Commute to NYC from Bridgewater?

Submitted by soundslikemitch t3_z5q11n in newjersey

My wife and I are considering moving to Bridgewater and are wondering what people use to commute into NYC. Any insight would be appreciated!

It seems like most people take the Raritan Valley Line to Newark and either take the Path or NJT into NYC for a commute time of ~1.5 hours. Was wondering if there is anything else people might recommend.

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Edit: adding tag

Edit 2: adding my initial findings.

Edit 3: just wanted to say thank you for the responses!

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Castor_and_Pollux123 t1_ixxfyuq wrote

Please tell us what research you have done already.

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soundslikemitch OP t1_ixxokda wrote

Updated my comment.

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Castor_and_Pollux123 t1_ixxs8s1 wrote

Thanks.

Bridgewater Twp is pretty big.

You can try taking the bus, or driving to another NJT station.

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soundslikemitch OP t1_ixxsx1k wrote

Makes sense. No matter what it seems the commute is ~1.5 hours on a good day. Most likely 1 hour 45 minutes on average.

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mmellinger66 t1_ixycrok wrote

It’s about 51 miles to NYC so yeah, almost 2 hours.

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Ok_Praline_3598 t1_iy02cjx wrote

Winter weather and bad storms expect 3+ hour NYP -> Raritan. I prefer driving to metro park (Edison - north east corridor line) if I’m not in prime 287 traffic times.

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C24RSK t1_ixxnzhz wrote

If you don’t mind a 1 hour 45 min commute go for it

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dabigwillystyle t1_ixxh9wv wrote

Car, bus, or train depending on where in bridgewater and where in nyc you’re going

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Ok_Slide_4626 t1_ixy7it7 wrote

Old coworker of mine would drive to New Brunswick station - approx. 20 min drive, park in a garage there, and take a direct train (no transfers in Newark, as opposed to Bridgewater, Bound Brook, etc. on the Raritan Valley Line)

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Sad-Sentence4881 t1_ixz04tk wrote

I think one of the ideas with the Gateway tunnel project is to make the Raritan Valley Line go to Manhattan at all times. That would significantly decrease the travel time between Bridgewater and NYC. That being said, it will probably take 6-10 years to finish. Anybody have more information on this?

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hithimintheface t1_ixzqibd wrote

That's just a hope. There's still other problems with the RVL. Amount of diesel/electric hybrid capacity in the fleet and the capacity at NY Penn which the last time I checked they haven't announced a increase for NJ Transit once the Gateway is done.

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DrGraffix t1_ixxt4wn wrote

There’s also a bus in Branchburg

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anybody98765 t1_ixyojd2 wrote

You will really regret this move. Way too long unless you only have to go into the city once a week.

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soundslikemitch OP t1_iy13seh wrote

That makes sense. The realtor was trying to convince us it was not that bad. After reading these comments I think they might be gaslighting us.

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potbellyjoe t1_iy02tza wrote

I took the RVL for 6+ years making the transfer to WTC PATH in Newark. I worked in Brookfield Place, so it was ~90 minutes in each direction when the trains were on time.

It was fine.

When I was in midtown, I took the NEC. More trains, higher priority on the other side of delays, and no transfer needed to NYP. Took that out of Edison.

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gordonv t1_iy03iae wrote

I take that same line from Dunellen to "Newport, Jersey City"

This averages to $4800 a year. As opposed to driving to Newport which is $10,800 a year.

Cost wise, NJT to PATH is cheapest and more dependable.

If you have travel subsidies from work, they will take your monthly parking, monthly PATH, and monthly NJT tickets without debate.

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soundslikemitch OP t1_iy13fb8 wrote

Thanks for the walk through. Good to see the math laid out for me clearly.

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Hisuinooka t1_iy0x4y3 wrote

DONT DO IT....i relocated 15 years ago and made an attempt....disaster waiting to happen, you wont last unless you are 24yo or under

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_peachycactus t1_iy1jcvw wrote

Husband and I live in Bridgewater and really like it. We are very close (walking distance) to the RVL stop in Raritan, as well as a very short drive to the Somerville station. That being said, transferring trains since it doesn’t go direct to NYC can be a real pain. We typically drive to a station with a direct line and this makes a big difference. But depending on how many days you need to go into the office, even that may not be worth it based on how much time you’re willing to spend on your commute. Good luck!

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Poppamunz t1_iy2m9kp wrote

Most people I know from Bridgewater usually drive to New Brunswick and take the train from there. If you're expecting to commute there every day you'll definitely want somewhere closer.

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