(erielack) on to Susquehanna Transfer!

[David Goessling <dgoessling_@_lucent.com>]

now if only they would choose the right paint scheme for those railcars!


Newark Star-Ledger, Mar. 12, 2005

PASSAIC RAIL PLAN RECEIVES FUNDING

By Steve Chambers

Paterson cheers, rural towns wary

As Passaic County debated development plans in recent months, one key
project drew both promise and controversy -- a long-sought commuter
rail link between the county and various points east.

Supporters were ecstatic yesterday with word that a federal
transportation bill passed Thursday included $15 million for the
project, hopeful it would provide an economic engine to gritty
Paterson.

But some residents in the rural northern part of the county -- with
its pristine forests and vital reservoirs -- are wary that an
extension of the service may signal an end to their way of life.

The $284 billion federal transportation bill included $15 million for
a project that would place self-propelled diesel commuter rail cars
on an existing freight line linking Hawthorne and Paterson to
Hackensack. With existing funds and a state commitment of $10
million, about $31 million has been committed to the $60 million
project.

"This is a big step," said U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.), who
said he would like to see the project break ground in 2007. "This is
tremendous in terms of economic development, and it's great
transportation policy to get people out of their cars to cut down on
congestion."

County officials agree that the rail link would be a vital economic
engine for a depressed urban area, but they concede there are
tensions about a possible link to the north.

For decades, NJ Transit has studied the possibility of extending
commuter service north on the New York, Susquehanna and Western
freight line, even pressing west to Sparta in Sussex County.

That would provide a larger stream of riders -- always an essential
when considering expensive rail systems -- but it also would open up
whole new areas for dense development. A Passaic County growth
blueprint presented last month to the State Planning Commission
proposed a dense trackside development -- known as a Transit Village
- -- along the rail line well north of Hawthorne.

"A lot of the people in these towns didn't even know about this,"
said Robin O'Hearn of the environmental group Skylands Clean. "And
when some of them heard, they said, 'We don't want it. We like our
small-town community.'"

Neil Muller, the Passaic County planner, said the controversy has
been fueled by "misunderstanding and misinformation." He insisted
that the urban project -- which uses a new generation of light rail
cars -- could never be extended to Sparta.

While agreeing that a northern extension would be possible, he said
it would require years of discussion. He did concede, however, that
he had such an extension in mind when he devised the notion of a
Transit Village in Pompton Lakes.

Passaic County officials say the conversation gained greater urgency
with the passage of a sweeping plan to preserve the northern
Highlands. Much of northern Passaic, including all of West Milford
and Ringwood, was included in a zone where development was virtually
banned.

Passaic County Freeholder Lois Cuccinello, a member of the powerful
Highlands Council now overseeing the region, said that by taking so
much land out of play, the state has increased development pressure
on northern parts of Passaic outside the preservation zone.

Before the Highlands Act, Cuccinello opposed extending any commuter
service into northern Passaic, but she said new market realities
demand improved planning.

"When you are anticipating growth (outside the Highlands preservation
areas), hopefully that would include some kind of rail accessibility,
as opposed to adding six more lanes to Route 23," she said.

Sussex County Administrator John Eskilson said the recent development
was welcome. He said the Sparta link had been pushed to the back
burner in recent years.

"Work on the southern end is good news," he said. "At least it puts
passengers on the rail, and that opens the possibility of future
expansion."

Muller discounted any connection between the projects, however,
saying the Hawthorne-Hackensack link would employ a wholly different
technology from a commuter rail line to Sparta.

Trains on the Passaic-Bergen line would run every 15 minutes and make
multiple stops in Hawthorne and Paterson. Stops in Bergen County
haven't yet been negotiated, but the plan has the strong support of
Hackensack Mayor Jack Zisa.

Zisa said the initial leg of the rail project would terminate a short
walk from Hackensack University Medical Center, the largest employer
in Bergen County, passing on its way countless employers and hundreds
of thousands of residents.

"This will make employee trips easier, but beyond that it will
provide opportunity for economic development all along the line," he
said.

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