By Slava Zborovsky · Updated
The quickest scheduled morning trains to New York Penn Station leave from Ridgewood (47-56 minutes), Emerson (48-63 minutes) and Ho-Ho-Kus (51-60 minutes), changing at Secaucus Junction. 10 of the 19 towns Slava covers have their own NJ Transit station; Tenafly and Alpine have no station (Tenafly lists buses to the Port Authority Bus Terminal), and drivers use the George Washington Bridge.
Every town's commute
Train times are the range of scheduled weekday morning-peak trips from NJ Transit's timetables to New York Penn Station, changing at Secaucus Junction. Towns without a station show the nearest one. Road miles to the George Washington Bridge are computed, not a published figure, and say nothing about traffic.
- Ridgewood
- StationRidgewood (Main Line / Bergen County Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn47-56 minutesMiles to GWB13.3
- Emerson
- StationEmerson (Pascack Valley Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn48-63 minutesMiles to GWB11.2
- Ho-Ho-Kus
- StationHo-Ho-Kus (Main Line / Bergen County Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn51-60 minutesMiles to GWB14.2
- Westwood
- StationWestwood (Pascack Valley Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn51-66 minutesMiles to GWB12.4
- River Vale
- StationWestwood (1.5 mi), Hillsdale (2.2 mi), Emerson (2.4 mi)Scheduled train to NY Penn51-66 minutes from WestwoodMiles to GWB13.5
- Saddle River
- StationAllendale (2.3 mi), Ho-Ho-Kus (2.6 mi), Waldwick (2.9 mi)Scheduled train to NY Penn55-63 minutes from WaldwickMiles to GWB16.5
- Hillsdale
- StationHillsdale (Pascack Valley Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn55-69 minutesMiles to GWB13.5
- Franklin Lakes
- StationWaldwick (5.0 mi), Allendale (5.3 mi), Ramsey (5.5 mi)Scheduled train to NY Penn55-63 minutes from WaldwickMiles to GWB18.5
- Wyckoff
- StationWaldwick (2.9 mi), Allendale (3.6 mi), Ho-Ho-Kus (3.9 mi)Scheduled train to NY Penn55-63 minutes from WaldwickMiles to GWB17.5
- Old Tappan
- StationHillsdale (3.2 mi), Woodcliff Lake (3.4 mi), Westwood (3.9 mi)Scheduled train to NY Penn55-69 minutes from HillsdaleMiles to GWB13.2
- Washington Township
- StationHillsdale (2.1 mi), Westwood (2.4 mi), Woodcliff Lake (3.0 mi)Scheduled train to NY Penn55-69 minutes from HillsdaleMiles to GWB12.9
- Allendale
- StationAllendale (Main Line / Bergen County Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn58-66 minutesMiles to GWB17.7
- Woodcliff Lake
- StationWoodcliff Lake (Pascack Valley Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn59-65 minutesMiles to GWB15.9
- Upper Saddle River
- StationRamsey Main St (2.8 mi, approx.), Allendale (4.1 mi); Montvale on Pascack Valley Line (4.2 mi)Scheduled train to NY Penn62-70 minutes from RamseyMiles to GWB18.3
- Park Ridge
- StationPark Ridge (Pascack Valley Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn62-74 minutesMiles to GWB15.8
- Montvale
- StationMontvale (Pascack Valley Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn65-77 minutesMiles to GWB15.9
- Mahwah
- StationMahwah (Ramsey Route 17 adjacent) (Main Line / Bergen County Line)Scheduled train to NY Penn70-77 minutesMiles to GWB20.9
- Alpine
- StationNearest rail: River Edge (6.2 mi, Pascack Valley Line), Westwood (6.7 mi); Rockland Coaches 9A-9W bus to Port Authority along US 9WScheduled train to NY PennNo train; bus or carMiles to GWB7.7
- Tenafly
- StationBus to Port Authority: NJ Transit 166; Rockland Coaches 20/20T, 14/14K/14ET (weekdays), 9A-9W. Nearest rail: River Edge (4.0 mi)Scheduled train to NY PennNo train; bus or carMiles to GWB6.3
Sources: NJ Transit Main/Bergen County Line and Pascack Valley Line weekday timetables; Borough of Tenafly. Road miles: OSRM routing, computed by us.
The two train lines
Main Line and Bergen County Line. Stations in Ho-Ho-Kus, Ridgewood, Mahwah and Allendale. Trains run to Hoboken; change at Secaucus Junction for New York Penn Station, or ride to Hoboken and take PATH to the World Trade Center for downtown offices.
Pascack Valley Line. Stations in Westwood, Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge, Montvale, Hillsdale and Emerson. The same pattern: Hoboken at the end of the line, with the Secaucus transfer for Penn Station.
Towns without a station of their own, such as Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Franklin Lakes, Wyckoff, Old Tappan, River Vale and Washington Township, are a short drive from one; the table shows the nearest stations and their times.
The bus towns
Alpine and Tenafly have no rail station. The Borough of Tenafly lists NJ Transit route 166 and Coach USA Rockland Coaches routes 20/20T, 14/14K/14ET (weekdays) and 9A-9W to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The nearest trains are on the Pascack Valley Line; the table shows the stations. Check the carrier's current schedule before you count on a time.
Driving
The closest towns to the George Washington Bridge by road are Tenafly (6.3 miles), Alpine (7.7 miles) and Emerson (11.2 miles); the farthest is Mahwah at 20.9 miles. The bridge, not the distance, usually decides the drive.
Choosing a town by commute
If the train is the priority, look first at towns with their own station, where you can walk or park at the platform: Ridgewood, Emerson, Ho-Ho-Kus, Westwood and Hillsdale. Compare prices and taxes in each town's market report, and schools on the school district pages.
Slava has sold homes in northern Bergen County since becoming a licensed New Jersey broker in 2007. If you are weighing towns, tell him what you need and he will walk you through the trade-offs in person.
- What is the easiest commute to NYC from northern Bergen County?
- By scheduled train time, Ridgewood: morning-peak trips to New York Penn Station take 47-56 minutes with a change at Secaucus Junction, per NJ Transit's timetable.
- How far is Bergen County from NYC?
- From the towns Slava covers, the George Washington Bridge is 6.3 road miles from Tenafly at the closest and 20.9 from Mahwah at the farthest. By scheduled morning-peak train, New York Penn Station is 47-56 minutes from Ridgewood and 70-77 minutes from Mahwah.
- Which Bergen County towns have train stations?
- Of the towns Slava covers: Ho-Ho-Kus, Ridgewood, Westwood, Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge, Montvale, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Allendale and Emerson.
- Do Bergen County trains go straight to Penn Station?
- The Main Line, Bergen County Line and Pascack Valley Line run to Hoboken. Riders bound for Midtown change at Secaucus Junction for New York Penn Station; riders bound for downtown can take PATH from Hoboken to the World Trade Center.