Secaucus Transfer

Last summer I rode my loaded touring bike from Merchantville, NJ to my
house in Bethlehem, NH. The first leg was to Campbell Hall, NY via
light rail/train.
I took the NJT River line from the Pennsauken Park and Ride (loads of
free, safe parking) to the end at the Trenton train station. From
there I took a NJT local to Secaucus junction.
Secaucus transfer in June 2005 was inaccessible by car, now there is
exit 15X. This is the nicest rail facility I have ever visited. I was
able to maneuver my loaded tourer with no trouble. The main waiting
area is a beautiful rotunda with a decent snack bar and spotless
restrooms. The NJT people were friendly and helpful. From Secaucus you
can take any of the former Lackawanna or Erie lines to points in NJ and
NY (west of the Hudson) I'd purchased by mail a MetroNorth bike pass
for $5, but I was not asked to produce it. As far as I know, NJT has no
pass in effect. This summer, I am going to use this again, possibly to
Hackettstown and ride back from there as kindof a warmup overnite ride.
From Campbell hall I rode east to Newburgh,; thence to Hudson,
Williiamstown, MA, Turners Falls, Whiter River Jct and then Bethlehem.
I could just as easily have gone to Middletown or Port Jervis and
done a route in NY or PA. Point is, you can get well clear of the
Phila/North Jersey/NYC area without much effort. I would not do this
during rush hour, the passengers and train crew would predictably be
annoyed.