By Alexis Tarrazi & Colleen Reynolds
Senior Reporter & Reporter

(July 21, 2009, 3:40 p.m.) — When sporting events and concerts are being held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, traffic can be a nightmare. Speed-limit signs along Route 3 become nasty reminders of just how fast cars can legally go, if it weren’t for all the seemingly thousands of motorists halting traffic to a snail’s crawl.

But the launch of the new Meadowlands rail service is expected to alleviate much of this congestion. Now, out-of-towners won’t have to drive to East Rutherford. Instead, they can simply purchase a ticket and glide in.

The inaugural ride on the Pascack Valley rail line extension took off without a hitch Monday, July 20, with Gov. Jon S. Corzine, New York Giants owner John Mara, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, several football players and the media among the officials and dignitaries aboard.

For the first time, passengers followed the curved track into the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford and disembarked at the new Meadowlands Rail Station at the foot of the new Meadowlands Stadium for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Corzine expressed pride that the rail service is now in motion, after having been a stalled idea for decades.

“It will keep fans in their seats, instead of worrying about getting home immediately before the game has ended,” Johnson gushed about the potential for enhanced fan enjoyment.

Mara joked, “Woody Johnson told me that he’s going to give up his helicopter this year and take the train to the games.”

Trains will begin chugging their way to the complex July 26, for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final championship soccer match at Giants Stadium.

“I’m elated about it,” said James Kirkos, chief executive officer of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce. “How can you not be? This is something that the chamber has been advocating for 20 years.”

Train service to Giants Stadium will depart from either Hoboken Terminal or Frank R. Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction up to 3 1⁄2 hours before game times, operating at 10- to 20-minute intervals and continuing for up to two hours after events. It will also connect to most of NJ Transit’s 12 rail lines.

“The new Meadowlands rail link will deliver customers to the doorstep of the stadium, a convenient 23 minutes from Hoboken,” stated Richard Sarles, NJ Transit executive director.

“It’s quick and efficient,” noted state Sen. Paul Sarlo, who hopes the service will drive the economy and ease traffic congestion.

Seeing the car backups first hand, East Rutherford Police Chief Larry Minda noted there is a tremendous amount of traffic in the area.

“The new train system will certainly help alleviate traffic,” Minda said. “Because of construction at the stadium, we had parking outside the area in East Rutherford and Lyndhurst, which brought in a lot less cars to the stadium’s parking lot. This meant less people leaving from the same location. So with the train system, it will hopefully eliminate traffic in the same manner.”

East Rutherford Mayor James Cassella has also experienced the clog of red lights and congestion that plagues his borough every Sunday in the fall, but he is a bit skeptical about the train’s potential impact.

“I think that any traffic reduction that the train brings will be offset when the third lane is added on Route 120,” Cassella said, referring to the ongoing project surrounding the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

Congestion will bottleneck where the roadway narrows back to two lanes, Cassella believes. “If and when Xanadu opens, perhaps the train may help a little bit with traffic,” Cassella said. “I do hope that is does. I hope I am wrong.”

Cassella also expressed concerns that — at least for football games — the rail service may not be as effective as hoped at reducing traffic because gridiron fans enjoy tailgating parties.

Meadowlands-bound trains will operate for select stadium events, including all National Football League Giants and Jets pre-season and regular season home games, major concerts at Giants Stadium and Gold Cup soccer.

For smaller events, NJ Transit plans to continue operating shuttle bus service between Secaucus Junction and the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

Daily service to the Meadowlands area will be announced at a later date.

For more information visit www.NJTransit.com.