The suit alleges that the transportation agency failed to hold public hearings on the closings of the three stations along the lower end of the Boonton Line, as prescribed by state statute.

The Arlington station, along with the Rowe Street station in Bloomfield and the Glen Ridge station, closed last month to make way for the Montclair Connection, which provides nonstop service into Manhattan for commuters from Boonton Line towns above Montclair.

Jim Wilson, an outspoken critic of NJ Transit, filed the suit. He has also filed a petition with the state Department of Transportation for his own rail line, New York & Greenwood Lake Railway, to pick up the commuter service through the three defunct stations into Hoboken.

Wilson's New York & Greenwood Lake Railway currently runs one 2-mile route a day to carry newspapers to a Passaic recycling plant.

Despite Wilson's claims that he has the equipment and expertise to pick up the passenger service, state transportation officials have said he has not proved that his proposal is viable.

Wilson said NJ Transit was required to hold public hearings in Kearny, Bloomfield and Glen Ridge prior to making the decision to eliminate train service at those stops, which served a combined 770 commuters daily.

"NJ Transit failed to follow the letter of the law in closing these stations," Wilson said. "They held meetings about the Montclair Connection, but they did not hold abandonment hearings about these stations.

"The unfortunate thing is that Transit really answers to no one. That's their attitude."

Herman Volk, a spokesman for NJ Transit, refused to comment on the case other than to say it "is in the hands of our attorneys."

At a Kearny council meeting last week, elected officials and displaced local commuters voiced their support for Wilson's efforts.

Michael D'Isa, of Kearny, commuted from the Arlington Station for 12 years before its closing last month. He charged that NJ Transit deliberately reduced train schedules in recent years to discourage ridership from the stations it planned to close.

"I've seen NJ Transit change the schedule to lower ridership," D'Isa said. "It makes perfect sense. When it's time to pull the plug, there are less people to complain."

Another Kearny resident, Don Dzikowski, said he moved to town from Connecticut three years ago, partly because of the easy commute the Arlington station offered.

"Time is money. This takes time away from my wife and my other endeavors," said Dzikowski, who added that his daily commute to Hoboken has been lengthened by more than an hour since the station closed. He also pays an extra $22 a week in bus fare.

Fellow Kearny commuter Debby Lauricella agreed, saying she's had to stop taking night classes in Manhattan because of the station's closing. A shuttle bus funded by NJ Transit that carries Kearny commuters to Lyndhurst's Kingsland station does not help because it doesn't run at night.

Lauricella has tried driving to the Lyndhurst station and parking in an NJ Transit-sponsored parking lot several blocks away.

"I don't feel comfortable as a woman walking to that desolate parking lot at night," she said. "And Lyndhurst has blocked out the whole area on the streets for resident parking."

Kearny Mayor Al Santos has repeatedly blasted NJ Transit for its decision to close the Arlington station, alleging that the agency is catering to the needs of affluent communities such as Montclair at the expense of more urban areas.

At last week's meeting, Santos said NJ Transit's decision violated the aims of the state's master plan.

"The New Jersey State Master Plan tries to discourage sprawl in the suburbs by directing growth to 'urban rim areas' such as Kearny," Santos said. "The state wants to encourage development in these existing areas, but if they don't provide transportation, they won't be able to do that."