Direct Train From Cranford, Westfield To NYC Not On Fast Track

CRANFORD AND WESTFIELD, NJ — Commuters from Cranford, Westfield, and other nearby towns have long hoped for direct rides to New York City during peak hours, but such a plan is not on the fast-track, said Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle at the Westfield Town Council meeting Tuesday night.

In her opening remarks, Brindle said, "Yesterday, I participated in a Zoom call with NJ Transit, along with other members of the RVL [Raritan Valley Line] Mayors' Alliance and the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition, as they presented the results of the RVL one-seat ride feasibility study. We were very disappointed with their findings, which were limited in the options and the ridership data that they had considered."

She added, "The report concluded that there is additional capacity to add trains during the off-peak shoulder period, but it would take six years and $125 million to do so, which doesn’t seem credible. As disappointed as we were, this is just the beginning of a political and legislative process that will evolve as the transit situation becomes more certain post-COVID."

She said, "I spoke to Congressman Tom Malinowski yesterday, who is also advocating with the governor’s office in addition to pushing for gateway funding. Stay tuned. Just know that the RVL mayors will not give up on this fight for equitable service."

NJ Transit trains returned to their regular schedules on July 6 after service was cut during coronavirus shutdowns. However, public transit vehicles now have limited capacity to allow social distancing. In addition, more people are working at home.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill on Jan. 13 to study full-time direct train service from Westfield, Cranford, and other towns to Penn Station.

Read more about the battle for the one-seat ride here.

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