Riders on the Raritan Valley Line (RVL) now can ride a train directly to or from New York Penn Station on weekday evenings, without having to change trains at Newark. The new service went into effect on Monday, January 12th. “One-Seat-Ride” service between the western terminals of Raritan and High Bridge and New York began on March 3, 2014 during midday hours. The new service enhancement will encompass 4 round trips that arrive at or leave Penn Station after 8:00 p.m., although the last departure of the evening will still require a change at Newark.
We congratulate our colleagues at the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition (RVRC), which was formed in 1998 to advocate for one-seat-ride service to New York. The RVRC has campaigned for this service throughout its history, as its primary objective. They continue to advocate for such service on weekends and during peak commuting hours, and we join them in supporting that goal.
We note that through service in the evening was supposed to begin last October, but New Jersey Transit had difficulty funding the enhanced service. We express our deep concern that the new service was delayed by a lack of available funds, and we call on decision-makers of appropriate authority to make sufficient funding available to give New Jersey’s transit riders a better level of service than they have now. They deserve no less.
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