Newark extending subway
(The Associated Press circulated the following story on October 8.)
NEWARK, N.J. -- For some, the terms "Newark" and "subway" could form a kind of double negative, conjuring one-two punch imagery of crime and grime. Others may be surprised to hear Newark even has its own subway.
"The problem with Newark, people who work here, they don't stay; 6 o'clock comes, they go home," said Ken Wrangler, 55, a financial consultant for PSE&G, during a recent work break. "'Newark at night? Do I really want to bring my family in?"'
It is a notion - outdated, Newark's boosters insist - that fueled skepticism before the New Jersey Performing Arts Center was built, and helped discourage now-stalled plans to build a downtown sports arena.
Nonetheless, work is under way on a $208 million, mile-long extension of the Newark City Subway, which planners say will help reduce traffic, spur economic development and even enhance the city's entertainment and cultural opportunities.
Scheduled for completion in 2005, the extension will link Newark's Penn Station, a downtown hub for New Jersey Transit, PATH and Amtrak trains as well as NJ Transit buses, to Broad Street station, about eight blocks to the north.
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
