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MTA Chairman Dismisses NY-NJ Subway Over Cost Concerns

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he hopes the city's subway system will be extended to New Jersey "in somebody's lifetime."

Bloomberg was responding Tuesday to comments by the chief of the city's subways, who said it simply would cost too much. Bloomberg's administration pitched the concept of extending the No. 7 train to the Garden State in 2010.

WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reports

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Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota told business leaders he couldn't see extending the system underneath the Hudson River, that the MTA would have to have yards in New Jersey and that there would be "pricing issues."

He said passengers want the extension because "they think they'll be able to get across the River in $2.20. Not a chance."

1010 WINS' John Montone reports

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"It's not going to happen. Not in our lifetime. Not in anybody's lifetime," Lhota added.

Bloomberg admitted it was "hard to see" how extending the subway to Jersey could be funded.

A subway line running under the river could cost billions.

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(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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