WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB), Congressmen Rob Menendez (NJ-08) and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09) today called on the MTA and New York City to extend the NYC Subway’s 7 Line to New Jersey. The extension would meet the stated goals of New York’s Central Business District Tolling Program and provide an additional commuting alternative for New Jersey and New York commuters.
“Despite significant opposition to the Central Business District Tolling Program and the unique and disproportionate impacts the Program will have on New Jersey residents, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has shown no interest in engaging in a good-faith dialogue with key stakeholders in New Jersey. We strongly urge the MTA and New York City to provide additional trans-Hudson rail services to commuters through the expansion of the 7 Train. While we disagree with the MTA’s decision to move forward with the Program, we look forward to engaging in a productive dialogue that will both benefit New Jersey residents and further the plan’s stated goal of getting cars off the road,” the members wrote to the MTA and TMRB.
Under the Central Business District Tolling Program, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) stands to lose millions of dollars every year, which will significantly limit its ability to improve critical assets, such as the Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) service between New Jersey and New York, and the proposed redevelopment of the PANYNJ Midtown Bus Terminal.
In 2013, New York City published a study to evaluate extending the 7 Train via a two-track tunnel under the Hudson River. The study found that an extension to the Frank R. Lautenberg Station in Secaucus would improve trans-Hudson access between New York and New Jersey by leveraging existing investments in the 7 Train extension and allow for an estimated rider capacity of 128,000 people per day. In addition, the study found that the 7 Train extension would be fully compatible with the Gateway Program, which was recently confirmed with staff at the Gateway Development Commission.
The full text of the letter is available here.
