They got a better PATH. Now transit advocates in Jersey City want a better light rail.
They envision off-peak light-rail service that runs every 10 minutes, instead of sometimes leaving passengers waiting a half hour or longer for a train to come along. A pair of new light rail stops in Jersey City and Hoboken. An extension built out to the city’s bayfront, with potential to one day connect to Newark. And at long last, a 10-mile northern extension to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail in Bergen County.
Those are the goals of the Better Light Rail campaign launched by Hudson County Complete Streets, on the heels of the A Better PATH campaign that led to expanded weekend service across that system’s four lines. Advocates for light rail improvements are pushing on social media and canvassing for support during morning commutes to try and build momentum.
Volunteers with the group were out with clipboards at Exchange Place Wednesday morning, trying to get people moving from the light rail to the PATH train to pause for a few seconds and scan a QR code for an online petition.
“Sign our petition to improve the light rail? Take a photo and go,” Jack McKee, the campaigns manager for Hudson County Complete Streets, called out to the passing commuters over and over again.
Most people walked past the group without a second look, focused on morning travel. But more than a few did take a moment to scan the QR code, often with words of support, especially for more frequent service. When someone signs up through the code, McKee said, emails are automatically sent to their local elected officials and NJ Transit leaders.
“We are trying to put pressure and make New Jersey Transit and elected [officials] see that this is not a niche need of a couple transit advocates,” McKee said. “This is a community-wide, county-wide request, a demand that people need to get around more easily.”
One such elected official, Jersey City Councilmember Eleana Little, was canvassing alongside the advocates. Little, who represents downtown Jersey City, said improving mass transit is a priority for her. She noted that 40% of households in the city don’t have access to cars, and she bemoaned the light rail’s off-peak frequency.
“Life doesn't only happen during rush hours,” Little said. “ People have places to go late nights and weekends, right? You may have a family celebration. You may have a doctor's appointment. You may have a religious or cultural celebration. Life doesn't just happen from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday, and if you are one of those households without a car or without reliable access to a car, you need to be able to get around. Those 30-, 40-minute headways can be really, really, really difficult for people.”
NJ Transit spokesperson John Chartier said the agency continuously reviews and adjusts service frequencies as resources allow.
“NJ Transit is committed to providing safe, reliable transit across Hudson and Bergen counties,” Chartier said. “We appreciate community advocacy as we work with our regional partners to improve public transit.”
The agency has plans on the books for four major Hudson-Bergen Light Rail capital projects: The northern extension to Bergen County, the western extension to Jersey City’s bayfront, a new track to bypass a critical intersection in Hoboken, and improvements to the Paterson Avenue crossing on the Jersey City-Hoboken border.
Those four projects were projected to cost a combined $1.65 billion in 2020, according to NJ Transit documents. The northern extension is by far the biggest ticket item, projected to cost $1.18 billion.
NJ Transit needs to conduct a new environmental assessment for the northern extension, after federal authorities in 2023 decided too many factors had changed since the first assessment was done in 2007. The agency issued a request for proposals in November for a contractor to conduct the new assessment.
Chris Capers, a construction worker and member of the union LiUNA Local 3, was among the volunteers canvassing for support this week. Capers is a Jersey City resident who said he relies on the light rail at all hours.
“If I miss the train and I'm 30 minutes late, my boss don't wanna hear that,” Capers said.
The Port Authority expanded weekend service on all four PATH lines this year, in response to the earlier A Better PATH campaign. Last week the agency announced weekend ridership has surged to record levels in the months since. Average Saturday ridership reached 144,391 riders in June, according to the Port Authority, and average Sunday ridership reached 114,146 riders. Those were the highest levels recorded for either day since the agency began tracking weekend ridership, and were roughly 25% increases for both days compared to June 2025
“ It's serious ridership showing that if you run the trains, people will ride them,” McKee said.
The Port Authority plans to further expand weekend PATH service next year.
But one goal of A Better PATH remains unfulfilled: extending the system to reach Newark Liberty International Airport. That project was left out of the Port Authority’s 2026-2035 capital plan, despite having been in the previous plan.
The agency is instead spending $3.5 billion to replace the existing AirTrain at the airport, plus $150 million on expanding the airport rail station. The new station will allow people to actually get to the station without having to take a train from somewhere else, opening a new access to NJ Transit trains for Newark and Elizabeth residents.
Advocates led A Better PATH campaign for about a year before the weekend service expansion took effect. McKee praised the Port Authority for their engagement on the issue.
“The Port Authority responded to A Better Path almost immediately. I mean they had meetings with us, they told us that they heard our concerns. It took about a year to get the change, which is actually way quicker than anyone was expecting if we're being candid,” McKee said. “So that's why we're hopeful about this one.”
McKee said he has no expectation for how long it may take the Better Light Rail campaign to pressure state authorities into delivering on some of the requests.
“ We need to make a more persuasive case that Hudson-Bergen Light Rail is good for the whole state,” McKee said. “And we really do believe that it is because between Hudson, Bergen, and Essex [counties], we generate a fair size of the state's tax revenue.”
