Northern Branch Corridor Project

File:8.7.09TonnelleHBLRByLuigiNovi1.jpg on Tonnelle Avenue]]

File:NorthernBranchROWFairview.JPG

Original proposals for the HBLR called for a terminus at the New Jersey Turnpike Vince Lombardi Park-and-Ride in Ridgefield, in Bergen County.{{Cite report|author1=Berliner, Harvey L |author2=Campo David, W. |author3=Dickerson, Charl |author4=Mack Glenn |title=Design and Construction of the Weehawken Tunnel and Bergenline Avenue Station for the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail Transit System|publisher=Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc. and New Jersey Transit|url=http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec058/10_CIVIL%20DESIGN.pdf|access-date=December 18, 2011}} Despite its name, it currently operates only in Hudson County. Service began its initial operating 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 western branch and northern end travel through the lower Hudson Palisades. HBLR has twenty-four stations along a total trackage length of just over {{convert|21|mi|km}} and serves over 40,000 weekday passengers. From its southern terminus at 8th Street in Bayonne the HBLR travels through Jersey City, Hoboken and North Hudson to its current northern terminus at Tonnelle Avenue. The balloon loop allowing for reversal of direction is immediately adjacent to the proposed right-of-way at North Bergen Yard.

File:NorthernBranch91St(HBLR site).JPG]]

File:RidgefieldNorthernBranch.JPG

The region along the corridor was known as the English Neighborhood during the post-colonial era and was largely developed after the introduction of rail service in the mid-19th century.{{cite web|title=Historic Englewood|publisher=City of Englewood|url=http://www.cityofenglewood.org/content/1445/2257/default.aspx|access-date=December 30, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313172225/http://www.cityofenglewood.org/content/1445/2257/default.aspx|archive-date=March 13, 2012|df=mdy-all}} Until the 1960s, the area and neighboring communities in the valley were served by regular passenger rail service to intermodal terminals on the Hudson River, where passengers were able to transfer to ferries to a variety of slips on the West Side of Manhattan. The West Shore Line to Weehawken Terminal was discontinued in 1959.

{{cite book|last1=Sherman|first1=Lauren|last2=Gaulkin|first2=Ellen Robb |title=Weehawken|series=(Images of America)|date=February 2009|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GpGa8YEkZxAC&q=Sherman,+Lauren%3B+Gaulkin,+Ellen+Robb+(February+2009).+Weehawken.+(Images+of+America).+Arcadia+Publishing.|isbn=9780738562681}} Service on the Northern Branch to Pavonia Terminal, and in the 1960s to Hoboken Terminal, ended in 1966.{{citation|last=Hanley|first=Robert|title=Bergen Officials Call for Ambitious Rail Service Expansion|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 10, 2001|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/10/nyregion/bergen-officials-call-for-ambitious-rail-service-expansion.html|access-date=December 24, 2011}}

The stub-ended line is still used to serve industrial facilities along the route. Since Federal Railroad Administration regulations prohibit freight and light rail systems from operating concurrently, the new passenger service would be restricted to running between 5:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.{{citation|last=Rouse|first=Karen|title=Plan to extend light rail service into eastern Bergen County faces test today|newspaper=The Record|date=January 23, 2011|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/137943153_Rail_plan_faces_test_today.html?c=y&page=3}}

A Major Investment Study and environmental impact statement for the corridor project were first authorized by the Federal Transit Administration and New Jersey Transit in 2001 to examine the possibility of extending Hudson-Bergen Light Rail along the right of way of the Northern Branch.{{cite web|last=Federal Transit Administration|title=Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Northern Branch Corridor Project|publisher=Federal Register|date=June 18, 2001|url=http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2001/06/18/01-15329/major-investment-studydraft-environmental-impact-statement-for-the-northern-branch-corridor-bergen|access-date=December 23, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=588|title=New Jersey Transit|access-date=April 21, 2016}} Transportation advocates supported the idea, since it would provide single-seat access between Bergen and Hudson municipalities along the Hudson River. Because light rail cannot operate concurrently with freight service, these plans would have required installation of additional track or scheduling freight traffic late at night or on weekends. Light rail would also require installation of catenary above the tracks and require substations to feed those wires.

The construction, operational conflicts and cost considerations led NJT to consider using FRA-compliant diesel multiple unit (DMU) vehicles, which would have used the existing trackage and minimized interference with freight service on the line. On February 13, 2006, the agency received $3.6 million in federal funding to conduct engineering and environmental studies. Had it been built, it would have essentially been a separate service, with trains traveling south from Tenafly terminating in North Bergen, at a station providing connecting service to the separate electric-powered HBLR. The DMU alternative was criticized by rail transit advocates, who argued that a system which required an additional transfer for Bergen commuters would be inefficient and that the original light-rail plan be implemented instead.[http://www.nj-arp.org/northern_hblrt.pps Northern Branch HBLR (PowerPoint presentation)], New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers, accessed July 7, 2006 The proposal was dropped when the manufacturer of DMUs, Colorado Railcar, went bankrupt.{{cite news|last=Rouse|first=Karen|title=Going with electric trains|newspaper=The Record|date=July 19, 2009|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/bridges_tunnels/Going_with_electric_trains.html|access-date=July 19, 2009}}

The proposal included two possible options for the northern end of the line.{{cite web |url=http://www.northernbranchcorridor.com/docs/Northern%20Branch%20DOCS/3.%20Alternatives%20Considered.pdf |title=Northern Branch Corridor DEIS (December 2011) |website=North Branch Corridor Project |publisher=New Jersey Transit |access-date=January 20, 2020}} One build option would include stations in North Bergen at the county line near Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia and Englewood, {{cite web|title=Abstract|work=Northern Branch Corridor Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Statement in Bergen County and Hudson County, New Jersey|publisher=USDOT & NJT|url=http://www.northernbranchcorridor.com/docs/Northern%20Branch%20DOCS/DEIS%20Abstract%20Page.pdf|access-date=December 23, 2011}}{{citation|last=Frasinelli|first=Mike|title=NJ Transit's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail may extend to Bergen stops in near future|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|date=December 13, 2011|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/nj_transits_hudson-bergen_ligh.html|access-date=December 19, 2011}} where a terminal would be built at a park and ride adjacent to New Jersey Route 4. A second build option and the "preferred alternative" put forth by NJT was for an extension through Englewood, with additional stations, and Tenafly to two stations, the last of which would be a terminus at the Cresskill town line.{{citation|last=Noda|first=Stephanie|title=Light rail report released; Tenafly preparing response|newspaper=The Record|date=December 15, 2011|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/135678213_Light_rail_report_released__Tenafly_preparing_response.html|access-date=December 19, 2011}}

Response to the proposal was met with mixed reactions, with those communities at its southern end generally favorable and those at its northern end much less so.{{citation|last=Noda|first=Stephanie|title=Many agree rail line is needed in northern region|newspaper=Northern Valley Suburbanite|date=January 19, 2012|url=http://www.northjersey.com/topstories/englewood/137673038_Many_agree_rail_line_is_needed_in_northern_region_.html?c=y&page=1|access-date=January 19, 2012}} In Englewood, Fairview and Ridgefield, officials see the new stations as a positive addition to their public transportation system.{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Tom|title=North Jersey communities divided over $800M light-rail line|newspaper=The Record|date=December 18, 2009|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/121809_North_Jersey_communities_divided_over_800M_light-rail_line.html?c=y&page=1|access-date=January 12, 2011}} In an extensive survey conducted in 2009, Leonia residents questioned the benefit for the borough and expressed concerns about traffic and the location of the station at Fort Lee Road, believing it could be better-situated to avoid the congestion it might cause.{{cite web|last=Gordon|first=Mark W. |author2=Jessica L. Giorgianni |title=Transit Survey Results Analysis Borough of Leonia Bergen County, New Jersey|publisher=Urbana Consulting|date=February 7, 2011|url=http://www.leonianj.gov/Public_documents/Messageboard/attachments/1227201116236_Leonia_Transit_Survey_Results_2-7-11.pdf|access-date=January 1, 2012}} In Tenafly, residents and officials believe that quality of life in the towns will be negatively affected without much additional benefit. While lending support for the new system in their written responses to the DEIS, the governments of Ridgefield, Leonia and Englewood all expressed the concerns about station locations and their parking facilities, suggesting that they would cause congestion.{{cite web|last=Hayes|first=Melissa|title=Parking Doubts Shadow Light Rail|work=Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.|publisher=American Planning Association|date=February 22, 2012|url=http://www.planning.org/news/daily/story.htm?story_id=169461057|access-date=February 29, 2012}}

Opposition had been most vehement in Tenafly, where voters had already rejected the plan to re-establish rail service to the town in a non-binding referendum in November 2010.{{citation|last=Sudol|first=Karen|title=GOP wins in Tenafly as voters defeat rail line ballot question|newspaper=The Record|date=November 2, 2010|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/politics/elections/106560338_Tenafly_results.html|access-date=December 19, 2011}}{{citation|last=Hall|first=Douglas E.|title=Still waiting for light rail|publisher=Bergen News|date=February 3, 2011|url=http://www.bergennews.com/2011/02/03/still-waiting-for-light-rail/|access-date=January 19, 2012}} Residents and officials rejected plan as described in the DEIS at public hearings in January 2012.{{citation|last=Sullivan|first=S. P.|title=As NJ Transit plans light rail for Bergen County, Tenafly officials look to divert the train|newspaper=NJ.com|date=December 21, 2011|url=http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2011/12/as_nj_transit_plans_light_rail_for_tenafly_town_officials_look_to_divert_the_train.html|access-date=December 21, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/138570234_At_times_contentious__Tenafly_states_objections_to_light_rail_plan_at_public_hearing.html?page=all|title=At times contentious, Tenafly states objections to light rail plan at public hearing|first=Stephanie|last=Noda|date=February 2, 2012|work=NorthJersey.com|access-date=April 21, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816161931/http://www.northjersey.com/news/at-times-contentious-tenafly-states-objections-to-light-rail-plan-at-public-hearing-1.847854|archive-date=August 16, 2016}}

Despite local opposition, officials in Bergen County asked the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to support the proposal to extend light rail service as NJT's "preferred alternative".{{cite news|last=Rouse|first=Karen|date=January 10, 2012|title=Light rail pushed for Tenafly|newspaper=The Record|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/136993853_Light_rail_pushed_for_Tenafly.html|access-date=January 12, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220083538/http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/136993853_Light_rail_pushed_for_Tenafly.html|archive-date=December 20, 2013}} The New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers also endorsed the longer route.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/lightrail_020112.html|title=Opinion: We need light rail in Bergen County|first=Jack|last=May|date=January 31, 2012|work=NorthJersey.com|access-date=April 21, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816160811/http://www.northjersey.com/story-archives/opinion-we-need-light-rail-in-bergen-county-1.1217244|archive-date=August 16, 2016}} The Record regional newspaper, in an editorial, stated that a terminus in the commercial center of Englewood would be sufficient, since the need to begin building the new line is of utmost importance.{{citation|last=(Editorial)|title=Don't Derail|newspaper=The Record|date=February 25, 2012|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/editorials/140465873_Don_t_derail.html|access-date=February 29, 2012}} According to the town's historic preservation commission, the DEIS does not sufficiently address impact to historic structures along the route.{{cite web|last=Wall|first=David|title=Inadequacy of Consideration of the Historic Factors|publisher=Tenafly Historic Preservation Commission|url=http://www.tenaflynj.org/filestorage/7630/7932/Extension_of_the_light_rail_HPC_Comments_1-5-12.pdf|access-date=March 1, 2012}}

It was decided in 2013 to terminate the line at the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center{{cite news|last=Rouse|first=Karen|title=NJ Transit scraps light rail proposal in Tenafly for potential new alternative|newspaper=The Record|date=May 1, 2013|url=http://www.northjersey.com/englewood/NJ_Transit_scraps_light_rail_proposal_in_Tenafly.html|access-date=May 3, 2013}} after another DEIS was performed.{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.com/bergen/2017/01/town_that_derailed_bergen_light_rail_plans_reflects_on_decision_to_fight.html#incart_river_home|title=Town that derailed Bergen light rail plans reflects on decision to fight|last=Pinto |first=Fausto Giovanny |date=29 January 2017 |website=NJ.com |access-date=31 January 2020}}

A Supplemental DEIS was released in March 2017, with a public hearing scheduled for April 24 in Englewood.{{cite news|last1=Cichowski|first1=John|title=Road Warrior: A tiny step forward for Bergen light rail|url=http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/columnists/john-cichowski/2017/03/22/road-warrior-tiny-step-forward-bergen-light-rail/99452896/|access-date=March 22, 2017|work=The Record|date=March 22, 2017}}

The estimated cost of the project is approaching $1 billion. Approximately $40 million has been allocated to the project, which was expected to begin in 2012 and be completed in 2015 and projected to have an estimated 24,000 passengers daily.{{update after|2013|4=Rail transport articles in need of updating}} Nearly three years after its submission, the Federal Transit Administration authorized the release of a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) in December 2011.{{cite news|title=Light Rail Line to Use Electric Cars|first=Tom|last=Davis|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/hudson/hudson_county_news/93048079_newstracker__LIGHT_RAIL_LINE_TO_USE_ELECTRIC_CARS.html|newspaper=The Record|date=May 7, 2010|page=L1|access-date=May 22, 2010}}{{citation|last=Rouse|first=Karen|title=Plan to extend light rail awaits public comment|newspaper=The Record|date=December 13, 2011|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/135562048_Plan_to_extend_light_rail_awaits_public_comment.html|access-date=December 21, 2011}}

A February 2012 review of the DEIS by the Environmental Protection Agency found a "lack of objections" but questioned the implementation of wetlands mitigation banking proposal and the grade separation outline within the document.[http://www.epa.gov/region2/spmm/pdf/northern_branch_corridor_deis.pdf EPA February 21, 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129094310/http://www.epa.gov/region2/spmm/pdf/northern_branch_corridor_deis.pdf |date=November 29, 2012 }}

In a meeting held in September 2012 with NJT and 13 mayors from the region, NJT said that it had yet to complete review of responses to the DEIS and that no funding for the project had been identified.{{citation|last1=Simone|first1=Stephanie|last2=Noda|first2=Stephanie|title=NJ Transit discusses light rail with Northern Valley mayors|newspaper=Northern Valley Suburbanite|date=October 4, 2012|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/172597851_NJ_Transit_discusses_light_rail_with_Northern_Valley_mayors.html|access-date=October 10, 2012}}

With the compromise to build the northern terminus between those originally proposed, the project can be advanced with the completion of a final environmental impact statement.{{cite news|last=Frasinelli|first=Mike|title=NJ Transit studying extension of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Englewood Hospital|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|date=May 9, 2013|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/nj_transit_studying_extension.html#incart_river|access-date=May 9, 2013}} Initially, it was undecided whether or not a supplemental draft environmental impact statement (SDEIS) would be required for the Englewood Hospital terminus. State legislators petitioned the Federal Transit Administration to proceed with the existing impact statement to avoid additional delays to the project.{{cite news|last=Noda|first=Stephanie|title=New Jersey state leaders from Bergen County urge faster action on light rail plan in Northern Valley|newspaper=Northern Valley Suburbanite|date=October 10, 2013|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/227172711_State_leaders_faster_action_on_light_rail_plan_in_Northern_Valley.html|access-date=October 20, 2013}}

In February 2014, NJ Transit was directed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to prepare a SDEIS Supplementary Draft Environmental Impact Statement,{{cite news|last=Lueddeke|first=Kim|title=NJ Transit proposes new light rail extension plan with Englewood as final stop|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-transit-proposes-new-light-rail-extension-plan-with-englewood-as-final-stop-1.750884|access-date=March 26, 2014|newspaper=The Record|date=March 25, 2014}} to be complete in the fall.{{cite news|last=Lueddeke|first=Kim|title=NJ Transit proposes new light rail extension plan with Englewood as final stop|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-transit-proposes-new-light-rail-extension-plan-with-englewood-as-final-stop-1.750884|access-date=April 21, 2014|newspaper=The Record|date=March 25, 2014}} The FTA approved the SDEIS in March 2017 and it was released on March 17, 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.northernbranchcorridor.com/docs.html|title=Northern Branch Corridor Project|website=www.NorthernBranchCorridor.com|access-date=June 29, 2017}}

The state can apply for federal funding but would have to provide matching state funds, according to Rep. Bill Pascrell's office.{{cite news|last=Rouse|first=Karen|title=Englewood mayor hopes to jump-start Bergen County light rail plan|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/englewood-mayor-hopes-to-jump-start-bergen-county-light-rail-plan-1.1000203|access-date=April 21, 2014|newspaper=The Record|date=April 21, 2014}} It was expected that, with a new gasoline tax passed in 2016, the state's Transportation Trust Fund would provide funding for the line.{{cite web |url=https://archive.hudsonreporter.com/2016/10/16/light-rail-stops-likely-to-be-added-in-jc-nb-bergen-county-2/ |title=Light rail stops likely to be added in JC, NB, Bergen County |last=Sullivan |first=Al |date=16 October 2016 |website=Archive of Hudson Reporter.com |access-date=27 January 2020}} New Jersey Transit capital improvements budgets included $95 million in funding for environmental remediation for the project during 2018 through 2020.{{cite web |url=https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/capital/tcp18/sec8/transit5year.pdf|title=FY 2018-2022 Transportation Capital Plan NJ Transit|website=NJ.com |publisher=State of New Jersey |access-date=27 January 2020}}

In August 2023 the FTA announced that it would not act on the 2018 supplement to the EIS, citing “all-encompassing changes” since then and requested more information about the extension. An NJ Transit spokesman estimated this additional work will delay the project by two years.{{cite web |title=FTA tells NJ Transit to redo environmental report for light rail project |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/fta-tells-nj-transit-to-redo-environmental-report-for-light-rail-project/ |website=Trains magazine |publisher=Kalmbach Media |access-date=31 August 2023 |location=Waukesha, Wisconsin |date=31 August 2023}}

File:69thStBridgeNorthBergen.jpg

While not officially part of the HBLR Northern Branch extension project, the 69th Street Bridge in North Bergen was seen as a significant component in success of its operations. It was funded by NJ Transit.{{Cite web|url=https://www.njtransit.com/press-releases/nj-transit-gives-69th-street-bridge-improvements-project-green-light|title = Nj Transit}} The bridge replaced the earlier grade crossing near the CSX North Bergen Yard and NYSW siding between Tonnelle Avenue and West Side Avenue.{{cite web|title=69th Street Bridge|work=Final Scoping Document Northern Branch Corridor Project|publisher=USDOT, FTA, NJT|date=March 2008|url=http://www.northernbranchcorridor.com/docs/Northern%20Branch%20Final%20Scoping%20Doc%20031108.pdf|access-date=December 1, 2011}} Significant delays were caused by long trains, creating traffic congestion for those working and shopping in the area.{{cite press release|title=WORK BEGINS ON 69TH STREET IMPROVEMENTS IN NORTH BERGEN New overpass will enhance safety and relieve traffic congestion|publisher=New Jersey Transit|date=October 17, 2008|url=http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=2453|access-date=December 24, 2011}} Estimated to cost $67 million in 2005, ground was broken in October, 2008, but construction was delayed for years due to the first construction company's inadequacies and the subsequent cancellation of its contract. It finally opened in February 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/north-bergens-bridge-to-nowhere-opens-after-years-of-delays.html |title=North Bergen's 'Bridge to Nowhere' opens after years of delays |last=Elamroussi |first=Aya |publisher=NJ.com |date=7 February 2019|website=The Jersey Journal |access-date=27 January 2020}}

Located midway between the current terminus near 49th Street and the first proposed station at 91st Street, the site was at one time planned to be a stop along the route, {{cite web|title=Proposed West Shore Map|publisher=New Jersey Transit|url=http://www.njtransit.com/images/an_cp_proposed_west_shore_map.jpg|access-date=January 6, 2012}} though current Northern Branch plans do not include one.

The Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project is a project by NJ Transit to reintroduce passenger service on a portion of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) right-of-way in Passaic, Bergen and Hudson counties, using newly-built FRA-compliant diesel multiple unit rail cars. Plans call for a potential station at 69th Street.{{cite web |url=https://www.njtransit.com/passaic-bergen-hudson-transit-project|title=Passaic Bergen Hudson Transit Project |website=Projects & Reports |publisher=NJ Transit|access-date=June 22, 2020}}

In March 2014, the mayors of Jersey City, North Hudson and the towns of Bergen County along the route created a commission to promote the construction of the line.{{cite news|title=Jersey City and Englewood mayors will co-chair light-rail panel to push transit line into Bergen County|newspaper=The Jersey Journal|date=March 19, 2014|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/213336237/Light-Rail-Mayor-Commission-Press-Release-Final|access-date=March 20, 2014}}{{cite press release|title=Mayors Commission|publisher=News from Frank Huttle|date=March 18, 2014|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/213336237/Light-Rail-Mayor-Commission-Press-Release-Final|access-date=March 20, 2014}} In July 2014, Englewood hired an engineering consulting firm to review environmental impact statements and exchanges between the municipality and NJT.{{cite news|last=Noda|first=Stefanie|title=Englewood is hiring light-rail consultant|newspaper=The Record|date=July 14, 2014|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/englewood-is-hiring-light-rail-consultant-1.1050809|access-date=July 14, 2014}}

In October 2016, state legislators passed a resolution to make the project a top transportation project for the state.{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.com/bergen/2016/10/extension_of_light_rail_to_bergen_county_seen_as_priority.html|title=Extension of light rail to Bergen County seen as priority|last=Pinto |first=Fausto Giovanny |date=25 October 2016 |website=NJ.com |access-date=27 January 2020}} In 2020 NJ Transit projected the extension to cost $1.18B USD{{cite web |url=https://njtplans.com/downloads/capital-project-sheets/separated/NJ_Transit_Light_Rail.pdf |title=Capital Project Sheets - Light Rail |website=NJT Plans.com |publisher=New Jersey Transit|access-date=23 July 2021}} As of December 2022, the project is still in its design phase, and NJT was given a $600K federal grant to study transit-oriented development along the proposed extension.{{Cite web |last=Journal |first=Ron Zeitlinger {{!}} The Jersey |date=2022-12-14 |title=NJ Transit awarded $590K grant to study development along possible light rail extension into Bergen |url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/12/nj-transit-awarded-590k-grant-to-study-development-along-possible-light-rail-extension-into-bergen.html |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=nj |language=en}} However the FTA's refusal to review the 2018 EIS supplement is estimated to delay the project into 2025.

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.wislew.com/nbexploreridge.htm |title=The Northern Branch - Exploring the Line |publisher=Lewis Bogarty|access-date=31 January 2020 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427235150/http://www.wislew.com/nbexploreridge.htm|archive-date=27 April 2012}}
• {{cite news|author=Editorial|title=The Record: Funding light rail|newspaper=The Record|date=March 19, 2014|url=http://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-editorials/funding-light-rail-1.745499}}
• [http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/15/03/23/explainer-will-the-nj-transit-hudson-bergen-light-rail-ever-make-it-to-bergen-county/ NJ Spotlight March 2015]

• [http://www.northernbranchcorridor.com/ Northern Branch Corridor Project], New Jersey Transit
• [http://www.northernbranchcorridor.com/docs/Northern%20Branch%20Final%20Scoping%20Doc%20031108.pdf Final Scoping Document Northern Branch Corridor Project by USDOT, FTA, NJT in 2008]
• [https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108264897505895378883.00046c692690401d88ed2&ll=40.876661,-74.036865&spn=0.604337,1.245575&z=10 Northern Branch & Proposals on Google Maps]
• [http://www.nj-arp.org/content/members_only/hw012 Association of Rail Passengers history of Northern Branch Corridor Project]

{{New Jersey Transit Light Rail}}

Category:Transportation in Bergen County, New Jersey

Category:Transportation in Hudson County, New Jersey

Category:NJ Transit Rail Operations

Category:New Jersey streetcar lines

Category:Proposed railway lines in New Jersey

Category:Ridgefield, New Jersey

Category:Palisades Park, New Jersey

Category:Leonia, New Jersey

Category:Englewood, New Jersey

Category:North Bergen, New Jersey

Category:Fairview, New Jersey

Category:2029 in rail transport