Northern Branch Corridor Project (Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Extension)
Env. ReviewProposed ~10-mile extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail north from its Tonnelle Avenue terminus in North Bergen, using existing CSX freight right-of-way through Ridgefield, Palisades Park, and Leonia to a terminus at Englewood Hospital.
Alignment Map
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Alignment is approximate.
Alignment
The Northern Branch Corridor Project would extend the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail roughly 10 miles north from its current Tonnelle Avenue terminus in North Bergen, running along West Side Avenue and then existing CSX-owned freight trackage through Ridgefield, Palisades Park, and Leonia to a terminus at Englewood Hospital, with seven new station stops. An earlier plan to continue the line into Tenafly was dropped after community opposition.
This is now the fourth serious study attempt for the corridor since HBLR opened in 2000. The Federal Transit Administration rescinded its prior environmental clearance in September 2023, citing outdated floodplain, stormwater, and air-quality analysis, forcing NJ Transit to restart the environmental review process with a new consultant.
Updates
2026 (planned) — New environmental study to begin
NJ Transit expects the restarted Draft Environmental Impact Statement process to begin around mid-2026, following procurement of a new study consultant.
2023-09 — FTA rescinds prior Notice of Intent
The FTA withdrew its earlier environmental clearance over outdated technical data, sending the project back to an earlier stage of review.