NJ Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of NJ Transit. It operates commuter rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered on transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark. NJ Transit also operates rail service in Orange and Rockland counties in New York under contract to Metro-North Railroad. The commuter rail lines saw 57,179,000 riders in 2023, making it the third-busiest commuter railroad in North America and the longest commuter rail system in North America by route length.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central, Jersey Central Lines or New Jersey Central, 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.
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 and Amtrak to New York City. A limited number of weekday trains continue directly to New York.
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.
Garwood is a New Jersey Transit (NJT) railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Garwood, New Jersey. There are two short, low platforms on each side, long enough for two cars only. Passengers using the inbound platform must cross over a siding track. Access to neighboring stations is available on the 59 or 113 bus to Newark and New York, traveling between Cranford and Westfield stations. Since June 2011, a ticket vending machine (TVM) has been available on the inbound platform. The former Jersey Central Railroad depot, built in 1892, burned in an early morning fire on June 30, 1976.
Westfield is a New Jersey Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Westfield, Union County, New Jersey, United States.
Fanwood is a New Jersey Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Fanwood, Union County, New Jersey, United States. The building on the north side of the tracks is a Victorian building and, like the north building at Westfield, is used by a non-profit organization. The address is Fanwood Station, 238 North Avenue, Fanwood, Union County, New Jersey. The ticket office is in the station building on the south side of the tracks. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 17, 1980.
Netherwood is a New Jersey Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Plainfield, Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is located along North Avenue at the intersection of Netherwood Avenue and along South Avenue at the intersection of Belvedere Avenue. The station has a ticket vending machine, and the station house itself is located off of South Avenue.
Plainfield is a NJ Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Plainfield, Union County, New Jersey, United States. One of two train stations in Plainfield, this station serves the central part of the city. The ticket office and waiting area are in the south side station house. It was the westernmost station on the line with ADA accessibility, until Somerville's new high-level platforms were opened on December 7, 2010.
Somerville is a NJ Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, located south of the downtown center of Somerville, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The historic station building on the north side of the tracks has been restored and now is used by a law firm. Parking lots are located to the south of the station and there is a tunnel there to access the platforms. Like many of the stations on the Raritan Valley Line, Somerville was not a wheelchair accessible station until December 7, 2010.
Raritan is an NJ Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Raritan, Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, north of the town center on Thompson Street. The station building is south of the tracks in the main parking lot and was built in the early 1890s. There are also three other small lots for this station.
North Branch is a NJ Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in the hamlet of North Branch in Branchburg, New Jersey. The station is in a residential area, a mile to the south of North Branch center. The station has a small shelter with no facilities and is across the street from the Printmaking Council of New Jersey. North Branch station and the stations west of it have no weekend service. The former Jersey Central Railroad station depot burned to the ground on January 8, 1970.
White House is a NJ Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in the Whitehouse Station section of Readington in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The station is on the west side of Main Street in the center and the station building has subsequently been turned into a branch library for the Hunterdon County Library system. This station has no weekend service.
Lebanon is a NJ Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line in Lebanon, New Jersey. There is a station building on the north side of the tracks. It was designed in 1899 by New York City architect Bradford Gilbert for the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The southern track is no longer in use and the stop has no weekend service. The station was purchased by the town in 1978.
Annandale is the penultimate station heading westbound on New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line, located in the Annandale section of Clinton Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. The station is located just off interchange 18 of Interstate 78 at the junction of Main Street and East Street. The final stop before High Bridge, it has one low-level side platform, with a shelter, 77 parking spaces and bicycle racks.
High Bridge is a railway station in High Bridge, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. The station is the western terminus of the New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line. The next station eastward is Annandale. The parking lot for the station is located one block to the west. The station only uses the southern track for inbound and outbound trains. The former Central Railroad of New Jersey station house, constructed in 1913, is currently used for storage and there is a covered waiting area under the building canopy. This station has no weekend service.
The Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource is a list of 53 New Jersey Transit stations in New Jersey entered into the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places in 1984 for their architectural, historical, and cultural merit.
Phillipsburg Union Station is an active railroad station museum, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, United States, at 178 South Main Street. Opened in 1914, Union Station was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W) and shared with the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) and was situated where the lines merged before the bridge crossing the Delaware River. Designed by Frank J. Nies, the architect who produced many of DL&W stations now listed state and federal registers of historic places, the 2+1⁄2 story, 3 bay brick building is unusual example of a union station and a representation of early 20th century Prairie style architecture. The Phillipsburg Union Signal Tower, or PU Tower, is nearby, also restored to its original form, and available for tours.
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.
