NJ Transit holds public meeting on possible closure of Kingsland Station in Lyndhurst

The fate of Lyndhurst’s Kingsland station was up for debate Wednesday night after New Jersey Transit announced plans to close it next year.

It was the second of two public meetings where commuters could voice their opinion on the plans to close the station. Most commuters who spoke did not agree with the station’s closure.

NJ Transit announced its plans to close the station last month. Commuters flocked to City Hall in Lyndhurst to voice their concerns and learn more about the plan.

According to NJ Transit, Kingsland Station has many problems. It is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, there is not enough parking, you have to climb stairs from the street to get to the platform, and there is no elevator.

The 105-year-old building has been closed to the public for 15 years, but some commuters like Andrew Miller of North Arlington are fighting for the old station.

“There are a lot of new buildings going up all over Lyndhurst, North Arlington and other surrounding towns. The target audience for these developments are people who commute to New York and use public transportation, so eliminating a train station or other transportation option is a step in the wrong direction,” says Miller.

A shiny new station is already being built nearby, with full ADA accessibility, elevated platforms, new elevators and stairs. It is scheduled to be open by May 2025, at which point the old station will officially close.

NJ Transit officials say the reason the old Kingsland Station isn’t simply being renovated is because building a new ADA-accessible Kingsland Station would require moving the entire station too close to the new Lyndhurst Station.

At this point, nothing is set in stone. The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors is expected to take a final vote on closing Kingsland Station at its November meeting.