Paterson, NJ
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Newark, NJ (12.5 mi).
About Paterson
Paterson is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the North Jersey region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, Paterson was the state's third-most-populous municipality, with a population of 159,732, an increase of 13,533 (+9.3%) from the 2010 census count of 146,199, which in turn reflected a decline of 3,023 (-2.0%) from the 149,222 counted in the 2000 census.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Mid-size terminal — 200K–1M catchment ($1–2B range) | $1.5B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: Paterson → Newark | 12.5 mi × $500M/mi | $6.2B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $8.1B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
the downtown Paterson transit center district. NJ Transit's historic station area sits in one of the state's densest cities — walk-up ridership is a given. The Great Falls district offers redevelopment parcels with a national-park draw next door. It captures Passaic County's half-million residents.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Clifton — city on the corridor toward Newark.
- Passaic — city on the rail alignment.
- Nutley — township at the Newark approach.