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Members of Asbury Park’s North Jersey Coast Line Coalition have requested a meeting with New Jersey Transit Executive Director Veronique Hakim to push for year-round direct train service between New York and Asbury Park.

Members of the coalition’s executive board introduced themselves at a NJ Transit public board meeting Wednesday. The group seeks to bring year-round direct train service between New York Penn Station and Bay Head. The “one-seat ride” which would eliminate the need for transfers at Long Branch and Newark stations.

“Our goal is build a partnership with NJ Transit as we work towards this common goal,” said Morgan Sackman, a member of the coalition’s executive board.

Sackman, who handles marketing and promotions for APVibe, a marketing campaign that seeks to promote downtown Asbury Park as a shopping and dining destination, created a petition on the website change.org Tuesday, in the hopes of quickly rallying commuters behind the cause.

New Jersey transit announced Tuesday it will begin direct weekend and holiday service between New York Penn Station and Bay Head on four round-trip express trains starting June 28, utilizing NJ Transit’s new, dual-powered locomotives to provide a one-seat ride. The specialized trains will operate in electric mode between New York and Long Branch and will switch to diesel operation for travel between Long Branch and Bay Head – allowing for the one-seat ride. Two of the new roundtrips will be geared to beach travelers, with the additional two roundtrips providing service during the early morning and late night timeframes. The service will cease operation on September 1.

“NJ TRANSIT looks forward to placing our new dual-powered locomotives into service on the North Jersey Coast Line, which will entice more visitors, provide greater customer convenience and make the trip down the shore faster and easier than ever before,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim.

The new express service will supplement regular hourly rail shuttle service between Long Branch and Bay Head, providing stops at New York Penn Station, Secaucus Junction, Newark Penn Station, Elizabeth, Rahway, Aberdeen-Matawan, Red Bank, Long Branch, Asbury Park, and then all station stops to Bay Head, without having to change trains in Long Branch. A travel time savings of approximately 25 minutes is expected from the normal travel time between New York and stations such as Belmar, Manasquan and Point Pleasant.

Sackman called the move a “great step,” but said coalition will still is advocate for more frequent direct trains year round as well as weekdays.

Detailed schedules will be available June 17 on njtransit.com.

In attendance at the public meeting were Sackman, representing APVibe; her father Carter Sackman, president of downtown development group Sackman Enterprises; David Furgal, a representative from waterfront developer iStar Financial; and local business owner Jennifer Lampert, co-owner of the Asbury Festhalle and Biergarten.

Also on the executive board but not in attendance at the meeting were developer Trip Brooks, from AP Development Partners LLC.; Michael Sodano co-owner of The ShowRoom Cinema; and Tom Gilmore, director of commerce for the City of Asbury Park.

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