NJT readies Raritan Valley Line upgrade

Rail riders on New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line will gain direct access to and from New York's Penn Station, a much coveted "one-seat ride," beginning Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, NJ Transit has announced.

But the upgrade will be available only after morning and evening rush hours, due to the capacity constraints of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Newark and New York. Besides Amtrak service, the NEC also handles New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line services, which traditionally have had access to and from Manhattan.

Peak-hour Raritan Valley Line riders heading for Midtown Manhattan must still transfer at Newark-Penn Station for service to Midtown.

The consists presumably will be powered by Bombardier dual-mode locomotives, currently used by NJ Transit on several other of its lines.

The direct service, announced Jan. 2 by NJ Transit includes four inbound trains, with the first departing from Raritan, N.J., at 6:39 p.m., and four outbound trains, with the first departing New York-Penn at 8:48 p.m., followed by three more trains approximately one hour after that.

New Jersey rail advocates note additional improvements hinge on increased NEC capacity under the Hudson River, now a proposal of Amtrak’s Gateway Project, and is also contingent on the repair and/or replacement of Portal Bridge, a problematic structure spanning the Hackensack River in the New Jersey Meadowlands, roughly midway between New York and Newark.