Take the 7 train from Queens to... Secaucus NJ

A group led by NYC EDC has studied the feasibility of extending the 7 Subway to Secaucus, New Jersey. Yup. its true. The 7 train would go from Grand Central, over to the west side near 34th street, under the Hudson, thru Hoboken, and on to Secaucus.

Mayor Bloomberg, not sitting still after NJ Governor Christie canceled NJ’s trans-hudson project, convened the group. Reportedly at the table were the Governor’s offices of New York and New Jersey, NYC Mayor’s Office, the MTA, the Port Authority, NJ TRANSIT, Hudson Yards Development Corporation, the NYC Department of City Planning, the NYC DOT, and the NJ DOT.

Image source: freezr on Flickr

The group has just published a detailed report of its findings (see below). Among the benefits cited is this:

Improve trans-Hudson access between New York and New Jersey with connections to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Hudson Yards, Times Square, East Midtown, Grand Central, and major destinations in Queens, including Long Island City, Downtown Flushing (the city’s fourth-largest business district), Citi Field Stadium, and the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium. 

Here is the report’s intro:

After decades of rapid population growth in northern New Jersey the New York metropolitan region’s trans-Hudson transportation system is rapidly approaching capacity. Studies have estimated that transit travel demand between New Jersey and Manhattan will continue to grow, increasing by 38% by 2030. Expanding trans-Hudson commuting capacity, particularly in distributing workers more directly among employment centers is critical to maximizing the region’s economic growth potential. New rail and bus capacity remain essential factors in satisfying future west-of Hudson demand, fueling New York City employment growth, and driving national as well as global economic development.

The cancellation of the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) project in late 2010 left these trans-Hudson capacity problems without a regionally accepted solution. The City of New York recognized these concerns and in early 2011 hired Parsons Brinckerhoff to commence a feasibility study to evaluate extending the No. 7 line from West Midtown to Secaucus, New Jersey via a new two-track tunnel under the Hudson River as one potential solution.

If the parties agree to proceed, the next step would be to figure out what the whole thing would cost.

Meanwhile, if you are an architect, engineer, city planner or curious onlooker, the report includes lots of detailed drawings to chew on.

Let us know what your reaction is to this not so small idea.. in the comments or on Twitter @QueensNYCity or Facebook.

[gview file=”http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/files/filemanager/Resources/Studies/No_7_Secaucus_Extension_Final_Report_April_2013.pdf” save=”1″]