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Now that nearly 500 new parking spaces are accessible at the Edison train station, New Jersey Transit customers could have a smoother morning commute, aiding many Jewish residents who travel to New York for work.

On Jan. 1, New Jersey Transit (NJT) opened Lot 3 at the station, a $4.7 million project funded by federal stimulus dollars. With 477 new spaces, the lot off Kilmer Avenue near the Trenton-bound platform more than doubles the previous parking capacity at the Northeast Corridor (NEC) rail line site. A walkway connects the new lot to Plainfield Avenue, from which customers can access the Edison station building and the New York-bound and Trenton-bound platforms.

"A good part of the Jewish community uses the train station to go to work and to go into New York for meetings and theater," Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg, leader of Edison's Congregation Beth-El, said. "I think it's outstanding."

But Craig Prupis, who lives on Edgemount Road and has commuted to New York for work the last 30 years, isn't yet convinced that parking will be better at the station. While Lot 1 on Reed Street and Central Avenue is right near the platform heading to New York, Lot 2 on Reed Street is about a three or four minute walk to the platform and Lot 3, the new lot on Kilmer Road, is a seven or eight minute walk away, Prupis estimated.

Prupis has a monthly parking pass, which gives him access to the 357 permit spots in the new lot (the 120 other new spots are daily spaces). After attending 7:10 a.m. morning services at Congregation Ohr Torah on a daily basis, Prupis tries to catch an 8:06 a.m. train, and said that when Lot 1 is full and he needs to park further away, it's very difficult to make his train.

It's doubtful that commuters with newly issued monthly parking permits will prefer to use the station's new lot, Prupis said, especially on a hot or rainy day when the lot's location is particularly inconvenient. Therefore, Lot 1 should fill up quickly, just as it has in the past, he said.

"You hop out of your car, and boom, you are on the platform, you are on the train," Prupis said of the convenience of Lot 1.

Prupis, however, did say that he will reserve judgment on the new lot until he sees how it changes parking habits at the station over time. Rather than issuing the same $55 per month passes and $4 daily passes for all three lots, Prupis said, the parking prices should be tiered based on which lot you choose because of the obvious advantages Lot 1 has over the others.

"They see it as a single lot," Prupis said of New Jersey Transit.

The Edison station is the 11th-busiest of the 165 stations and terminals served by NJT, serving about 6,500 customers each weekday on the NEC line, which stops in Newark, Secaucus, and New York Penn Station, among other destinations.

"The completion of this federal Recovery Act project will increase access to one of New Jersey's busiest rail stations and reduce congestion on our roadways," U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said in a statement. "I am pleased that Recovery Act projects like this are benefiting our economy and further strengthening New Jersey's mass transit network."

With the new lot, there are now 816 total parking spaces at the station between the three lots. Lot 1 was repaved as part of the project, and a small outdoor plaza with tables and benches was installed just south of the station building.

"This project demonstrates how N.J. Transit is putting federal stimulus funds to good use, creating jobs for workers now by investing in improvements that will benefit our customers for years to come," NJT Chairman Stephen Dilts said in a statement.