Hoboken Council unanimously passes resolution opposing PATH service cuts

The Hoboken City Council unanimously passed a resolution formally opposing the recent idea put forth by the Port Authority of cutting overnight PATH service, in a rare moment where political differences were put aside by the usually split council.

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The recent 99-page Port Authority special panel report by the appointed panelists of New Jersey Governor Christi and New York Governor Cuomo recommended PATH service cuts and possible privatization, which has caused a major stir in Hoboken, Jersey City and Newark.

Cutting the overnight rails between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. directly affects the overall ability for Hoboken to compete with Manhattan’s surrounding cities like Brooklyn and Queens for new businesses and residents, officials said.

Another concern is the Hoboken Rail Yard Redevelopment Plan, which was recently passed by the city council officials on Dec 16.

The Hoboken Rail Yard Redevelopment includes 2.2 million square feet for a combination of residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or industrial uses. This in turn will create more jobs, increase housing units and highlight the use of public transportation.  Cutting PATH service would potentially be a major setback for this plan.

Council President Ravi Bhalla and Councilman Peter Cunningham introduced a resolution to support Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s statement opposition on the PATH’s limited service on January 7th’s City Council meeting.

“Hypothetically, if the recommendation was in fact adopted, what impact may this have on the redevelopment process with respect to New Jersey Transit and what remedies does the city have in place with regards to the cuts of service?” said Bhalla.

The council officials voted unanimously and the resolution was passed.

“We are very connected to New York City, and to do anything that weakens that connection in mind boggling,” said Council Vice President David Mello. “I really hope that our state leaders on both sides of the river are going to listen to this and never think about doing something like this again.”