Expanded Light Rail Vehicle Debuts on Hudson-Bergen Line

New Jersey Transit will debut an expanded light rail vehicle that offers 50 percent more seating capacity than a standard light rail vehicle on its Hudson-Bergen line Thursday, just in time to accommodate the additional ridership anticipated for the Fourth of July, the agency announced Wednesday at a press conference held at Hoboken Terminal.

“We’ve heard from customers, particularly on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system, that crowding on trains is a top concern,” New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner James Simpson said in a statement. “Through a successful public-private partnership with the vehicle’s manufacturer, we will be piloting an expanded light rail vehicle on our system to test the feasibility of converting additional vehicles in our light rail fleet in order to increase capacity and ensure a comfortable ride for more customers.” 

Starting Thursday in Bayonne, a single expanded light rail vehicle will be rotated through all three Hudson-Bergen Light Rail sections over the course of a six-month pilot program to evaluate its performance before half the agency’s 52-car light rail fleet is likely to be similarly expanded, NJ Transit’s Deputy General Manager of Light Rail Operations John Squitieri said.

The new design, created by Kinkisharyo International, adds two additional sections to existing light rail vehicles, which increases car length by 37 feet, seating capacity from 68 to 102 seats and standing room capacity from approximately 200 to over 300 people per vehicle, Squitieri said.

Since it opened in April 2000, the now 24-station Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line has grown into one of NJ Transit’s busiest services, with its more than 45,000 person per day ridership ranking behind only the Northeast Corridor and the Morris & Essex commuter rail lines.

Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, who spoke at Wednesday’s expanded five-section vehicle unveiling, spoke of the economic vitality the light rail system has brought to the region and encouraged the state to continue investing in infrastructure projects going forward.

“When you ride up and down the line here you see big buildings, you see new neighborhoods, improved neighborhoods, parks, shopping areas. All of that didn’t happen by coincidence, “ he said. “It came because the state was wise enough to make investments in our transportation system here and allowed us to grow.

“My message to the state, to DOT, to Governor Christie is: ‘Keep it coming. We’ll know what to do with it,’” DeGise continued. “Keep investing in our infrastructure and Jersey City and Hudson County and Hoboken, and all of our great towns will continue to flourish.”

The new prototype was developed using existing spare light rail car equipment and did not come at a cost to New Jersey taxpayers. The cost of converting additional three-section vehicles into expanded five-section vehicles will be borne by both NJ Transit and Kinkisharyo, and will cost about 70 percent less — between $1.45 million and $1.65 million per expanded vehicle — than purchasing a standard light rail vehicle, Squitieri said. Conversion to the expanded light rail vehicles will not necessitate rail infrastructure changes because they fit on all present platforms and stations, he said.