BattleshipNJ wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 6:24 pm
However, there is an ever-so-slightly more realistic (read: slightly less impossible) possibility. A commuter line along the Earle ROW could branch off and head west near the coast to a future terminal at the existing Belford Harbor channel/ferry terminal. Big pushbacks on that one would be the navy understandably not wanting trains full of random civilians passing through Earle and the destruction of a lot of wetlands to create a new track from Earle west to, and enlarging the ferry terminal at, Belford.
Better solution would be to just convert the old CNJ Seashore Branch / current Henry Hudson Trail back into rail service. If you follow the ROW of the tracks from Matawan north over the Parkway (where the bridge over it still has tracks) and then keep following it East to where it ends in Atlantic Highlands, it is pretty much in-tact and ends at an existing ferry terminal that is not too far from Earle's pier.
Think of it as a mini-River LINE; build a light rail line and have the south terminus be at Matawan station, and have the northeastern terminus be at the Seastreak terminal, with some stations in-between. Having to transfer once or twice to eventually get to the ferry might not be the most ideal situation, but if you can get the arrivals/departures of trains at Matawan to match arrivals/departures of this light rail line, and get those to match arrivals/departures of the Seastreak, most people likely won't mind.
It would mean a nice bike path goes away, but from what I've heard and seen from locals around the Henry Hudson Trail up there, it's often used for nefarious activities (usually drugs), so I'm sure it wouldn't be exactly missed by a lot of people, especially if it results in decent commuter service once again.