A conceptual rendering of a possible 15th Street Light Rail Station was included in a recent feasibility study presentation. Image via YouTube.
Officials have long been hoping to add a fourth light rail station along Hoboken’s west side and a recent presentation outlined what that could look like with further planning down the line.
Members of the Hoboken City Council heard a presentation from infrastructure design firm STV during a meeting last month. The city adopted the North End Redevelopment Plan in 2021 and had included hopes to build two new light rail stations on 15th Street and 17th Street.
The feasibility study from STV threw cold water on the 17th Street vision, as both the curvature of the trackage, utility conflict, and nearby work on the Hudson River Tunnel project, which is anticipated to run for several years, are in the way. But a stop along 15th Street is a viable endeavor, with two options presented as to what that could look like.
Another conceptual rending showing the possible station, which would be built along existing trackage. Image via YouTube.
The first version is a Hoboken-only station to be accessed from Madison Street, which would cost about $28 million according to estimates. The second, more complicated option would add a direct entrance for Union City residents by constructing an elevator and stairs up to Manhattan Avenue, similar to what exists at the 9th Street light rail station.
That option would require the acquisition of several privately-owned parcels along the palisade cliff and would increase the total cost of the project to $59 million.
The study concluded that the 15th Street station could become one of the busiest along the Hoboken–Tonnelle Avenue corridor, with up to 2,400 daily riders with a Hoboken-only entrance and up to 4,100 if Union City access is added. Getting a station actually built would require coordination with the state and NJ Transit, who operate the Hudson Bergen Light Rail system.
While no firm plan is in place to build the station, the project could become very important over the coming years. The area around 15th Street is currently undergoing major underground infrastructure improvements, and several major high-rises are either in the works or have already begun rising in the neighborhood.