NJ TRANSIT opens Bayonne station

  NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein joined local, state and federal officials at the grand opening of the new 8th Street Station in Bayonne, welcoming Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service to a new neighborhood and kicking off inaugural service on the recently completed one-mile extension.

As part of the opening ceremony, a special light-rail train operated
from 34th Street Station in Bayonne, carrying local officials and
dignitaries along the new segment of the line, over the viaduct and into
the elevated 8th Street Station. Following welcoming remarks from
Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith, area leaders such as U.S. Senator Robert
Menendez and U.S. Representative Albio Sires highlighted the benefits of
the new station for local residents.

In April 2008, the NJ
TRANSIT Board of Directors awarded a $58.4 million contract to George
Harms Construction, Inc. of Howell, N.J., for work to extend the
light-rail line one mile from its previous southern terminus at 22nd
Street. The project included the design and construction of
foundations, viaduct structure, trackwork, intersection improvements, a
new station building, landscaping, lighting and customer amenities.

Construction
work on the project began in October 2008. From the elevated 22nd
Street Station, the light rail tracks were extended south, hugging the
existing Conrail right-of-way along Avenue E. A viaduct was built to
carry light-rail vehicles over local streets to an elevated platform at
the new 8th Street Station, which features an elevator and stairs
between street and platform levels.

"Hudson-Bergen Light Rail is
much more than a transportation system-it is an engine of economic
development for the region, creating jobs during its construction, and
now serving as the vehicle of choice for thousands who live and work
here as they use the system for their daily commute," said FTA Regional
Administrator Brigid Hynes-Cherin. "It has also been a shining example
of the good things that can happen when government agencies,
communities, legislators and stakeholders work together."

As a
result of community meetings, the station was constructed at Avenue C
and 8th Street, with architecture reminiscent of the old Central
Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) station that once stood near the site.

The
new 8th Street Station was designed as a "walkable" station for Bayonne
residents. The station also features a "Kiss and Ride" area with 10
short-term parking spaces for customers who wish to get dropped off at
or picked up from the station.

Two new bus stops at the station
will facilitate intermodal connections between light-rail and bus
service for customers of the No. 81 Bayonne-Jersey City and No. 120
Bayonne-Downtown New York bus routes.