The next stop on the No. 7 train may soon be New Jersey.
After Mayor Michael Bloomberg first announced his intention to extend the Flushing line into New Jersey, the plan had gone through ups and downs, but now the idea seems to be on the express line.
The mayor has reportedly spent $250,000 on a preliminary feasibility study.
The plan would extend the No. 7 train into Secaucus at the Secaucus Junction railroad station, connecting New Jersey to Manhattan’s East Side and Queens.
“The idea of having good transportation and mass transportation is something that’s very appealing to this city,” Bloomberg said at a recent press conference.
The idea originally came after a similar plan, the ARC – Access to the Region’s Core – was shelved by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie last year over worries of budget overrun. Reports have estimated the extension could be built for less than $10 million.
Christie, in an interview on WCBS 880, said he thinks the project will be able to come together, calling it a partnership between New Jersey, New York City, New York and the federal government.
The train, which now stretches between Main Street in Flushing and Times Square, is already being extended to Manhattan’s West Side with a stop being added at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, one block from the Hudson River. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.
