The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) is a
light rail
Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
system in
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the Hudson River, the North Jersey county is part of the state's Gateway Region an ...
, United States. Owned by
New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...
(NJT) and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, it connects the communities of
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
,
Jersey City
Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous ,
Hoboken,
Weehawken
Weehawken is a Township (New Jersey), township in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the Hudson Waterfront and Hudson Palisades overlooking ...
,
Union City (at the city line with
West New York), and
North Bergen
North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 63,361, an increase of 2,588 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 60,773, ...
.
The system began operating its first segment in April 2000, expanded in phases during the next decade, and was completed with the opening of its southern terminus on January 31, 2011. The line generally runs parallel to the
Hudson River
The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
and
Upper New York Bay
New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States.
New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay ...
, while its northern end and its western branch travel through the
lower Hudson Palisades. HBLR has 24 stations along a total track length of for each of its two tracks and serves over 52,000 weekday passengers.
Despite its name, the system does not serve
Bergen County
Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[smart growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl. It also advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood ...]
" strategy to reduce auto-ridership and to revitalize older urban and suburban areas through
transit-oriented development
In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of Real estate development, urban development that maximizes the amount of Residential area, residential, business and leisure space within Pedestrian, walking distance of public t ...
.
History
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the Hudson River, the North Jersey county is part of the state's Gateway Region an ...
, is the sixth-most
densely populated
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
county in the U.S. and has one of America's highest percentages of
public transportation
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...
use. During the 1980s and early 1990s, planners and government officials realized that alternative transportation systems needed to be put in place to relieve increasing congestion along the
Hudson Waterfront
The Hudson Waterfront is an urban area of northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it is often used to mean the contig ...
, particularly in the vicinity of the
Hudson River crossings.
After extensive studies, it was decided that the most efficient and cost-effective system to meet the growing demands of the area would be a light rail system, constructed in several phases.
The design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the system is part of a public-private partnership. In 1996, New Jersey Transit awarded a "DBOM" (design/build/operate/maintain) contract to the 21st Century Rail Corporation, a subsidiary of
Washington Group International, an engineering and construction consulting firm later acquired by
URS
Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or Urus (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc. ...
, then
AECOM
AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation; stylised A''Ξ''COM) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
The company's official name from 1990–2015 was AECOM Technology Corporation, ...
. Under the contract, 21st Century Rail would deliver a fleet of vehicles, a guaranteed completion date, and 15 years of operation and maintenance of the system,
for a fixed price. The agreement was later extended to a 20-year period.

Original plans called for extending the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail north to the
Vince Lombardi Park & Ride in
Ridgefield, south to 5th Street in Bayonne, and west to
Droyer's Point in Jersey City. In Hoboken, the line was to have originally been configured as a through-running operation, with an alignment built closer to the river which would have given closer access to both the
PATH
A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail.
Path or PATH may also refer to:
Physical paths of different types
* Bicycle path
* Bridle path, used by people on horseback
* Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle
* Desir ...
station entrance and the
bus terminal
A bus station, bus depot, or bus interchange is a structure where city buses or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. A bus station is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can st ...
. This was shelved in favor of the current stub-end station in the southern end of Hoboken Terminal and the current route along an existing right-of-way at the foot of the
Hudson Palisades
The Palisades, also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson River Palisades, are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in Northeastern New Jersey and Southeastern New York in the United States. The cliffs s ...
on the city's west side.

The light rail opened to the public on April 15, 2000, with an initial operating segment connecting
Bayonne 34th Street and
Exchange Place, as well as the spur line to
West Side Avenue. Later that year, on November 18, the service was extended northward to
Pavonia-Newport. On September 29, 2002, service was extended to
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by eight NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, an NJ T ...
, which completed MOS-1, the first Minimum Operating Segment (MOS) of the project, at the cost of $992 million.
MOS-2 involved several extensions costing a combined $1.2 billion.
The first extension as part of MOS-2, which brought the light rail system southward to 22nd Street in Bayonne, was opened on November 15, 2003. It also involved extending the line west and north of Hoboken Terminal into Weehawken. The line was completed to Lincoln Harbor on September 7, 2004, and to Port Imperial on weekends only on October 29, 2005. The line was extended from Port Imperial to Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen on February 25, 2006, and light rail vehicles began running seven days a week to Tonnelle Avenue. Bus service on connecting routes was modified so that there would be more direct connections to Hudson–Bergen Light Rail stations. The extension to a southern terminal at 8th Street opened January 31, 2011, at a cost of $100 million.
Service on the West Side Branch was suspended starting in June 2019 to allow for repairs to a sewer line running along the right-of-way. Partial service was restored on the branch in April 2020 to the Garfield Avenue and Martin Luther King Dr. stations while the West Side Avenue station remained closed due to ongoing Bayfront-Route 440 extension construction. Full service to the West Side Avenue station resumed in May 2020.
On November 2024, it was announced that the operations of the system will be transitioned to ACI-Herzog JV by September 2025.
Service
Routes

There are 24 stations along the routes within the system. Trains run from approximately 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.
* West Side–Tonnelle between
West Side Avenue in Jersey City and
Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen
* Hoboken–Tonnelle (weekdays only) between
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by eight NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, an NJ T ...
and Tonnelle Avenue
* 8th Street–Hoboken, between
8th Street in Bayonne and Hoboken Terminal
* ''Bayonne Flyer'', (weekday rush hours) between
8th Street in Bayonne and Hoboken Terminal, stopping at all Bayonne stations,
Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park (LSP) is a park in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City opposite Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The park opened in 1976 to coincide with United States Bicenten ...
(''southbound only''),
Essex Street,
Exchange Place,
Harborside Financial Center, and
Newport
Stations
Many of the stations feature public art. A total of 30 artists have created 50 art works with various themes for the stations. For example, the Liberty State Park station features glass tiles representing a number of "fallen flag" railroad logos.
Park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...
lots are available at East 22nd Street, East 34th Street, West Side Avenue, Liberty State Park and Tonnelle Avenue. In total, there are 3,880 parking spaces.
Paid transfer to the
Port Authority Trans-Hudson
The Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) is a rapid transit system in the northeastern New Jersey cities of Newark, Harrison, Jersey City, and Hoboken, as well as Lower and Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is operated as a wholly owne ...
(PATH) is possible at Exchange Place, Newport and Hoboken Terminal, where connections to
NJT commuter rail service are also available. Paid transfer to
New York Waterway ferries is also available at some stations. NJT and other buses serve most stations.
Fares
Like most other light rail services in the United States, the HBLR operates on a
proof-of-payment
Proof-of-payment (POP) or proof-of-fare (POF) is an honor-based fare collection system used on many public transportation systems. Instead of checking each passenger as they enter a fare control zone, passengers are required to carry a paper ...
system, in which riders must present their tickets upon request during random fare inspections. Passengers must purchase tickets at NJ Transit
ticket vending machines (TVMs) on or near station platforms or from the NJ Transit app. One-way, round-trip, and ten-trip tickets must then be validated at automated validators located near the TVMs, which date and time stamp the ticket for 60 minutes of use. NJ Transit's fare inspectors randomly check tickets on trains and at stations; , the fine for fare evasion is $100.
, a one-way adult fare is $2.55. A monthly, unlimited pass is $80; holders of monthly passes can transfer to NJ Transit local buses without an additional fare. Senior citizens (62 and older; valid ID may be requested), passengers with disabilities, and children under 12 may travel on the light rail at a reduced fare of $1.25. The option to purchase a combined bus and light rail fare has been removed. Valid NJ Transit weekly and monthly rail passes, as well as 2-zone or greater bus passes, are also good for travel and do not need validation. Like the rest of NJ Transit's other transportation modes, it does not accept the MetroCard nor
OMNY
OMNY ( , short for One Metro New York) is a contactless payment, contactless fare payment system, currently being implemented for use on transportation in New York City, public transit in the New York metropolitan area. OMNY can currently be u ...
although it has plans to create a new fare payment system in the future.
In May 2012, NJ Transit and
NY Waterway
NY Waterway, or New York Waterway, is a private transportation company running ferry and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley. The company utilizes public-private partnership with agencies such as the Por ...
introduced a monthly or ten-trip discounted combination fare for passengers using the HBLR and ferry at
Weehawken Port Imperial. Monthly joint tickets are also available for ferry passengers using
slips Slips (or SLIPS) may refer to:
*Slips (oil drilling)
*SLIPS (Slippery Liquid Infused Porous Surfaces)
*SLIPS (Sri Lanka Interbank Payment System)
*Slip (cricket), often used in the plural form
*The Slips, a UK electronic music duo
See also
* ...
at
Lincoln Harbor and
14th Street (Hoboken).
In February 2013, NJ Transit began offering free weekend parking at Tonnelle Avenue, Liberty State Park, West Side Avenue, 34th Street and 45th Street stations.
Infrastructure
The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail system uses a combination of old rail and new exclusive
rights-of-way for most of its length, with some grade separation in certain areas. It
shares a lane with automobiles on a portion of Essex Street in downtown Jersey City, but for the most part, does not operate with other traffic.
At-grade crossings are equipped with
transit-signal priority signals to automatically change traffic lights in favor of the light rail.
A new curved viaduct was constructed eastward from 8th Street to 11th Street in Bayonne to join the existing right-of way to Liberty State Park, which was once the main line of the
Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
(CNJ), parts of which rest on the bed of the
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a toll road, common carrier Anthracite, anthracite coal canal across North Jersey, northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals in Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its weste ...
; CNJ's
Newark and New York Branch
The Newark and New York Branch was a railway line that ran between Downtown Newark, Downtown Newark, New Jersey, Newark and the Communipaw Terminal at the mouth of the North River (Hudson River) in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City, bridging t ...
right-of-way was used for the line west to West Side Avenue.
From Liberty State Park to Hoboken Terminal the line uses a new right-of-way. From the terminal to the curve south of 2nd Street, the line runs parallel to NJT yard and tracks, formerly the main line of the
Lackawanna Railroad; north of the curve it uses what had been
Conrail's River Line, and was originally the
New Jersey Junction Railroad
The New Jersey Junction Railroad (NJJ) was part of the New York Central Railroad and ran along the Hudson River in Hudson County, New Jersey, from the West Shore Railroad (NYCRR) yards at Weehawken Terminal south to Jersey City, New Jersey, Jer ...
. In order to obtain the right-of-way for the line north from Hoboken, NJT paid to upgrade the
Northern Running Track, allowing
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...
to shift its operations. The tunnel and cut through the
Palisades were originally the
West Shore Railroad
The West Shore Railroad was a U.S. railway company active in the states of New York and New Jersey between 1885 and 1952. It was incorporated in 1885 to reorganize the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway, which had originally been inten ...
's main line.
Rolling stock

The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail system has 52 electrically powered air-conditioned vehicles built by
Kinki Sharyo
is a Japanese manufacturer of railroad vehicles based in Osaka. It is an affiliate company of Kintetsu Corporation. In business since 1920 as Tanaka Rolling Stock Works, and renamed The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd in 1945, they produce rolling stock f ...
and numbered in the 2000 series. The cars were assembled in
Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, and is located from New York City. Once considered "the bee ...
. The original fleet consisted of 54 cars, but 2 cars were transferred to the
Newark Light Rail. Each vehicle is long and has four sets of double-opening doors on each side, with seats for 68 passengers and standing room for another 122 passengers.
The Newark Light Rail system uses the same type of vehicle, with slight modifications to the trucks and wheels due to the different rails used.
On July 3, 2013, NJ Transit released lengthened light rail car 2054 as a prototype. The expanded car consists of two new sections, increasing length by to a total of . Seating capacity is increased from 68 passengers to 102 passengers, with standing capacity increased accordingly as well. Overall capacity increases from approximately 200 per vehicle to 300 per vehicle. The prototype was placed on rotations through the three lines of the system over the next 6 months, after which, NJ Transit started to expand 26 cars in total, or half of the total fleet. The contract to expand the remaining balance of 25 cars was approved on July 9, 2014. The expanded cars were renumbered to the 5000 series.
Proposed expansions
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
A metropolitan planning organization (MPO) is a federally mandated and federally funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorit ...
,
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) is the federally authorized metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the 13-county northern New Jersey region, one of three MPOs in the state. NJTPA's annual budget is more than $2& ...
, 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
New Jersey City University (NJCU) is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally chartered in 1927, NJCU consists of the School of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, and College of Professional Studies a ...
(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
Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic, Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen and Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey. The route, originally laid in the colonial era, conn ...
and
Newark Plank Road), being heavily congested (often with
Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River that connects Hudson Square and Lower Manhattan in New York City in the east to Jersey City, New Jersey, in the west. The tunnel is operated by the Port Authority of New York an ...
–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
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', NJT approved plans in June 2013 for a new light rail station in northwestern Hoboken, near property owned by the
Rockefeller Group
Rockefeller Group International, Inc. is an American private company based in New York City, primarily involved in real estate operations in the United States and it is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Group. The company began with Construction of Roc ...
, 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
MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
on January 18, 2014, claimed that
Lt Governor Kim Guadagno
Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Guadagno was the Republican nominee ...
and
Richard Constable, director of the
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Function
The NJDCA provides "administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community develop ...
, 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
Ravinder Singh Bhalla (born ), often simply called Ravi Bhalla, is an American civil rights lawyer and politician, serving as the 39th Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, since 2018. Prior to becoming mayor, he served on t ...
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
Hudson County is a List of counties in New Jersey, county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River), Hudson River, the No ...
. 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
Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital is an acute care 294-bed teaching hospital in Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. In spring 2024, the medical center received an 'A' Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group patient safety organization.
...]
. 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 in favor of the electrically operated system used by HBLR as were proposals to extend the line into
Tenafly.
The estimated cost of the project is $1.18 billion, 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
An environmental impact statement (EIS), under United States environmental law, is a document required by the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An E ...
and
Federal Transit Administration
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal 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
New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually in ...
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
Richard Allen Street (October 5, 1942 – February 27, 2013) was an American soul and R&B singer, most notable as a member of Motown vocal group The Temptations from 1971 to 1993. Prior to joining the Temptations, he had been a member of Otis ...
and
Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park (LSP) is a park in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City opposite Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The park opened in 1976 to coincide with United States Bicenten ...
.
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
Secaucus Junction (signed as Secaucus) is an intermodal transit hub served by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) and Metro-North Railroad in Secaucus, New Jersey, Secaucus, New Jersey. It is one of the List of b ...
, a major interchange station of
New Jersey Transit rail operations
NJ Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of NJ Transit. It operates commuter rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered on transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark. NJ Transit also operates rail servic ...
, and to the
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). It is named for the New Jersey Meadowlands ...
(MSC). Possible routes include one from
Downtown Jersey City
Downtown is an area of Jersey City, New Jersey, which includes the Historic Downtown and the Waterfront.
Historic Downtown
Historic Downtown was an area of mostly low-rise buildings to the west of the waterfront, but by the 2000s a number of ...
, 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
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...
cut
Cut or CUT may refer to:
Common uses
* The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely directed force
** A type of wound
** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past
** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment
** ...
through
Bergen Hill in Jersey City. A freeway proposed in 1989 by Governor
Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean ( ; born April 21, 1935) is an American politician, statesman, and academic administrator from the state of New Jersey. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Kean served two terms as the 48th governor of New Jersey f ...
was strongly supported by then-Mayor
Bret Schundler. In 1998, this project was allocated $26 million in the federal
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
The United States federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) is a federal transportation bill enacted June 9, 1998, as and . TEA-21 authorized federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and trans ...
.
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
WSP USA, formerly Parsons Brinckerhoff, is an American multinational engineering and design firm. The firm operates in the fields of strategic consulting, planning, engineering, construction management, energy, infrastructure and community plann ...
, a consulting firm, released another report commission by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...
(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
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) is an independent authority established by the State of New Jersey in 1971 to oversee the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Originally consisting of Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack in ...
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
The Hackensack River is a river, about 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban ar ...
.
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
The Hackensack River is a river, about 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban ar ...
.
Piling
A pile or piling is a vertical structural element of a deep foundation, driven or drilled deep into the ground at the building site. A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from th ...
s would support a light rail extension, though no there is no projected timeline for service.
Bayonne Bridge/Staten Island

The
Bayonne Bridge
The Bayonne Bridge is an Through arch bridge, arch bridge that spans the Kill Van Kull between Staten Island, New York (state), New York, and Bayonne, New Jersey, Bayonne, New Jersey, United States. It carries New York State Route 440 and ...
connects Bayonne and
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
, a borough of
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. 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
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...
raised the roadbed of the bridge by , in order to provide the clearance required by the newer
post-panamax container ships
A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...
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
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...
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
New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...
, and
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The development of a
Staten Island light rail system which could connect with the HBLR system gained political support in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. US Senator
Robert Menendez
Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American former politician and lawyer who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 2006 until his resignation in 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, he also represented New J ...
supported the HBLR extension conceptually, but questioned the benefit for New Jersey. The
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a New York state public benefit corporations, public benefit corporation in New York (state), New York State responsible for public transportation in the New York metropolitan area, New York Ci ...
'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
The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal, was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The terminal was built in 1889, replaci ...
in
Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park (LSP) is a park in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City opposite Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The park opened in 1976 to coincide with United States Bicenten ...
. 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
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...
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
The light rail has been a catalyst for both residential and commercial development along the route and has played a significant role in the revitalization of
Hudson County
Hudson County is a List of counties in New Jersey, county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River), Hudson River, the No ...
. Many of the stops are sited in vacant or underutilized areas, which are now beginning to see intense residential and mixed-use development. The line running along Essex Street in downtown Jersey City has spawned 3,000 residential units in five years. An tract of land bordering Liberty State Park is being redeveloped into a
transit-oriented development
In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of Real estate development, urban development that maximizes the amount of Residential area, residential, business and leisure space within Pedestrian, walking distance of public t ...
known as Liberty Harbor North, which will consist of 6,000 residential units and millions of square feet of commercial space. Two
New Urbanism
New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating Walkability, walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has ...
projects in Jersey City,
Bayfront and
Canal Crossing, are being planned with the expectation that new stations will be built in conjunction with their development. Other developments are either planned or already underway in Hoboken, Union City, Bayonne, and Weehawken, in areas very near to light rail stations.
See also
*
Newark Light Rail
*
River Line
The River Line (stylized as River LINE) is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) service in South Jersey, southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden, New Jersey, Camden and Trenton, New Jersey, Trento ...
*
Light rail in the United States
*
List of United States light rail systems by ridership
The following is a list of all light rail systems in the United States. Also included are some of the urban tram, streetcar/trolley systems that provide regular public transit service (operating year-round and at least five days per week), ones w ...
*
Light rail in North America
*
List of tram and light rail transit systems
The following is a list of cities that have current tram/streetcar (including heritage trams/heritage streetcars), or light rail systems as part of their regular public transit systems. In other words, this list only includes systems which ...
*
List of rail transit systems in the United States
References
Sources
*"On track to reborn cityscape: The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line proves a boon for older urban areas" by Steve Chambers, ''Newark
Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition.
In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...
'', October 30, 2005.
*"Xanadu rail plan could be boon for N.J. official" by Shannon D. Harrington, ''
The Record (Bergen County)
''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and ...
'', May 6, 2005.
*"Light-rail link might cost $1B; Study for Meadowlands extension OK'd" by John Brennan, ''The Record (Bergen County)'', April 28, 2005.
*"Light rail to Tenafly is still a dream; NJ Transit says more study needed" by Soni Sangha, ''The Record (Bergen County)'', January 23, 2005.
External links
NJ Transit – Light Rail SchedulesHudson-Bergen Light Rail on ''nycsubway.org''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
750 V DC railway electrification
Light rail in New Jersey
New Jersey streetcar lines
NJ Transit Rail Operations
Railway lines opened in 2000
Standard-gauge railways in the United States
Streetcars in New Jersey
Transportation in Hudson County, New Jersey
Passenger rail transportation in New Jersey