NJ Transit will hold two public hearings next week on a proposed passenger rail tunnel that would connect New Jersey and Manhattan, and offer Rockland residents a one-seat ride into New York City.

Held in an open house format, residents will have a chance to learn about the findings from an environmental review conducted for the Access to the Region’s Core project. They can also provide oral and written comments.

ARC would double commuter rail capacity during morning peak, from 23 to 48 trains per hour.

NJ Transit said daily trips to and from Manhattan could increase from 140,000 to 235,000 by 2025.

NJ Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are partners in the $7.4 billion project. If approved, construction of the project is expected to begin in 2009, with completion in 2016.

The project also calls for building a new Pennsylvania Station under 34th Street in Manhattan, new loop tracks in Secaucus, N.J., a new rail yard in Kearny, N.J., and signal and track improvements.

ARC’s Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) is now available at the project’s Web site: www.accesstotheregionscore.com

Here is the public hearing schedule:

• Monday:
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
One Newark Center, 17th Floor
Raymond Boulevard
Newark, N.J.
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Tuesday:
New York Metropolitan Transportation Council
199 Water Street, 22nd Floor
Manhattan, N.Y.
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A presentation will be given at 3:30 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m.
Registration to speak will open until 4 p.m. during the daytime session and until 7 p.m. during the evening session. To register to speak in advance, call 877-ARC-0999. Testimony will be limited to three minutes for each speaker.

Comments concerning the ARC SDEIS may also be submitted in writing to sdeis@accesstotheregionscore.com or to:

Tom Schulze
NJ Transit ARC Project Director
One Penn Plaza East, 8th Floor
Newark, N.J. 07105

The comment period ends April 28.