he introduction of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) line on the Hudson River waterfront in April 2000 was the result of a long planning and construction process that largely started in the mid-1980s. The system has both benefited from and helped shape an even longer cycle of economic recovery, redevelopment, and expansion in Jersey City, New Jersey, and on the waterfront. Development activity in the area, key HBLR project milestones, and some lessons learned along the way are described. While it would be unreasonable to directly attribute the many economic successes on the waterfront to the development of the light rail line, clearly there is a symbiotic relationship between the two that has existed over the past 15 years as the system has been planned, constructed, and implemented.