Route 440/Bayfront In May 2011 NJT announced a plan for extension of the West Side Branch. The project, which requires the approval of the
metropolitan planning organization,
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, to be eligible for federal funding, is estimated to cost $171.6 million. The extension is part of a broader plan to transform the far West Side of Jersey City from previous industrial uses to
mixed-use communities that also includes the development of the West Campus of
New Jersey City University (currently under construction) and conversion of Route 440 to an urban boulevard. As of March 2017, funding for final design and engineering work was appropriated. In December 2017, NJ Transit approved a $5 million preliminary engineering contract for the extension project. Construction on the first phase of the extension began in March 2020.
18th Street, Jersey City The results of the Jersey City/Hoboken Connectivity Study published in June 2011 identified the target area at southwestern Hoboken, Lower Jersey City, and Jersey City Heights as a potential site for a new station. The HBLR runs at the foot the Hudson Palisades under NJT's Hoboken Terminal lines with the 2nd Street station north of the ROW. The district is characterized as having an irregular street grid (including colonial-era
Paterson Plank Road and
Newark Plank Road), being heavily congested (often with
Holland Tunnel–bound traffic) and undergoing transition to a residential/commercial uses. In September 2012, a walkway/bike path was completed near the site of the proposed station, providing better pedestrian access to it and the nearby 2nd St. station. It was announced in October 2012 that NJT had received a $400,000 grant to study the possibility of building a new station at 18th Street in Jersey City, just south of the municipal border and NJT commuter rail ROW. In January 2020, the City of Jersey City began to consider 3.5% tax on public and private parking facilities to help fund the construction of a new light rail station at 18th Street. A 2021 proposal by Lefrak to build a two-tower mixed use development along the light rail ROW between Jersey Avenue & Grove Street including a light rail station, potentially funded in part by the developer.
Northwest Hoboken According to
The New York Times, NJT approved plans in June 2013 for a new light rail station in northwestern Hoboken, near property owned by the
Rockefeller Group, which wanted to build a 40-story office tower in that area near the city's northern border with Weehawken. This agreement was not made known to the local government. but came to light after
Mayor of Hoboken Dawn Zimmer, appearing on
MSNBC on January 18, 2014, claimed that
Lt Governor Kim Guadagno and
Richard Constable, director of the
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, had earlier insinuated to her that more Sandy relief funds would be released to the city if it approved the project proposed by Rockefeller. The agreement is dated June 21, 2014. The plans showed a station at 17th Street and Clinton Street. In January 2020, Mayor
Ravinder Bhalla met with representatives of NJ Transit to discuss a potential new station in the area. It included in city's North End master plan.
Northern Branch/Bergen County Despite its name, the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail only serves
Hudson County. The Northern Branch is a proposed extension from the current northern terminus at Tonnelle Avenue using the right of way of the former Erie
Northern Branch into eastern
Bergen County with a new terminus at the
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. Stops would be added at 91st Street in North Bergen,
Fairview,
Ridgefield,
Palisades Park,
Leonia, and
Englewood, with stops at
Englewood Route 4 and
Englewood Town Center. An earlier proposal to use
diesel multiple unit (DMU) vehicles was later abandoned though funding has not been secured. An initial $40 million has been allocated for design, engineering and environmental studies. The project requires approval of an
environmental impact statement and
Federal Transit Administration approval. Funding for completion if the environmental study, expected to take two years, was approved by NJ Transit in May 2013. After being stalled funding for the project was thought to finally be proceeding in 2017, but no progress was made.
Canal Crossing The two branches of the HBLR system create the northern and eastern borders of
Canal Crossing, a planned
New Urbanist community in Jersey City. A new station at Caven Point Avenue is proposed on the Bayonne line along its eastern perimeter between current stations at
Richard Street and
Liberty State Park. A feasibility study conducted in 2012 found that though the construction of a station at Caven Point Avenue was theoretically possible, it would be much more expensive than the average light rail station, while the projected ridership would be relatively low in the near-term.
Secaucus Junction/Meadowlands There have been discussions to extend the system westward to either or both
Secaucus Junction, a major interchange station of
New Jersey Transit rail operations, and to the
Meadowlands Sports Complex (MSC). Possible routes include one from
Downtown Jersey City, via the
Harsimus Stem Embankment and
Bergen Arches, or an extension of the line from
Tonnelle Avenue. Several studies have been conducted to determine the best future use of the
Bergen Arches, the former
Erie Railroad cut through
Bergen Hill in Jersey City. A freeway proposed in 1989 by Governor
Thomas Kean During the 2001
mayoral race candidates instead lobbied for a mass transit line, and in 2002 the plans were dropped during
Mayor Cunningham's administration. In that year,
Parsons Brinckerhoff, a consulting firm, released another report commission by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) describing the conditions and analysis of various options. NJDOT has continued to fund studies for the project. In March 2011, an additional $13.4 million was allocated to advance the project. In the first decade of the 21st century, studies sponsored by the
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority were conducted to address mass transit options to the MSC, including the possible extension of HBLR from its northern terminus through Secaucus and across the
Hackensack River. At the time it was estimated that the extension would cost $1 billion. When it was decided to build a rail spur in 2004, state officials said that an HBLR extension was not ruled out as a future possibility. The
Meadowlands Rail Line was eventually opened in 2009. In 2022, state introduced a plan for a new east-bound
Route 3 Bridge over the
Hackensack River.
Pilings would support a light rail extension, though there is no projected timeline for service.
Bayonne Bridge/Staten Island "raising the roadbed" reconstruction plans The
Bayonne Bridge connects Bayonne and
Staten Island, a borough of
New York City. The bridge was originally built to accommodate two extra lanes that could be used for light rail service. In the 2010s the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey raised the roadbed of the bridge by , in order to provide the clearance required by the newer
post-panamax container ships to pass under it. Final plans for the reconstructed bridge eventually did not include a rail element. In September 2007, the
S89 limited-stop bus service was introduced between Richmond Avenue in Staten Island and the 34th Street HBLR station. , it runs only during the weekday peak period. While not having begun any studies,
New Jersey Transit investigated the feasibility of extending HBLR from the 8th Street Station across the raised bridge. An academic study has been produced in the
Journal of Public Transportation. Completing any such extension would involve a collaboration between NJ Transit,
New York State, and
New York City. The development of a
Staten Island light rail system which could connect with the HBLR system gained political support in
New York. US Senator
Robert Menendez supported the HBLR extension conceptually, but questioned the benefit for New Jersey. The
Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2015–2019 Capital Plan was amended in May 2017 to allocate $4 million to study the potential extension.
Liberty State Park trolley Shuttle bus service formerly operated from the
Liberty State Park station to the waterfront
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal in
Liberty State Park. However, this service no longer runs, and as a result, there is a relatively long walk to access the Central Railroad terminal via mass transit. Since at least 2010, there have been proposals to build a trolley line to the Central Railroad terminal building and other points in the park from the Liberty State Park Station light rail station to improve access. The Liberty Historic Railway organization is also attempting to jump start the construction of this trolley line. As of 2020, the Liberty Historic Railway Organization has ceased all work on the Liberty State Park trolley proposal as a result of the damage the park received from
Hurricane Sandy and how vulnerable any rail infrastructure within the park associated with the proposed trolley would be to future storm surges. == Transit-oriented development and urban revitalization ==