Vince Lombardi Park & Ride
| Company type | Public transportation facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Headquarters | Ridgefield , United States |
Area served | Bergen County, New Jersey |
| Products | Park and ride services, commuter parking |
| Owner | New Jersey Turnpike Authority |
The Vince Lombardi Park & Ride is positioned along the New Jersey Turnpike within the Meadowlands area of Ridgefield, located in Bergen County, New Jersey. Both the park and ride facility and the adjoining service area bear the name of Vince Lombardi. Found close to the Little Ferry Yard, this location has been under consideration for a rail station since the 1990s and, as of 2021, is being evaluated by NJ Transit as part of the Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project.
Park and ride
Established in 1974, the park and ride along with its service area are situated between the eastern and western branches at the northern terminus of the turnpike (near mile marker 116), just south of the Overpeck Creek bridge where the turnpike officially concludes. These facilities are managed by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
The site honors Vince Lombardi, who was once a Latin and chemistry instructor at St. Cecilia's High School in nearby Englewood before becoming a legendary NFL coach. It functions as a vital hub for commuters.
By 2017, the service area recorded an annual usage of roughly 1.6 million visitors. Between September 2020 and July 2021, it underwent renovations aimed at improving amenities for commuters.
The park-and-ride provides a total of 1,022 parking spaces, including 20 designated for individuals with disabilities. Commuters can access the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan via NJ Transit bus 321. This bus route was temporarily halted in March 2021 due to decreased ridership caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey, but weekday service has since been reinstated with a daily parking fee of $9.75 that covers transit costs.
Location
The park and ride is located just south of the New York, Susquehanna and Western (NYSW) Edgewater Branch, near the Little Ferry Yard. Passenger trains operated along this line on NYSW until 1966 and on the West Shore Railroad until 1959. Currently, this right-of-way serves as an important freight route for both NYSW’s Main Line and CSX Transportation (CSXT), with the West Shore line now integrated into CSX's River Subdivision.
HBLR
Vince Lombardi Park and Ride plays a key role in what is known as the "circle of mobility," a strategic transportation network concept for Northern New Jersey’s metropolitan region introduced by Governor Thomas Kean in 1989.
Initial proposals included establishing a terminal station for the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) at Vince Lombardi Park and Ride. This station was intended to be part of the system’s third and final Minimum Operating Segment (MOS), aimed at improving transit access within Bergen County as a component of the wider HBLR expansion plan.
West Shore Region Study
Launched in 1996 by NJ Transit alongside various stakeholders, the West Shore Region Study examined multimodal transit possibilities along the former West Shore Railroad corridors spanning Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic counties. A 1999 alternatives assessment identified three distinct projects: the Northern Branch corridor (light rail transit), the Cross County corridor (light rail transit) following the NYSW right-of-way, and the West Shore corridor (commuter rail). Ultimately, only the first two projects proceeded. The Vince Lombardi Park and Ride was evaluated as a potential transfer point connecting HBLR, Cross County LRT, and West Shore services.
Cross County LRT, Passaic–Bergen Rail, Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit
The Cross-County LRT initially proposed a station at Vince Lombardi Park and Ride as part of an extension of the HBLR to Maywood. By 2003, this concept evolved into the Passaic–Bergen Rail Line, refocusing on a route running from Hawthorne station to Hackensack with FRA-compliant diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains, excluding the NYSW alignment adjacent to the park and ride facility. In the late 2010s, this initiative further advanced into the Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project, which planned to operate FRA-compliant DMU vehicles along the NYSW right-of-way traversing Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson counties. Despite these developments, NJ Transit did not incorporate this project into its 10-year capital investment program.
NJ Legislature
Under the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority Act of 1984, the State Legislature identified the "Circle of Mobility" as a critical collection of transit initiatives targeting the New Jersey Urban Core. The Vince Lombardi Park and Ride station was included in this framework during the early 2000s.
In 2017, legislative direction assigned the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to evaluate potential rail station options along the NYSW right-of-way. This proposed station at Vince Lombardi Park and Ride in Ridgefield is intended to link with existing stops in Hawthorne and North Bergen by utilizing the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway corridor.