NY: Legislatures renew push for commuter trains on west side of Hudson River

Two lower Hudson Valley counties have taken a small step toward restoring passenger rail service on the west side of the Hudson River.

County legislators in Rockland and Orange counties are requesting state funding to study the possibility of running commuter trains on an existing freight rail line on the river's western shore. The legislatures voted to approve the requests at their February meetings.

The counties are asking the state to "fund and initiate" a feasibility study looking at using the CSX West Shore Line for passenger trains. The river-adjacent rail line passes through New York and New Jersey. Legislators did not estimate how much the study would cost or how long it would take to complete.

Daniel DeFalco, the founder of public transportation advocacy group All Aboard Hudson Valley, said the votes reflected growing momentum for ideas that will address what he called "long-standing transportation gaps" on the west side of the river.

The Hudson Valley's population has expanded by nearly 20% since 1990, with much of that growth occurring in counties west of the river, according to the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit focused on improving quality of life in the tristate area.

But the west side's growth has not boosted public transit in the area, forcing many residents to commute by car to Amtrak and Metro-North stations on the east side of the Hudson. These days, there is one fewer public transportation option for commuting across the river, with the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry on an indefinite hiatus.

Currently, the only rail options west of the Hudson River are the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines, which are operated by NJ Transit under a contract with Metro-North. The Port Jervis line goes as far north as Middletown and Otisville before looping south to Port Jervis, in Orange County, while the Pascack Valley line stops at Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley, in Rockland County. Neither route travels into New York City, though passengers can transfer in New Jersey at Secaucus Junction or in Hoboken.

Cornwall Supervisor Josh Wojehowski, who supports the feasibility study, called the legislatures' votes a "major step forward."

"For decades, communities west of the Hudson have been stuck in a transportation desert," Wojehowski said. "Residents are feeling the strain of long commutes, limited options and rising costs."

It was unclear how passenger travel would operate on the rail line. But DeFalco and other advocates see a model in Massachusetts, where CSX is working with state officials to improve rail service in the western part of the state. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Amtrak, and CSX Transportation applied for more than $100 million in federal grants to improve the rail line between Springfield and Worcester, Mass., as part of the project, MassLive reported in 2022.

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