HUDSON COUNTY -- A forum in Bergen County on the extention of the light rail system to Tenafly brought out numerous residents, but the continuation of the line may be in jeopardy with Gov. Jon Corzine leaving office, according to a published report.
The low-cost rail line presently starts in Bayonne and snakes through Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, North Bergen, and Union City.
The Record of Hackensack reports from Tenafly:
Local residents filled a school auditorium Monday night to both protest and praise a plan to bring rail service to western Bergen County.
A number of residents, facing a panel of NJ Transit officials, complained that the $800 million project will be too costly for a state that is running of money for transportation projects.
“This is going to cost $80 million a mile,” said Martha Koven of Tenafly, drawing cheers. Others said the train line would split the historic community in half — and make it difficult for residents to get from one side to the next.
The line, which is set to break ground in 2011, will be 11 miles long and provide a 17-minute commute from the Tenafly-Cresskill border to Hudson County, NJ Transit officials said. Trains would transport 24,000 passengers daily.
NJ Transit officials acknowledged the future of the project is less certain, however, now that Governor Corzine — a strong supporter of the project — is leaving office in January.
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