Morris & Essex line riders were the least satisfied, giving that line a 5.5, the lowest of all the rail lines. Riders on the North Jersey Coast and Main-Bergen Lines gave their line a 5.9 for overall satisfaction, riders gave a 5.8 to the Raritan Valley and the Pascack Valley and the Montclair-Boonton lines got a 5.7.



Bus riders using the dismal Port Authority Bus Terminal gave the NJ Transit credit for work done in the fall to reduce lines and waiting times

New York bus commuters said they were slightly more satisfied with the service, giving it an uptick from a five to a 5.4 on a scale of one to 10. South Jersey bus commuters gave their service a satisfaction rating of seven.



"Things have gotten better overall. The homeward-bound commuting experience was a nightmare before and it was dangerous," said Amy Losak, who commutes by bus between New York and Teaneck. "It's better now, but more can be done. Commuters deserve a smooth and safe situation from NJ Transit and the Port Authority."



What needs work now is improving wi-fi and cell phone reception in the bus terminal, Losak said. She could also use some shelter in the morning while waiting in long lines in extreme weather for the 167 local bus, while 167 express and 165 buses go by.



"When the temperature is bitter cold, it would be lovely if an Express bus driver would exercise a little pity and stop for us, if there is room, so we don't shiver and suffer," she said. "The 165 could stop too if there is room. It would be the humane thing to do when temperatures are freezing."



New York commuters also gave the agency slightly higher marks for on-time performance, which NJ Transit officials attribute to changes made in how the bus terminal handles arriving buses during the evening commute.



"I think it's fair to say that overall the NY-North Jersey commuting experience has improved in the evening," Losak said.



Alan said more information is needed about the methodology used in the scorecard and the type of statistical analysis that's done to determine if real change has taken place. Almost 18,000 riders took the quarterly survey, fewer than the 20,710 that took the survey before this.



"The takeaway is we don't know what it means (without that information) or what value it has for internal or for public relations purposes," Alan said. "Overall, I wish I knew more."



He cited a scorecard finding that more riders on the Morris & Essex line said they're satisfied with fares than they were a year ago.



"Fares haven't changed since 2010, does it mean that more people are resigned to paying them?" he said.



Scorecard surveys riders four times a year on 42 areas of NJ Transit service and identifies key areas for improvement, such as on time performance for buses and trains.

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