Transit Friendly Communities for NJ: Hackensack

The Essex Street train station in Hackensack was selected for the Transit Friendly Communities program for two major reasons. First, the station, like many others in Bergen, Passaic, Rockland (NY), and Orange (NY) counties is likely to experience major ridership growth in the next few years with the opening of the Secaucus Transfer station in the Hackensack Meadowlands. This new station will make it possible for those who ride the three rail lines that pass through Bergen County to transfer to trains from the Northeast Corridor and travel directly to Penn Station in midtown Manhattan. Today, these three lines take passengers to Hoboken where they must travel circuitously on PATH to reach midtown.

Second, the Essex Street station is located in a key area in Hackensack, one with an opportunity for significant redevelopment. Scarcely one-third of a mile away to the west along Essex Street is the Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) and a similar distance to the west is the Bergen County government center.

The Essex Street station area offers both a significant challenge and a substantial opportunity for the City of Hackensack, neighboring land-owners, transit users, and NJ TRANSIT. On one hand, it exists largely in a void surrounded by marginal uses and underdeveloped properties. On the other hand, its location is highly strategic, both from a transportation planning perspective and from a land-use and urban redevelopment point of view.