To:  

Philip Murphy, Governor of New Jersey
Francis O’Connor, New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner

Kevin Corbett, New Jersey Transit President and CEO (until January 2025)

Kris Kolluri, New Jersey Transit President and CEO (starting January 2025)

Senator Paul Sarlo, 36th Legislative District, New Jersey
Assemblyman Gary Schaer, 36th Legislative District, New Jersey
Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, 36th Legislative District, New Jersey

We the undersigned reject the proposed closure of Kingsland Rail Station located at 250 Ridge Road, Lyndhurst, NJ and demand it remain open.  It continues to be a necessary stop along NJ TRANSIT's Main Line as it still serves enough riders. 

NJ TRANSIT's reasons for closing the station and our rebuttals are as follows:

• "Insufficient Parking."  Not an issue.  Lyndhurst station has sufficient parking while the people who use Kingsland station are either Lyndhurst residents who live within a short walk, arrive in a shuttle from their apartment complex, or residents of further points in Lyndhurst and other neighboring towns such as North Arlington who use NJTRANSIT's 76 bus on Ridge Road which has a stop right in front of Kingsland station.  
• "Not ADA compliant. Reaching the platforms from street level requires using stairs as there is no elevator option.  The station's condition creates equity concerns as well as passenger circulation and experience issues."  More than half of NJTRANSIT's rail stations aren't ADA compliant.  This is not a reason to permanently close a station and neither is the station's condition.  These are reasons to upgrade and renovate accordingly which would be welcomed.  Otherwise, plenty of commuters have not been deterred from using Kingsland station despite its current condition and the new Lyndhurst station will be ADA compliant.  It is also known that NJTRANSIT has a para-transit service which offers transportation for those in need to anywhere in the service area including the nearest ADA compliant train stations. Furthermore, keeping Kingsland station even in its current condition would still benefit those in need who use the new ADA accessible Lyndhurst station as they would have a less crowded than necessary boarding experience and a greater chance at securing a seat on the train before the riders at Kingsland station have a chance to board. Remember, not all physical disabilities are visible enough for most people to consider giving up their seat.  Furthermore, since we're on the topic of ADA and equity concerns, we must then look at all disabilities, many of which have nothing to do with mobility or ability to climb stairs.  Many people who have such disabilities need all the transportation options possible.  Reducing options would do a disservice.  Between making ADA compliant stations more crowded and giving others with different disabilities less transit options, using ADA as an excuse to close down a train station is harmful to whom ADA is supposed to protect.
• "The new Lyndhurst station is approximately a three-minute drive from the Kingsland station." It's the walk between Lyndhurst station and Ridge Road that is concerning to those who transfer to the 76 bus.  One can easily miss a bus they could've easily caught from Kingsland and it will add more time to their commute home, infringing upon family time or any other commitments and obligations.  Furthermore, those who find their home to be walking distance to Kingsland station but not Lyndhurst station, may add more cars on the road during rush hour and more parking to contend with at Lyndhurst station.  One of the goals of mass transit is to reduce that, not add more of it.

Reasons to keep Kingsland station in service are as follows:

• Growing ridership and easing congestion. According to NJTRANSIT, ridership has returned to "approximately 80% of pre-COVID levels, with many peak period trips at or exceeding pre-pandemic levels." Ridership is on pace to continue increasing as Lyndhurst, North Arlington, and other surrounding towns have seen and continue to see more new residential developments in the form of new apartment buildings and complexes including one being built across the street from Kingsland station.  Among their biggest target market are people who commute to New York and ride mass transit. Reducing options would be going in the wrong direction.
• Keeping options available and convenient.  Plenty of commuters in the community prefer taking the bus to New York.  However, the NJTRANSIT 109 bus that serves the community, is on a limited schedule only operating during peak hours in peak direction and only on weekdays.  Furthermore, not everyone commutes to midtown Manhattan.  Those traveling to lower Manhattan and various points in Jersey City, North Bergen, and Bayonne, would benefit more from taking the Main Line from Kingsland station to Hoboken where they can make connections to light rail, PATH train, and ferry service.  Others may find it useful to travel to destinations in the opposite direction such as Paterson.  For those who take the 76 bus to the train station, it's likely not the only transfer in their commute.  Therefore we need to keep that transfer as simple and convenient as possible. Closing down Kingsland station would disrupt that.  While the New York bound bus serving Ridge Road is currently a NJTRANSIT route, it was recently added to replace a private carrier that ended commuter service due to the pandemic.  Should private bus service return, it would still serve many well while others may find it more economical and flexible to purchase a monthly NJTRANSIT rail pass (which can also be used on NJTRANSIT buses) of unlimited use instead of a month's worth of one-way private carrier tickets. No one single option is for everyone but each option is for enough people to make it necessary. 
• The new Lyndhurst station won't solve everything.  While the community welcomes the newly renovated and ADA accessible Lyndhurst station, it has been noticed that the elevated platform isn't wide enough to accommodate two train stations worth of people especially during peak hours.  Even if that were to be rectified, Lyndhurst station still doesn't offer the same convenience of being along bus lines as Kingsland station does.  As close as the two stations are to each other, there's a reason they have both been in service for over one hundred years.  Congestion and population density which isn't shrinking in this geographic area.  

Allowing both stations to remain in service allows each to be an alternative to one another for passengers who have a preference.  The alleged flaws with Kingsland station are fixable and outweighed by the benefits of its location in which many enjoy.  While many have no problems using Kingsland station, some may argue Kingsland station's current condition is in desperate need of upgrades and it may be costly.  Aside from taxes, we know other streams of revenue for NJTRANSIT include fares which were raised 15% in July of 2024 with annual increases of 3% and advertising on boards along buses, at train stops, and sometimes along train cars.  Many potential sponsors for such advertising have reported record high profits this past year alone.  We know you can find the money for upgrades and renovations if need be even if it has to be several years into the future.  Any financial problems NJTRANSIT has are not the fault of Kingsland station as the reasons for the proposed closure are proof of that.  Any flaws with Kingsland station or NJTRANSIT are not the fault of those who use Kingsland station.  We urge you to keep Kingsland station in service as it would be in the best interest of the community and NJTRANSIT's patrons.  

Sincerely,

NJTRANSIT patrons of Southern Bergen County and other transportation advocates