West of Hudson transit study enters Phase 2
Written by Douglas John BowenMTA Metro-North Railroad announced that it has completed Phase 1 of the West of Hudson Regional Transit Access Alternatives Analysis Study, and is now embarking on Phase 2. The agency will hold an open house in Newburgh, N. Y. (Orange County) next month to present the latest information on the study.
“During Phase 1, the team evaluated transit alternatives with the goal of recommending the most effective options for improving transit mobility and accessibility in the West of Hudson region,” said the agency in a statement Tuesday. ” With input from stakeholders and the public, a shorter list of the most viable alternatives was recommended to be evaluated in greater detail in Phase 2.
“Despite changes in economic conditions and the deferment of previously planned trans-Hudson crossings,” said Metro-North, “the need to improve transit access between Orange County and New York City remains. Metro-North is committed to improving transit access in the West of Hudson region in the short term by investing in improvements to the Port Jervis Line (PJL), including signaling improvements and reestablishing a second track along the PJL.”
Metro-North’s Port Jervis Line service incorporates and co-mingles with New Jersey Transit’s Bergen/Main Line service in northeastern New Jersey. The longest of all Metro-North lines at 95 miles in length, the Port Jervis Line links its namesake city, located near the New York-Pennsylvania border, with Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey. The line suffered severe damage last August due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, disrupting operations for three months before full service was restored.
