October 1, 2000

Multimodal Rail Hub at Elizabeth Best for Union County

Foresees LRT, DMU, "Heavy" Rail Combination Serving Various Travel Interests Most Efficiently

The New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers (NJ-ARP) states its position on a comprehensive rail solution for eastern Union County. The rail group recommends a multi-modal approach that can efficiently and economically address varying mobility needs of the county's residents.

NJ-ARP's analysis designates downtown Elizabeth as an intermodal transfer hub for all of Union County in addition to allowing passenger rail connectivity in four directions. Highlighting the NJ-ARP's solution would be the construction of a light rail transit (LRT) line in an easterly direction to Newark International Airport and the establishment of a railroad compatible link - using high-tech diesel multiple unit vehicles (DMU) - in a westerly direction to Bound Brook and beyond. New Jersey Transit's (NJT) existing Northeast Corridor (NEC) line already provides ever-expanding services in a north-south direction. The capability to transfer between north-south corridor trains and east-west ones has been unavailable in the county seat since 1978.

The rail solution's main focus would be "The Arch," a one hundred year old, historic three-tiered, brownstone bridge in the Central Business District of Elizabeth. At this location, NJT's existing Northeast Corridor (NEC) and North Jersey Coast Line (NJCL) tracks cross over the former Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) main line tracks that, in turn, cross over Broad Street. This multi-level complex is well suited for design as an atrium type rail station to allow free flowing interchange for passengers accessing the lines outlined herein.

The building of the LRT eastward would parallel the south side of the freight railroad tracks to serve Trumbull Street, the Singer redevelopment site, the ferry, Jersey Gardens Mall, and IKEA connecting with the monorail at airport parking Lot D. Recent DEIS scoping hearings have confirmed this segment as a stand alone, marketable project. An even greater level of enhanced airport access would be possible if the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA) would permit direct LRT access to Terminals A, B, and C, a proposal which has been under discussion for the past 30 years. This LRT extension could be further extended in a northeasterly direction via Portway to connect to the recently opened Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit (HBLRT) West Side Line.

The re-initiation of rail passenger service westward to Cranford on the former CNJ right-of-way would employ high-tech FRA compatible DMU or push-pull trains. From Cranford, service would operate on the Raritan Valley Line west to Bound Brook and beyond. However, due to track occupancy agreements with the Norfolk Southern (NS) freight carrier (operating on the former Lehigh Line railroad), this would be the only means to boost passenger train frequencies on NJT's increasingly patronized Raritan Valley Line (RVL). NJ-ARP's solution would permit all day service from either West Trenton (now under discussion by NJT) or Somerville and west to Phillipsburg providing convenient, reliable and frequent rail service across the state at its densely populated midpoint.

Connections would be provided at the Elizabeth arch intermodal transfer hub north to Newark and New York and (due to the tapping of an even larger potential intrastate market) south to Trenton and shore areas, through direct connections to the NEC and NJCL. This encourages the opening of a new rail market not currently served by NJT trains.

As the state's population increases, ages and becomes more densely packed, rail solutions are clearly mandated to solve Union County's vehicular congestion and related environmental problems. NJ-ARP's solution, using the Elizabeth hub as a focal point, solves many existing connectivity difficulties, establishes new intrastate mobility options, fosters increasing use of mass transit and has the potential to encourage the revitalization of the downtown central business district. And, it is imperative, too, that transit planning address the growing number of people who cannot - or will not - drive due to age, health, economic status or simply fear of growing road rage.