The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) is a light rail system in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by New Jersey Transit (NJT) and operated by the ACI-Herzog Joint Venture of Boston, it connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City (at the city line with West New York), and North Bergen.
The system began operating its first segment in April 2000, expanded in phases during the next decade, and was completed with the opening of its southern terminus on January 31, 2011. The line generally runs parallel to the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay, while its northern end and its western branch travel through the lower Hudson Palisades. HBLR has 24 stations along a total track length of for each of its two tracks and serves over 52,000 weekday passengers. Despite its name, the system does not serve Bergen County, into which long-standing plans for expansion have not advanced due to repeated requests for new environmental review reports since 2007.
The project was financed by a mixture of state and federal funding. With an eventual overall cost of approximately $2.2 billion to complete its initial operating segments, the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail was one of the largest ever public works projects in New Jersey. The system is a component of the state's "smart growth" strategy to reduce car-ridership and to revitalize older urban and suburban areas through transit-oriented development.
History Hudson County, New Jersey, is the sixth-most densely populated county in the U.S. and has one of America's highest percentages of public transportation use. During the 1980s and early 1990s, planners and government officials realized that alternative transportation systems needed to be put in place to relieve increasing congestion along the Hudson Waterfront, particularly in the vicinity of the Hudson River crossings. After extensive studies, it was decided that the most efficient and cost-effective system to meet the growing demands of the area would be a light rail system, constructed in several phases.
The design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the system is part of a public-private partnership. In 1996, New Jersey Transit awarded a design, build, operate, and maintain (DBOM) contract to the 21st Century Rail Corporation, a consortium of Raytheon, Itochu and Kinki Sharyo.Light rail takes off in New Jersey Tramways & Urban Transit July 2000 Under the contract, 21st Century Rail deliver a fleet of vehicles, a guaranteed completion date, and 15 years of operation and maintenance of the system, for a fixed price. The agreement was later extended to a 20-year period.
Original plans called for extending the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail north to the Vince Lombardi Park & Ride in Ridgefield, south to 5th Street in Bayonne, and west to Droyer's Point in Jersey City. In Hoboken, the line was to have originally been configured as a through-running operation, with an alignment built closer to the river which would have given closer access to both the PATH station entrance and the bus terminal. This was shelved in favor of the current stub-end station in the southern end of Hoboken Terminal and the current route along an existing right-of-way at the foot of the Hudson Palisades on the city's west side.
The light rail opened to the public on April 15, 2000, with an initial operating segment connecting Bayonne 34th Street and Exchange Place, as well as the spur line to West Side Avenue. Later that year, on November 18, the service was extended northward to Pavonia-Newport. On September 29, 2002, service was extended to Hoboken Terminal, which completed MOS-1, the first Minimum Operating Segment (MOS) of the project, at the cost of $992 million.
MOS-2 involved several extensions costing a combined $1.2 billion. The first extension as part of MOS-2, which brought the light rail system southward to 22nd Street in Bayonne, was opened on November 15, 2003.Hudson-Bergen Light Rail moves further into Bayonne's Business District New Jersey Department of Transportation Press release November 6, 2003. It also involved extending the line west and north of Hoboken Terminal into Weehawken. The line was completed to Lincoln Harbor on September 7, 2004,Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Opens in Weehawken – 2 new stations open in Hoboken New Jersey Transit Press Release September 7, 2004. and to Port Imperial on weekends only on October 29, 2005.Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Arriving at Weehawken's Port Imperial Station New Jersey Transit Press release October 24, 2005. The line was extended from Port Imperial to Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen on February 25, 2006,"New Jersey: Newark: 2 New Rail Stations To Open", The New York Times, February 3, 2006. and light rail vehicles began running seven days a week to Tonnelle Avenue.New Light Rail Stations open in Union City and North Bergen New Jersey Transit Press Release, February 25, 2006. Bus service on connecting routes was modified so that there would be more direct connections to Hudson–Bergen Light Rail stations.New Jersey Transit, Hudson County Bus Service Changes, Effective April 8, 2006, and The extension to a southern terminal at 8th Street opened January 31, 2011, at a cost of $100 million.
Service on the West Side Branch was suspended starting in June 2019 to allow for repairs to a sewer line running along the right-of-way. Partial service was restored on the branch in April 2020 to the Garfield Avenue and Martin Luther King Dr. stations while the West Side Avenue station remained closed due to ongoing Bayfront-Route 440 extension construction. Full service to the West Side Avenue station resumed in May 2020.
In November 2024, it was announced that the operations of the system will be transitioned to ACI-Herzog JV by September 2025.
Service Routes
There are 24 stations along the routes within the system. Trains run from approximately 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.
West Side–Tonnelle between West Side Avenue in Jersey City and Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen Hoboken–Tonnelle (weekdays only) between Hoboken Terminal and Tonnelle Avenue 8th Street–Hoboken, between 8th Street in Bayonne and Hoboken Terminal Bayonne Flyer, (weekday rush hours) between 8th Street in Bayonne and Hoboken Terminal, stopping at all Bayonne stations, Liberty State Park (southbound only), Essex Street, Exchange Place, Harborside Financial Center, and Newport
Stations Many of the stations feature public art. A total of 30 artists have created 50 art works with various themes for the stations. For example, the Liberty State Park station features glass tiles representing a number of "fallen flag" railroad logos.
Park and ride lots are available at East 22nd Street, East 34th Street, West Side Avenue, Liberty State Park and Tonnelle Avenue. In total, there are 3,880 parking spaces.
Paid transfer to the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) is possible at Exchange Place, Newport and Hoboken Terminal, where connections to NJT commuter rail service are also available. Paid transfer to New York Waterway ferries is also available at some stations. NJT and other buses serve most stations. CityStation/locationWeekday entries ()ServicesOpenedTransfers and notesNorth BergenFebruary 25, 2006Park and rideUnion CityWeehawkenOctober 29, 2005Connect to NY Waterway ferriesSeptember 7, 2004Connect to NY Waterway ferriesHobokenHoboken TerminalSeptember 29, 2002Connect to PATH trains, NJ Transit commuter trains and NY Waterway ferriesJersey CityApril 15, 2000Connect to PATH trains and NY Waterway ferriesConnect to Liberty Landing FerryConnect to NY Waterway ferriesJersey AvenuePark and ridePark and rideBayonnePark and rideNovember 15, 2003Park and rideJanuary 31, 2011Park and ride
Fares Like most other light rail services in the United States, the HBLR operates on a proof-of-payment system, in which riders must present their tickets upon request during random fare inspections."They've Been Working on the Railroad (Cars)", The New York Times, February 28, 1999. Accessed November 20, 2007. "There will one operator aboard each car, and fares will be under a proof of purchase system, a kind of honor system where a rider will be required to show a ticket if asked." Passengers must purchase tickets at NJ Transit ticket vending machines (TVMs) on or near station platforms or from the NJ Transit app. One-way, round-trip, and ten-trip tickets must then be validated at automated validators located near the TVMs, which date and time stamp the ticket for 60 minutes of use. NJ Transit's fare inspectors randomly check tickets on trains and at stations; , the fine for fare evasion is $100.
, a one-way adult fare is $2.65. A monthly, unlimited pass is $84; holders of monthly passes can transfer to NJ Transit local buses without an additional fare. Senior citizens (62 and older; valid ID may be requested), passengers with disabilities, and children under 12 may travel on the light rail at a reduced fare of $1.25. The option to purchase combined bus and light rail fares has been removed. Valid NJ Transit weekly and monthly rail passes, as well as 2-zone or greater bus passes, are also good for light rail travel, and do not need validation.Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (as of 1/31/11) , New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 29, 2011. Like the rest of NJ Transit's other transportation modes, it does not accept the MTA's OMNY nor PATH's TAPP, although, as of 2025, its own tap system, FARE-PAY, works for travel on the light rail.
In May 2012, NJ Transit and NY Waterway introduced a monthly or ten-trip discounted combination fare for passengers using the HBLR and ferry at Weehawken Port Imperial. Monthly joint tickets are also available for ferry passengers using slips at Lincoln Harbor and 14th Street (Hoboken).
In February 2013, NJ Transit began offering free weekend parking at Tonnelle Avenue, Liberty State Park, West Side Avenue, 34th Street and 45th Street stations.
Infrastructure
The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail system uses a combination of old rail and new exclusive rights-of-way for most of its length, with some grade separation in certain areas. It shares a lane with automobiles on a portion of Essex Street in downtown Jersey City, but for the most part, does not operate with other traffic. At-grade crossings are equipped with transit-signal priority signals to automatically change traffic lights in favor of the light rail.
A new curved viaduct was constructed eastward from 8th Street to 11th Street in Bayonne to join the existing right-of way to Liberty State Park, which was once the main line of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), parts of which rest on the bed of the Morris Canal; CNJ's Newark and New York Branch right-of-way was used for the line west to West Side Avenue. From Liberty State Park to Hoboken Terminal the line uses a new right-of-way. From the terminal to the curve south of 2nd Street, the line runs parallel to NJT yard and tracks, formerly the main line of the Lackawanna Railroad; north of the curve it uses what had been Conrail's River Line, and was originally the New Jersey Junction Railroad. In order to obtain the right-of-way for the line north from Hoboken, NJT paid to upgrade the Northern Running Track, allowing Conrail to shift its operations. The tunnel and cut through the Palisades were originally the West Shore Railroad's main line.
Rolling stock
The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail system has 52 electrically powered air-conditioned vehicles built by Kinki Sharyo and numbered in the 2000 series. The cars were assembled in Harrison, New Jersey. The original fleet consisted of 54 cars, but two cars were transferred to the Newark Light Rail. Each vehicle is long and has four sets of double-opening doors on each side, with seats for 68 passengers and standing room for another 122 passengers.