In the end, it was all just a pipe dream. Though the MTA got our hopes up last fall that the plan might make it, it appears that a 7 train extension to New Jersey is not likely. Or, in the words of MTA Chair Joe Lhota it is "not going to happen in our lifetime. It’s not going to happen in anybody’s lifetime."
According to Transportation Nation, Lhota shared the discouraging news at a press conference today. He says that while he understands the appeal of the scheme to commuters, it just isn't feasible. Instead he's pushing for Amtrak's proposed Gateway Tunnel project (which would connect the Northeast Corridor trains through a tunnel into a mythical, expanded Penn Station).
As you'll recall, the idea of a 7 train extension to Secaucus was first proposed after New Jersey governor Chris Christie canceled the ARC tunnel project. Though it got praise from both Bloomberg and Christie, we guess the logistics of getting the 7 into Jersey are just too much. Which kind of makes sense when you consider how long it has taken the MTA to expand the line a mere mile and a half to 11th Avenue.
