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Raritan Valley Line

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Raritan Valley Line
Train No. 5439 stops at Dunellen station
Overview
OwnerAmtrak
(east of Hunter)
CSAO
(Hunter to Aldene)
New Jersey Transit
(Aldene westward)
LocaleCentral and northern New Jersey, U.S.
Termini
Stations20
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemNew Jersey Transit Rail Operations
Operator(s)New Jersey Transit
Rolling stockGP40PH-2, PL42AC or ALP-45 locomotives
Comet or MultiLevel coaches
Daily ridership21,800 (FY 2012)[1]
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz (Newark-New York)
Operating speed80 mph (130 km/h) (top)
Route map
Legend
mi
Amtrak via East River Tunnels
0.0
 New York Penn Station
Amtrak
Amtrak via Albany–Rensselaer
North River Tunnels (Hudson River)
NY
NJ
Hoboken
Hudson–Bergen Light Rail NY Waterway
5.0
 Secaucus Junction
(Main Line)
via Summit
10.0
 Newark Penn Station
Amtrak Port Authority Trans-Hudson Newark Light Rail
Amtrak via Trenton
15.3
 Union
17.2
 Roselle Park
19.2
 Cranford
20.4
 Garwood
21.6
 Westfield
23.7
 Fanwood
25.0
 Netherwood
26.2
 Plainfield
29.1
 Dunellen
33.3
 Bound Brook
34.5
 Bridgewater
37.8
 Somerville
39.0
 Raritan
42.5
 North Branch
47.4
 White House
51.1
 Lebanon
53.5
 Annandale
55.3
 High Bridge
55.3
Former service
55.3
 Hampton
55.3
 Phillipsburg
This diagram:
Legend
mi
CSAO Lehigh Line
CNJ Main Line
16.9
15.0
Aldene Connection
CSAO Lehigh Line
GSPkwy Shield.svg G.S. Parkway
16.1
 Cranford
17.3
 Garwood
18.5
 Westfield
Elongated circle 28.svg Route 28
20.6
 Fanwood
21.9
 Netherwood
23.1
 Plainfield
Elongated circle 28.svg Route 28
23.9
Grant Avenue
Clinton Avenue
26.0
 Dunellen
Middlesex
30.2
 Bound Brook
to Lehigh Line
I-287.svg I-287
31.4
 Bridgewater
West Trenton Line
to West Trenton
Chimney Rock Spur
32.9
Finderne
34.7
 Somerville
CNJ Central Branch
to Flemington
US 206.svg US 206
35.9
 Raritan
Raritan Yard
US 202.svg US 202
North Branch Raritan River
39.4
 North Branch
44.3
 White House
Rockaway Valley Railroad
to Watnong
48.0
 Lebanon
US 22.svg US 22
I-78.svg I-78
50.4
 Annandale
South Branch Raritan River
52.2
 High Bridge
High Bridge Branch
to Wharton
55.1
 Glen Gardner
Elongated circle 31.svg Route 31
Hampton Branch
to Washington
56.6
 Hampton
60.0
 Ludlow–Asbury
NS Central industrial track
[2][3]
This diagram:

The Raritan Valley Line is a commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) which serves passengers in municipalities in Union, Somerset, Middlesex, Essex, and Hunterdon counties in the Raritan Valley region, primarily in central New Jersey and a smaller portion of northern New Jersey, in the United States. The line's most frequent western terminus is Raritan station in Raritan. Some weekday trains continue farther west and terminate at the High Bridge station, located in High Bridge. Most eastbound trains terminate in Newark; passengers are able to transfer to NJ Transit using a combined ticket or PATH (rail system) and Amtrak to New York City. A limited number of weekday trains continue directly to New York.

Raritan Valley Line trains use three lines owned by three entities. Between High Bridge and the Aldene Connection, east of Cranford, it uses the former Central Railroad of New Jersey Main Line, now owned by New Jersey Transit and also called the Raritan Valley Line. From the Aldene Connection to Hunter it uses Conrail's Lehigh Line, formerly the east end of Lehigh Valley Railroad Main Line. Finally, it uses Amtrak's Northeast Corridor from the Hunter Connection to Newark and New York.

The Raritan Valley Line is colored orange on New Jersey Transit's system map, and its symbol is the Statue of Liberty, an homage to the Central Railroad of New Jersey, whose logo was also the Statue of Liberty.[4]

Description

[edit]

Most of the line follows the main line of the former Central Railroad of New Jersey. Historically, CNJ trains ran on this line, as part of its Lehigh-Susquehanna Division, from Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton in eastern Pennsylvania through Elizabeth and Bayonne to Jersey City. In peak years of service the line was the basis for trains such as the Queen of the Valley and the Harrisburg Special, reaching as far west as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Until 1967 CNJ service terminated at the company's Communipaw Terminal in what is today Liberty State Park.[5] This station, which was also served by Reading Company trains to Philadelphia and B & O service to Washington, D.C., and beyond, had connections by chartered bus or ferry into Manhattan.

At the end of April 1967, the Aldene Connection opened, connecting the CNJ main line to the Lehigh Valley Railroad (now Conrail's Lehigh Line), and trains were re-routed to Newark Penn Station on the Northeast Corridor via Hunter Connection. This allowed CNJ to end the ferry service between Jersey City and Manhattan, which was losing money.[6]

The former CNJ Main Line was conveyed to Conrail on the former's bankruptcy in 1976. Conrail sold the line to the state of New Jersey in 1978 but continued to operate commuter service under contract.[7] Service on the line was cut back from Phillipsburg to High Bridge on January 1, 1984.[8]

Trains initially could not go beyond Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station because the locomotives were diesel-powered, and diesel locomotives cannot operate in the North River Tunnels. The introduction of ALP-45DP dual-mode locomotives allows for direct service to New York Penn Station.[9] Limited service to New York Penn Station started as a pilot program on March 3, 2014. Select trains provide one-seat rides to New York. This original "pilot project" schedule has been subsequently expanded to include additional trains, but is limited to off-peak hours due to capacity issues in the Hudson River tunnels.

Unlike the Northeast Corridor, the majority of stations on the Raritan Valley Line are not wheelchair accessible. Newark Penn Station, Union, Cranford, Westfield, Plainfield, and Somerville are accessible high-platform stations. Roselle Park has a high platform but does not have a ramp or elevator to the street.[10]

In September 2018, all Raritan Valley Line service was truncated to Newark Penn Station to allow for positive train control installation. Direct service to New York resumed on November 4, 2019.[11] A traffic science study from 2024 sees significant passenger potential in public transport in the connection option.[12] For this reason, a new line is recommended that stops at every station between Sommerville and High Bridge and then continues as an express train to New York.

Rolling stock

[edit]

Since it is not electrified, the Raritan Valley Line requires diesel locomotives. The locomotives originally consisted of the GP40PH-2(A and B) and Alstom PL42AC with a 5- or 6-car set of Comet series coaches. Since late 2008, Bombardier Multilevel Series Coaches were added and displaced most of the Comet coaches. As of late 2013, the trainsets' consist use an ALP-45DP and a 6- to 8-car set of Multilevels. However, some occasional trains use the Comet coaches coupled with a PL42AC or an ALP-45DP. Some GE P40DC locomotives were occasionally used on the line between 2007-2009.

With the initiation of select, direct, service to New York Penn Station on the Raritan Valley Line in March 2014, dual-mode Bombardier ALP-45DP locomotives (combination diesel and electric power) were added to the RVL rolling stock to incorporate the "one seat ride" between Raritan/High Bridge and Penn Station in New York. Switching of modes is performed at Newark. The line's rolling stock is stored at the Raritan Yard, the line's only rail yard, located just west of the station of the same name. All eastbound trains change crews here and trains are normally stored here overnight. This is also one of four fueling facilities for NJT locomotives, the other three being Hoboken Terminal, Port Morris, and the Meadows Maintenance Complex. All trains terminating in Newark head to the Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, New Jersey to be stored.

In May and June 2018, NJ Transit leased 10 MARC coaches to be exclusively operated on the Raritan Valley Line. These cars have since been sent back to MARC.[13]

Proposed extensions

[edit]

Phillipsburg

[edit]

Service beyond High Bridge to Phillipsburg Union Station in Phillipsburg was discontinued in December 1983 because of low ridership.[14] Then, in November 1989, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJ DOT) severed the rail line between Alpha and Phillipsburg during construction of I-78. This was done in order to avoid having to build an overpass over the out-of-service trackage.[15]

Since 1984, there have been repeated calls for resumption of service to Phillipsburg to relieve traffic congestion on the parallel I-78 and U.S. Route 22. The Raritan Valley Rail Coalition, formed in 1998 by the late U.S. Congressman Bob Franks, sought cost-effective ways to improve mobility, reduce highway congestion, and increase transit ridership along the Raritan Valley Line. Their study was completed in January 2010.[16] In addition, real estate developers have touted former industrial hub Phillipsburg as an excellent candidate for restored commuter rail service, saying "P'burg. . .a good candidate for rail service..."[17]

NJ Transit has been responsive to the idea, and initiated an environmental impact statement. It was determined that service restoration will take approximately four years and cost $90 million.[citation needed]

In 2010, Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. promoted the restoration of rail service to Easton or Phillipsburg and possibly Allentown or Bethlehem.[18]

In 2021, Amtrak placed service to Allentown via the Raritan Valley Line in their 2035 plan.

West Trenton

[edit]

Another plan that has been proposed is to restore service on the former Reading Railroad's Jersey City branch track between Ewing and Bound Brook which is the current day CSX Transportation Trenton Subdivision, the NJ Transit rail service on the Trenton Subdivision would be NJ Transit's version of the West Trenton Line, providing a direct link to the SEPTA service of the same name and establishing an additional link to Philadelphia. To date, no funding for the proposal has been secured.[19]

Stations

[edit]
State Zone[20] Location Station[20] Miles (km) from Pennsylvania Station[2] Date opened Date closed Connections / notes[20]
NY 1 Manhattan Pennsylvania Station Disabled access
 0.0 (0.0) 1910 Amtrak (long-distance): Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star
Amtrak (intercity): Acela Express, Adirondack, Carolinian, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Vermonter
Long Island Rail Road: Babylon, Belmont Park, City Terminal Zone, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Long Beach, Montauk, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Port Washington, Ronkonkoma, West Hempstead branches
NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone, Montclair-Boonton, Morristown, Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast lines
New York City Subway: 1, ​2, and ​3 (at 34th Street – Penn Station (Seventh Avenue)), A, ​C, and ​E (at 34th Street – Penn Station (Eighth Avenue))
New York City Bus: M7, M20, M34 SBS, M34A, Q32
Academy Bus: SIM23, SIM24
Flixbus: Eastern Shuttle
Vamoose Bus
NJ Secaucus Secaucus Junction Disabled access 5.0 (8.0) December 15, 2003[21] NJ Transit Rail: Bergen County, Gladstone, Main, Meadowlands, Montclair-Boonton, Morristown, Pascack Valley, Northeast Corridor, and North Jersey Coast lines
Metro-North Railroad: Port Jervis Line
NJ Transit Bus: 2, 78, 129, 329, 353
Newark Pennsylvania Station Disabled access 10.0 (16.1) 1935[22][23] Amtrak (long-distance): Cardinal, Crescent, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star
Amtrak (intercity): Acela Express, Carolinian, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Vermonter
NJ Transit Rail: North Jersey Coast and Northeast Corridor lines
PATH: Newark – World Trade Center
Newark Light Rail: Grove Street – Newark Penn, Broad Street – Newark Penn
NJT Bus: 1, 5, 11, 21, 25, 28, 29, 30, 34, 39, 40, 41, 62, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 78, 79, 108, 308, 319, 361, 375, 378, go25, go28
ONE Bus: 31, 44
Greyhound Lines
South Street
5 Union Union Disabled access 15.3 (24.6) April 28, 2003[24] NJ Transit Bus: 26, 52
7 Roselle Park Roselle Park 17.2 (27.7) February 3, 1891[25] NJ Transit Bus: 94, 113
Cranford Cranford Disabled access 19.2 (30.9) January 1, 1839[26] NJ Transit Bus: 59, 113
Olympia Trails: Westfield Commuter Service
8 Garwood Garwood 20.4 (32.8) August 1892[27][28]
Westfield Westfield Disabled access 21.6 (34.8) January 1, 1839[26]
Graceland c. 1891[29] by 1912[30]
9 Fanwood Fanwood 23.7 (38.1) January 1, 1839[26] NJ Transit Bus: 113
Olympia Trails: Westfield Commuter Service
10 Plainfield Netherwood 25.0 (40.2) 1874[31] NJ Transit Bus: 113, 882
Olympia Trails: Westfield Commuter Service
11 Plainfield Disabled access 26.2 (42.2) January 1, 1839[32] NJ Transit Bus: 59, 65, 66, 113, 114, 819, 822, 896
Grant Avenue 1885[33] April 26, 1986[34]
Clinton Avenue 1872[33] April 30, 1967
12 Dunellen Dunellen 29.1 (46.8) January 1, 1840[26] NJ Transit Bus: 59, 65, 66, 113, 114
Suburban Trails: Dunellen Local
13 Middlesex Middlesex c. 1893[35]
14 Bound Brook Bound Brook 33.3 (53.6) January 1, 1840[26] Somerset County Transportation: DASH
15 Bridgewater Bridgewater 34.5 (55.5) Known as Calco from 1915[36]–1996
Finderne Finderne 1851[36] 2006 Closed due to low ridership
17 Somerville Somerville Disabled access 37.8 (60.8) January 1, 1842[26] NJ Transit Bus: 65, 114
Raritan Raritan 39.0 (62.8) c. 1851[37]
18 North Branch North Branch 42.5 (68.4) September 25, 1848[26][38]
19 Whitehouse Station White House 47.4 (76.3) September 25, 1848[26]
20 Lebanon Lebanon 51.1 (82.2) July 4, 1852[39]
Annandale Annandale 53.5 (86.1)
21 High Bridge High Bridge 55.3 (89.0) 1852[40]
Glen Gardner Glen Gardner July 4, 1852[39][41] January 1, 1984[8] The station was known as Clarkville from 1852–November 1864 and Spruce Run until the early 1870s.[41]
Hampton Hampton
Bethlehem Township Ludlow–Asbury c. 1852-1854[42] 1967
Bloomsbury Bloomsbury July 4, 1852[39][43]
Phillipsburg Union Station July 4, 1852[39][44] January 1, 1984[8]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Bernhart, Benjamin L. (2004). Historic Journeys By Rail: Central Railroad of New Jersey Stations, Structures & Marine Equipment. Outer Station Project. ISBN 1891402072.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ NJ TRANSIT QUARTERLY RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANALYSIS November 2012 Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  2. ^ a b NJ Transit (2005). NJ Transit Rail Operations: Physical Characteristics. pp. 117–119, 142b, 173–182.
  3. ^ Conrail (July 1, 2013). "Timetable No. 10" (PDF). p. 42.
  4. ^ "world.nycsubway.org/Showing Image 36731". World.nycsubway.org. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  5. ^ Treese, Lorett (January 1, 2006). Railroads of New Jersey: Fragments of the Past in the Garden State Landscape. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811732604.
  6. ^ "Conrail/NJ DOT end Bayonne shuttle". Thorpefamily.us. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  7. ^ Catino, Jean E. (September 15, 1978). "State buying rail network, 130 stations". The Courier-News. p. 4. Retrieved September 16, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  8. ^ a b c "NJ Transit Studying Service to Hampton". The Courier-News. December 13, 1984. p. 13. Retrieved January 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (May 11, 2011). "NJ Transit unveils first dual-mode locomotive in North America". The Star-Ledger.
  10. ^ "Raritan Valley Line" (PDF). NJ Transit. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  11. ^ "Raritan Valley Line Direct Service to New York Returns on Off-Peak Trains - Beginning Monday, November 4, 2019". NJ Transit. October 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Wondratschek, Florian (September 5, 2024). "Die Wiederentdeckung der Raritan Valley Line? Ein Debattenbeitrag über ÖPNV-Anbindungsmöglichkeiten vom Vorort Lebanon (New Jersey) an New York" [The rediscovery of the Raritan Valley Line? A contribution to the debate about public transport connections from the suburb of Lebanon (New Jersey) to New York]. Suburbane Mobilitätswende (in German): 11. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  13. ^ "NJ Transit leasing cars from Maryland" (Press release). NBC New York. May 2, 2018.
  14. ^ Kraft, Randy (December 15, 1983). "Phillipsburg-to-New York City run by train service will end Dec. 30". The Morning Call. p. 22. Retrieved August 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "nycroads.com". nycroads.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  16. ^ Flood, Danielle; Mustac, Frank (July 1, 2009). "NJ Transit Analyzing Recommendations Made in I-78 Corridor Study". New Jersey On-Line.
  17. ^ Hausman, Daniel (February 13, 2007). "Perrucci Pitches P'burg as Place To Do Business, Says Region a Good Candidate for Rail Service" The Express-Times.
  18. ^ Brill, Douglas B. (June 7, 2010). "Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. says rail study 'has holes,' plans own task force". The Express-Times.
  19. ^ West Trenton Line, New Jersey Transit. Retrieved April 5, 2008.
  20. ^ a b c "North Jersey Coast Line Timetable" (PDF). New York, New York: New Jersey Transit. November 19, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  21. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (June 5, 2013). "U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg gets one last ride at the Secaucus station that bears his name". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  22. ^ "Newark Dedicates New Station Today". The New York Times. March 23, 1935. p. 13. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  23. ^ "Newark Dedicates Its New Terminal". The New York Times. March 24, 1935. p. N1. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  24. ^ "Union Station Makes its Debut on the Raritan Valley Line". NJ Transit (Press release). April 28, 2003. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  25. ^ "Will Open in February". The Plain Speaker. Hazleton, Pennsylvania. February 2, 1891. p. 8. Retrieved April 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h "Original Route of New Jersey Central Railroad Followed Old Post Road Between Plainfield, Elizabethport, Historian Says". The Plainfield Courier-News. December 31, 1938. p. 7. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  27. ^ "The Boom at Garwood". The Plainfield Evening News. August 9, 1892. p. 3. Retrieved April 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  28. ^ "State Items". The Daily Times. New Brunswick, New Jersey. October 28, 1892. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  29. ^ ""Graceland, a new station on the Central Road...."". The Plainfield Evening News. September 1, 1891. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  30. ^ "Commuters Want Station". The Plainfield Courier-News. July 10, 1912. p. 3. Retrieved April 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  31. ^ Bernhart 2004, p. 61.
  32. ^ Wyckoff, Jane Bower (April 21, 1949). "Development of Jersey Central Spurred by Plainfield Enthusiasts". The Plainfield Courier-News. p. 17. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  33. ^ a b Bernhart 2004, p. 62.
  34. ^ "Plainfield Station Derailed From Line". The Courier-News. March 18, 1986. p. 17. Retrieved September 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  35. ^ Bernhart 2004, p. 63.
  36. ^ a b Bernhart 2004, p. 64.
  37. ^ Bernhart 2004, p. 68.
  38. ^ "N. York, Elizabethtown, Somerville, Easton". The Evening Post. New York, New York. March 14, 1849. p. 4. Retrieved April 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  39. ^ a b c d Lance, Jr., Howard P. (July 9, 1952). "Quiet Annandale Looks back on Century of History". The Plainfield Courier-News. pp. 1, 26. Retrieved August 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  40. ^ Bernhart 2004, p. 69.
  41. ^ a b Bernhart 2004, p. 70.
  42. ^ Bernhart 2004, p. 71.
  43. ^ Bernhart 2004, p. 72.
  44. ^ Bernhart 2004, p. 75.
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