The Hoboken Girl Team 
Many Hoboken and Jersey City residents rely on the 9th Street-Congress Street Light Rail Station elevators that connect the street-level light rail stop with access to the station from The Heights. In recent weeks, there have been several issues with the elevators being out of service, people getting stuck in the elevators, and other disruptions. Keep reading to learn more about what’s going on at the 9th Street elevators in Jersey City Heights.
What’s Happening
The 9th Street elevators, which have been in use since 2004, have faced frequent mechanical issues in recent years. In researching this article, The Hoboken Girl found references to elevator malfunctions with a disconcerting regularity. Recently, several reader DMs to HG shared worrisome updates on their experiences with the elevator.
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September 15th: a Hoboken Girl reader reported being stuck in the elevator with 15 other people, including several children, for 45 minutes before they were freed.
October 31st: a different reader reported being stuck for 90 minutes in the elevator with 10 other people. First responders were able to free them safely. This incident was confirmed by Marci Rubin, a spokesperson for the Hoboken Department of Public Safety.
“On Oct. 31, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Hoboken Fire Department (HFD) Rescue 1 responded to a request for mutual aid from the Jersey City Fire Department (JCFD), on reports of people trapped in a stalled elevator at the 9th Street Light Rail location.
HFD Engine 3 and additional JCFD units arrived on the scene, along with NJ Transit PD, and a lowering system was established to deploy two rescuers for an assessment of the elevator car and its occupants. An elevator technician arrived on the scene and manually lowered the elevator car, allowing everyone to exit.
The incident was cleared, and Hoboken Rescue 1 and Engine 3 were released from the scene and returned to service, at approximately 8:50 a.m.”
The Hoboken Girl reached out to NJ Transit, which manages the elevator, to get more information about why this keeps happening. The response given was, “There are two elevators at the 9th Street HBLR station. The North elevator is currently in service. The South elevator is out of service.” No further information was given about a timeline for repairs or addressing the frequency of the malfunctions.
For Riders
The layout of the station means that the elevator is essential to many riders’ ability to access the station. With elevators out of service, there are significant delays for riders to get from one side of the station to the other. Or, riders can use shuttle buses from nearby stations, which adds additional time to their journeys.
For riders in wheelchairs or using strollers, the elevator is an essential part of their access to the station. Hoboken Councilman Phil Cohen represents the 5th Ward, which includes the Hoboken side of the station. “I’ve heard from people about their commutes to and from Hoboken being disrupted by outages with the elevator that were unannounced,” he said. “Some of these people had to walk down the Viaduct to get where they needed to, to work or school.” He raised the point that these people were able to walk, which isn’t necessarily all public transit users.
Earlier in 2025, NJ Transit received a $5 million grant to repair escalators at the Hamilton station. Riders expressed skepticism at the length of time it would take to make the repairs a reality. According to NJ Transit, “Most of the light rail stations served by NJ TRANSIT are accessible. Accessible stations offer level boarding between the platform and light rail vehicles. Platforms are accessible by elevator or ramp.”
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The Hoboken Girl has also reached out to Councilman Yusuf Saleh of Jersey City, who represents the Jersey City side of the station. This piece will be updated with any further information.
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