The Regional Plan Association (RPA) has published a report that calls for major changes to how transit is operated between New Jersey and Manhattan.

In 25 years, the report explains, daily commuters into Manhattan from New Jersey increased by 70,000 to 320,000. “Our current system of trains, buses, subways, ferries, and roads does not have enough capacity to serve another 72,000—let alone another 150,000,” said the RPA. The report goes adds that while rail journeys from Penn Station have almost tripled, bus travel is where major growth has taken place, increasing by 83 percent.

As a result, the RPA’s biggest proposal is for a new Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) at the base of the Javits Center. This $3 billion project would not mean destroying the current PABT in Midtown, it said, but it would create an additional bus hub to relieve the Midtown terminus.

“The ramps connecting the Lincoln Tunnel and the PABT are immovable and any solutions must keep them in place,” the RPA argue. “Any other building site large enough for existing and expanded PABT operations will be enormously expensive; and any relocation will put the PABT passengers further from their destinations and the extraordinary subway connections they now enjoy.”

While having some bus routes into Hudson Yards is a good idea, access to the #7 train may not be adequate from a capacity perspective. Secondly, that train doesn’t go anywhere useful for those coming into Manhattan—it’s a line that primarily services Queens.

The RPA, however, had other points to make, notably stressing the importance of the Gateway Project. “The new tunnels must be in place before the existing tunnels fail. Simply put, this is the highest infrastructure priority for the nation.” Furthermore, the RPA called for Gateway to be turned into a through-running service, no longer terminating at 7th Avenue, but going onto Sunnyside Yards in Queens by going eastward under Manhattan. Planning consultants ReThink Studio also have a scheme similar to this.

Keeping with rail travel, Vishaan Chakrabarti and PAU’s proposal to move Madison Square Gardens to an adjacent site was praised by the RPA, creating what it called a “beautiful train station.”

All in all, this plan would be executed in phases. These phases were outlined and can be found below.

Phase One
Build gateway tunnels and a bus terminal in the basement of the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

Phase Two
Build Gateway East with through service at Penn South. Constructing Penn South with fewer, wider platforms and two new East River tunnels would increase throughput at Penn Station by 30% and greatly expand rail service for New Jersey Transit, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro North riders. New direct rail service into Penn Station for Bergen and Monmouth counties would reduce travel times and shift bus riders to rail in these under-served counties, relieving highway congestion and pressure on the bus terminals.

Phase Three
Build new tail tunnels to expand service and meet future capacity needs

The report in full can be found here.