Aldene Connection

Last updated

A diagram of the Aldene Connection, showing NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line, former Central Railroad of New Jersey Main Line, Staten Island Railway, Conrail Lehigh Line, and the former Rahway Valley Railroad Aldene Connection diagram.png
A diagram of the Aldene Connection, showing NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line, former Central Railroad of New Jersey Main Line, Staten Island Railway, Conrail Lehigh Line, and the former Rahway Valley Railroad
Newark/Hoboken Division approaches
BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon YRD.svg
BSicon MASKl.svg
BSicon WASSERq.svg
BSicon WASSERq.svg
BSicon tSTRa@g.svg
BSicon WASSERq.svg
BSicon tACC.svg
New York Penn Station BSicon SUBWAY.svg MTA NYC logo.svg BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon MASKl.svg
BSicon WASSERq.svg
BSicon tKRZW.svg
BSicon WASSERq.svg
NY
NJ
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon uKACCa.svg
Hoboken Terminal PATH logo.svg BSicon TRAM.svg MTA NYC logo.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon uYRD.svg
Hoboken Yard
BSicon tSTRe.svg
BSicon uTUNNEL1.svg
BSicon uCONTgq.svg
BSicon INTACC.svg
BSicon mTBHFo.svg
BSicon uABZgr.svg
Secaucus Junction
BSicon uexCONTgq.svg
BSicon emKRZo.svg
BSicon ueABZgr.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon hKRZWae.svg
BSicon uhKRZWae.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon POINTER2.svg
BSicon STR2.svg
BSicon STR black.svg
BSicon umSTR3u.svg
BSicon STR black.svg
BSicon umSTR+1u.svg
BSicon STR black.svg
BSicon STR black.svg
BSicon STR+4.svg
BSicon POINTER4.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon uhKRZWae.svg
BSicon hKRZWae.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon HUB2.svg
BSicon uACC.svg
BSicon HUBc3.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Newark Broad Street BSicon TRAM.svg
BSicon uSTRc2.svg
BSicon HUBc1.svg
BSicon uSTR3.svg
BSicon HUB4.svg
BSicon ACC.svg
Newark Penn Station
PATH logo.svg BSicon TRAM.svg BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon uCONT1.svg
BSicon uSTRc4.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon POINTERg@fq.svg
BSicon ABZg3.svg
BSicon STR+1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon exSTRc2.svg
BSicon hSTRa@f.svg
BSicon exCONT3.svg
BSicon exlHSTc2.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon hHST.svg
BSicon exlHSTc3.svg
BSicon eKRZ3+1o.svg
BSicon exSTRc4.svg
Elizabeth
(NJT)
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon exlHSTc1.svg
BSicon ABZ3+gx1.svg
BSicon exlHSTc4.svg
BSicon hSTRe.svg
Elizabeth
(CNJ)
BSicon CONT1.svg
BSicon POINTERg@g.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon hbKRZWae.svg
BSicon hbKRZWae.svg
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon CONTf.svg

Newark Division
BSicon STRq.svg
BSicon uSTRq.svg
Hoboken Division

The Aldene Connection is a connection between two railroad lines in the Aldene neighborhood of Roselle Park, New Jersey, United States, one formerly belonging to the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), the other formerly of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The connections allow trains on the New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line to travel from Cranford and points west through stations in Roselle Park and Union to the Hunter Connection in Newark, which in turn allows access to the Northeast Corridor and Newark Penn Station. [1]

Contents

History

NJ Transit, Conrail, and former CNJ tracks meet at Aldene Aldene.jpg
NJ Transit, Conrail, and former CNJ tracks meet at Aldene

The CNJ in the mid-1960s was losing money, in a permanent downward spiral that would lead to the railroad's filing for bankruptcy early in 1967. Desperate to cut costs, the CNJ turned to the state which created a "railroad transportation division" within the highway commission headed up by Dwight R. G. Palmer, who was placed in charge of preserving rail commuter services as a cheaper alternative to a new highway building program. [2] Palmer's office produced a report called "The Rail Transportation Problem" stating that the state should partially subsidize service until more fundamental changes could be made. One of these "fundamental changes" became known as the "Aldene Plan". It would involve the building of a ramp to connect the CNJ and the Lehigh Valley Railroad at the site of the recently abandoned Aldene Station to reroute trains bound for Jersey City to follow the LV to the Pennsylvania Railroad mainline (now the Northeast Corridor) and on to Newark Penn Station where passengers could transfer to PRR trains into New York Penn Station. This would allow the CNJ to abandon its labor-intensive ferry service and much of its Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City, and all local trains operating east of Cranford, all totaling up to about $1.5 million in annual savings. [3] As a concession to a few hundred factory workers that worked along the CNJ east of Aldene, Budd Rail Diesel Cars were operated as the "Bayonne Scoot" [4] between Cranford and Bayonne over the CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge until August 6, 1978. [1]

Opening day for the Aldene Plan was announced for Monday, May 1, 1967, but a full-service rehearsal occurred the day prior (a Sunday to avoid the commuter rush). The CNJ operated push-pull consists of a cab car leading eastbound. Until 2014, operations remained the same: passengers for New York would disembark at Newark and change to a Northeast Corridor or North Jersey Coast Line train operated by New Jersey Transit to New York Penn Station or PATH trains to the World Trade Center. However, in 2014 NJ Transit began offering a one-seat ride to New York making use of their recently purchased dual mode locomotives, which can change between diesel power and electric power. The trains operate under diesel power on the Raritan Valley Line which has never been electrified. At Newark, the diesel engines are shut down and a pantograph is raised, since only electric trains can operate into New York Penn Station. Currently the dual-mode service is only run during off-peak hours as Penn Station cannot accommodate any more trains during rush hours.

Also affected by the change was the Reading Company's Crusader service from Philadelphia, which operated over the CNJ via trackage rights. After the Aldene Plan went into effect, it began to operate into Newark Penn Station, continuing until 1981 as a through service, and then as a connecting train from West Trenton through 1982. New Jersey Transit has explored reactivating this service as the West Trenton Line.

Concurrent with the start of service via the Aldene Connection was the rerouting of CNJ trains on the NY&LBRR (present-day North Jersey Coast Line) from Perth Amboy to Newark Penn Station via PRR trackage, eliminating the service to Jersey City (Communipaw Avenue) via Elizabethport.

The Aldene Connection is single track, although it is graded to allow a second track to be added.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Station (Newark)</span> Transportation center in Newark, New Jersey

Pennsylvania Station is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, making it the seventh-busiest rail station in United States, and the fourth-busiest in the New York area. Located at Raymond Plaza, between Market Street and Raymond Boulevard, it is served by three NJ Transit commuter rail lines, the Newark Light Rail, the PATH rapid transit system, and all 11 of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor services, including the Acela. The station is also Newark's main intercity bus terminal; it is served by carriers Greyhound, Bolt, and Fullington Trailways. Additionally, it is served by 33 local and regional bus lines operated by NJ Transit Bus Operations and Coach USA (Orange-Newark-Elizabeth).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Railroad of New Jersey</span> Defunct Class I railroad in the U.S. state of New Jersey (1839-1976)

The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Jersey City, New Jersey-area railroads</span>

For the purposes of this article, the Jersey City area extends North to Edgewater, South to Bayonne and includes Kearny Junction and Harrison but not Newark. Many routes east of Newark are listed here.

The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The railroad was jointly owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Central Railroad of New Jersey and became property of Conrail in 1976. It is now part of New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raritan Valley Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and New York

The Raritan Valley Line is a commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) which serves passengers in municipalities in Union, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties in the Raritan Valley region in central New Jersey, 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 bound for New York make a cross-platform transfer. A limited number of weekday trains continue directly to New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahway Valley Railroad</span>

The Rahway Valley Railroad (RVRR) was a short-line railroad in the Northeastern United States which connected the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Roselle Park and the Central Railroad of New Jersey in Cranford with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western in Summit. Operating over a span of 95 years (1897–1992) in Union County, New Jersey, in its prime it was one of the most successful shortline railroads in U.S. history, turning a profit during the Great Depression. During its lifetime, the RVRR was instrumental in the development of Kenilworth as well as Union Township, Springfield and other towns along its route. Later years saw traffic decline; in 1986 the line could not secure liability insurance. The railroad was sold to the Delaware Otsego Corporation which did little to revitalize the nearly 90-year-old line. Traffic continued to decline until service ended in 1992, with a single customer remaining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">45th Street station (Hudson–Bergen Light Rail)</span> Hudson–Bergen Light Rail station

45th Street is a station on the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey. Located next to Avenue E and East 45th Street, it is the northernmost station of four in Bayonne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street station (Hudson–Bergen Light Rail)</span> New Jersey Transit Hudson–Bergen Light Rail station

34th Street is a station on the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey. The third of four stations in the city of Bayonne, 34th Street is located at the intersection of Avenue E and East 34th Street, the station doubles as a park and ride with access to Route 440 southbound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal</span> Former intermodal terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey

The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal, was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The terminal was built in 1889, replacing an earlier one that had been in use since 1864. It operated until April 30, 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union County Light Rail</span>

The Union County Light Rail was a proposed light rail system connecting Newark Airport to midtown Elizabeth, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roselle Park station</span>

Roselle Park is a New Jersey Transit railroad station in Roselle Park, New Jersey. Located on the Conrail Lehigh Line which is owned by Conrail Shared Assets Operations on West Lincoln Avenue between Chestnut Street and Locust Street, it is served by Raritan Valley Line trains that travel between Newark Penn Station and Raritan. There is also limited service between High Bridge and New York Penn Station and one weekday morning train to Hoboken Terminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union station (NJ Transit)</span>

Union is a NJ Transit railroad station in Union, New Jersey. Located on the Conrail Lehigh Line, Union is served by Raritan Valley Line trains that travel between Newark Penn Station and Raritan. There is also limited service to and from High Bridge and New York Penn Station and one morning train to Hoboken Terminal. The physical structures of the station are owned by New Jersey Transit; however, the land remains the property of CONRAIL SHARED ASSETS REGION ( JOINT OWNERSHIP OF CSX & NS, in accordance with the 1999 buyout of Consolidated Rail Corporation by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cranford station</span> NJ Transit rail station

Cranford is an active commuter railroad station in the township of Cranford, Union County, New Jersey. Trains operate between High Bridge and Newark Penn Station on New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line. The next station east is Roselle Park while west is Garwood. Cranford station contains two side platforms to service three tracks and is accessible for handicapped persons under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The West Trenton Line is a proposed NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail service that would be operated mostly on the CSX Transportation Trenton Subdivision, connecting West Trenton Station in Ewing Township, New Jersey with Newark Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey. The route would connect with the Raritan Valley Line at Bridgewater and the SEPTA West Trenton Line at West Trenton. As of 2007, NJT's estimate of the cost of creating a passenger line to West Trenton was $219 million. The project is still on the books, but no funding for the proposal has been secured to this date.

<i>Crusader</i> (train) Reading Railroad train between Philadelphia and Jersey City

The Crusader was a 5 car stainless steel streamlined express train that ran on a 90.3-mile (145.3 km) route from Philadelphia's Reading Terminal to Jersey City's Communipaw Terminal, with a ferry connection to Lower Manhattan at Liberty Street. The Reading Railroad provided this service in partnership with the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), in which it was the majority owner of capital stock. Trains including the Crusader ran on Reading Railroad tracks from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia to Bound Brook, NJ, where they continued on CNJ tracks to Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City. Passengers then left the train and walked aboard the ferry or boarded busses that loaded onto the ferry. Introduced in 1937, the Crusader service declined during the 1960s. The southern part of the route was cut in 1981, followed by the northern part in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danforth Avenue station</span> Light rail station in Bayonne, New Jersey

Danforth Avenue is a station on the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. The station is located at the intersection of Danforth Avenue and Princeton Avenue in Greenville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark and New York Railroad</span>

The Newark and New York Railroad was a passenger rail line that ran between Downtown Newark and the Communipaw Terminal at the mouth of the North River in Jersey City, bridging the Hackensack River and Passaic River just north of their mouths at the Newark Bay in northeastern New Jersey. The Central Railroad of New Jersey operated it from its opening in 1869. Though operations ended in 1946; portions remained in use until 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth station (Central Railroad of New Jersey)</span>

Elizabeth is a disused train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was built by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) in 1893. It is adjacent to NJ Transit's Elizabeth station on the Northeast Corridor. That station was built and owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad; in the era of private operation passengers could transfer between the two. The CNJ right-of-way in Elizabeth is unused, and passenger trains which served the former CNJ mainline bypass Elizabeth via the Aldene Connection on their way to Newark Penn Station. The station has been renovated and used as commercial space.

<i>Queen of the Valley</i> Former US train route

The Queen of the Valley was a named train of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) that ran between Jersey City, New Jersey, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, via the Lehigh Valley and Reading. The train took about 4 12 hours to traverse the 179.5-mile (288.9 km) route, the longest in the CNJ system First operated in 1911, it was the longest-running train of the CNJ when discontinued in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roselle–Roselle Park station</span>

Roselle–Roselle Park is a former Central Railroad of New Jersey and Conrail station on the border of Roselle and Roselle Park. Located at the junction of East First Street and Chestnut Avenue in Roselle, the station served both communities along the Main Line.

References

  1. 1 2 Thorpe, Steve. "CONRAIL/NJ D.O.T. Draws the Curtain on the Bayonne Shuttle". Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  2. Bear, Christopher; William Coxey; Paul Schopp (January 1, 1994). The Trail of The Blue Comet. New Jersey Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. p. 369. ASIN   B07X22S3ZN.
  3. Bear, Christopher; William Coxey; Paul Schopp (January 1, 1994). The Trail of The Blue Comet. New Jersey Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. p. 370. ASIN   B07X22S3ZN.
  4. King, Richard J. "Aldene Plan". www.trainweb.org. Retrieved August 23, 2021.

Coordinates: 40°39′31″N74°16′49″W / 40.65861°N 74.28028°W / 40.65861; -74.28028