Madison station (NJ Transit)

Last updated

Madison
Madison, NJ, train station platform.jpg
Madison station in Madison, New Jersey
General information
Location47 Kings Road, Madison, New Jersey, U.S.
Owned by NJ Transit
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Connections NJ Transit Bus : 873
Construction
Parking413 spaces (10 accessible)
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code426 (Delaware, Lackawanna and Western) [1]
Fare zone11
History
OpenedSeptember 17, 1837 (preliminary trip) [2]
September 28, 1837 (regular service) [3]
RebuiltJanuary 1, 1879 [4]
January 1915 [5] April 17, 1916 [6]
ElectrifiedDecember 18, 1930 [7]
Key dates
April 19151879 depot razed [8]
Passengers
20171,536 (average weekday) [9] [10]
Services
Preceding station NJT logo.svg NJ Transit Following station
Convent Station
toward Hackettstown
Morristown Line Chatham
toward New York or Hoboken
Former services
Preceding station Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Following station
Convent
toward Buffalo
Main Line Chatham
toward Hoboken
Madison Station
Madison NJ train station.jpg
Madison station's southern side in 2007
Location Madison, New Jersey, U.S.
Coordinates 40°45′25.3″N74°24′54.7″W / 40.757028°N 74.415194°W / 40.757028; -74.415194
Built1916
Architect Frank J. Nies
Architectural styleCollegiate Gothic
NRHP reference No. 84002764 [11]
Location
Madison station (NJ Transit)

Madison station is a NJ Transit station in Madison, New Jersey. It is located on the Morristown Line.

Contents

In 1984, the station was listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places as part of the Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource. [11] [12] [13]

The station was built in 1916 after the local government passed an ordinance for $159,000 (equivalent to $3,076,000in 2023) with the cooperation of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in the planning of the depot. Much of the road grading caused by the track elevation was funded by private contributions.

History

19th century

Madison station before the track elevation Madison NJ.png
Madison station before the track elevation

The rail line that currently runs through Madison, New Jersey was founded in 1835 with the Morris and Essex Railroad charter, which was approved by the New Jersey State Legislature on January 29. [14] As part of an agreement during the surveying process, the Morris and Essex was required to stop all trains in Madison. [2] The agreement was finalized in January 1836 by the local Presbyterian Church on a hill near present-day Kings Road. [15] [16] The service ran from Newark to nearby Morristown, and Madison was one of only three regular stops along with the stops at Orange station and Millburn station. On September 17, 1837, the first passenger train began at the station. [2] run by horses. The two horse-drawn rail car would serve 30 people for several months, soon replaced by a locomotive known as the "Orange", built by Seth Boyden. [16] [17]

Madison station was initially a local shack that was used for railroad services near a turntable. Despite having a standing station in Madison, passengers were allowed to use a white handkerchief to flag down the train for a stop. [16] The station also served as the temporary terminus of the Morris and Essex, since the line to Morristown was not completed until January 1, 1838. [17]

In September 1843, local Madison residents obtained authorization for the construction of a new station at the site of the present-day intersection of Waverly Place and Kings Road. By 1860, an upgrade was needed once again when Samuel Tuttle, the pastor at Madison Presbyterian Church and Lathrop had the Lackawanna expand facilities at Madison. Upgrading the station required moving it to Madison's municipal hall. The railroad and Madison shared the entire $12,000 (equivalent to $332,000in 2023) relocation cost.

In 1861, the railroad track through Madison was upgraded from older wooden ties to stronger ones built for better equipment. Construction of a second track in Madison began in 1867. In December 1868, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad took control of the Morris and Essex Railroad, which was struggling financially. [16]

1877 fire

Madison station depot and several neighboring facilities were damaged in an October 21, 1877 fire, which broke out in the feed room of a local grocery store on Waverly Place. After someone busted open a door to get to the fire, the winds soon engulfed the grocery and other nearby buildings, including the local YMCA and the house of G.W. Squier, a local resident. Another local resident, along with a cigar store, were also claimed in the fire. After the fire consumed Squier's house, the flames moved to the railroad station in under ten minutes. All the tickets and baggage within the depot were saved from the flames. However, the station was a total loss. The debris from the ruined Madison station were removed on October 22. Plans for a new station were being formulated by October 27. [18]

Frustration began to develop in Madison by January 1878 about the lack of construction of a new depot. In the meantime, baggage and ticket services at Madison were being dealt with across the tracks, resulting in people having to cross the tracks, a dangerous proposition. [19] Frustration manifested through February and into March, [20] A pile of stones came to the site of the burned out depot by early March 1878, however locals believed the railroad was not going to begin construction any time soon. [21] However, by March 16, lime had arrived for the preparation of construction of a new depot, which would begin within the next week. [22] A local citizen of prominence contacted Lackawanna, demanding a depot be put up soon or at least a structure for reasonable service. [23] The platform was flagged for construction in November 1878 and completed on January 1, 1879. [6] [24]

20th century

The Lackawanna wired the depot for electricity in March 1903. [25]

In August 1913, the Lackawanna Railroad bought up around $250,000 (equivalent to $5,671,000in 2023) worth of local property between Chatham and Madison. The land, which totaled 1149 acres (60 ha), along with a full house, was purchased through Alexander Eagle's local firm. The Madison Eagle speculated that the buyouts were for the straightening of railroad tracks between Madison and Chatham. The real estate agency noted that the railroad had been quietly purchasing land rather than doing it so publicly. A survey done several years prior noted that one lot, which took up 65 acres (26 ha), would result in several rooms of the owner's house being removed. [26]

In December 1913, George J. Ray, the chief engineer of the Lackawanna Railroad attended a meeting of the Madison borough council. The engineer explained to the borough about how each phase of the track elevation would go. A new railroad station would be built on the southern side of the tracks at the intersection of Green and Maple Avenues. A park would surround part of the station. The new station would have reasonable parkway space and approaches from Waverly Place, Green and Maple Avenues and Prospect Street. The project would include beautification of local lawns near the depot. A tunnel would connect each side of the tracks, which including a waiting room on the northern side of the tracks. The southern side would across include a baggage and express carriageway for travelers. [27]

Under this design, the railroad grade crossings at Union, Samson and Madison Avenues, Kings and Green Village Roads, Prospect and Elm Streets, along with Waverly Place would become underpasses for the road to cross under the tracks. Division Street and Ridgedale Avenue would have their crossings abandoned rather than replaced, and Prospect Street would be widened from the station to Main Street. Prospect Street would have sidewalks 60 feet (18 m) long under the overpass. Kings Road would be closed across the tracks, but the local sidewalks would remain open. Woodland Avenue would be extended by the railroad from Division Avenue to Lafayette Avenue in Chatham. Union Avenue would get a 50-by-34-foot (15 m × 10 m) with two sidewalks. The rest of the roads were to cross the tracks with steel girder bridges. [27]

Ridgedale Avenue's closing was met with opposition by the mayor-elect of Madison, Benyew D. Philhower. Philhower lived near the crossing and felt that if Ridgedale was closed, there would be no crossing between Madison and Elm. Ray disputed that Ridgedale was studied and that less than 300 vehicles used the crossing, which would have been an 11 percent grade going on an overpass and 10 percent in an underpass. This would cause problems with the Ridgedale and Madison junction nearby and add $100,000 to the $1 million cost of the project. [27]

Talks between the borough of Madison and the Lackawanna Railroad broke down late in December 1913. Despite the railroad offering extra concessions on the Madison station depot (concrete ballast floors on all bridges and concreting the Waverly Place and Green Village Road crossings). The railroad would also provide drainage and sewers at Prospect Street and Green Avenue along with some property on Kings Road. President of the Lackawanna Railroad, William Truesdale offered these changes only if the borough accepted them after complaints. However, this was turned down by the borough. The negotiations came to a close. [28]

The new station was under construction by early 1916. [29]

Station layout and services

Madison station is a two-track railroad station along New Jersey Transit's Morristown Line, a part of the Morris and Essex Lines. The station is two-levels with two low-level side platforms that include mini-high-level platforms. There are two ticket vending machines in the walkway tunnel under the platforms. The station also has a part-time ticket office, open only from 5:30 am to 9:00 am on Monday through Friday and closed entirely on weekends. Madison has three parking lots, all on Kings Road and Prospect Street, including 413 parking spaces. Of these, ten are accessible for handicapped persons in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Two lots offer daily parking, and all three have permit-only parking run by the borough of Madison. The station also has bicycle racks and lockers. [30] The station is in fare zone 11. [31]

NJ Transit manages a bus connection at Madison station, the 873, which runs six days a week (excluding Sunday) from Parsippany–Troy Hills to Livingston. [31] [32] A private bus connection operated by Boxcar Transit runs weekdays from Madison station to and from Midtown Manhattan. [33]

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morristown Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey

The Morristown Line is an NJ Transit commuter rail line connecting Morris and Essex counties to New York City, via either New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal. Out of 60 inbound and 58 outbound daily weekday trains, 28 inbound and 26 outbound Midtown Direct trains use the Kearny Connection to Penn Station; the rest go to Hoboken. Passengers can transfer at Newark Broad Street or Summit to reach the other destination. On rail system maps the line is colored dark green, and its symbol is a drum, a reference to Morristown's history during the American Revolution.

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

Newark Broad Street station is a New Jersey Transit commuter rail and light rail station at 25 University Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. Built in 1903, the station's historic architecture includes an elegant clock tower and a brick and stone façade on the station's main building. In June 1984, the station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historical significance.

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

Summit is a train station in Summit, New Jersey, served by New Jersey Transit's Morris & Essex Lines. The station sits between Union Place on the north and Broad Street on the south, with station access via either side, and between Summit Avenue on the east and Maple Avenue on the west. Constructed in 1904–1905 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in a mile-long open cut, it is one of the few NJ Transit stations with platforms below street level.

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

Orange is an active commuter railroad train station in the city of Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. One of two stops in the city, it is served by New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex Lines: the Morristown Line to Hackettstown and the Gladstone Branch to Gladstone for trains from New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal. Orange station contains two low-level side platforms and three tracks.

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

South Orange is a New Jersey Transit station in South Orange, New Jersey along the Morris and Essex rail line. It is located in the business district of South Orange, near its town hall. It is one of two train stations in the township of South Orange, Mountain Station being the other near the township border. South Orange station was built by the Lackawanna Railroad in 1916.

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

Maplewood is a train station that serves New Jersey Transit's Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch in the township of Maplewood, Essex County, New Jersey. Located in "The Village" in Maplewood at 145 Dunnell Road, the station services trains from New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal to the east along with trains to Summit, Dover, Hackettstown and Gladstone to the west.

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

Millburn is a New Jersey Transit station in Millburn, New Jersey along the Morristown and Gladstone lines.

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

Chatham is a railway station in Chatham, New Jersey. A commuter rail station, Chatham receives rail service from statewide provider NJ Transit on its Morristown Line, a branch of the Morris & Essex Lines. Trains on the Morristown Line go to both Hoboken Terminal and New York Penn Station.

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

Lake Hopatcong is a commuter railroad station for New Jersey Transit. The station, located in the community of Landing in Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States, serves trains for the Montclair-Boonton Line and Morristown Line at peak hours and on holiday weekends. Service from Lake Hopatcong is provided to/from Hackettstown to New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal. The stop is located on the tracks below Landing Road next to the eponymous Lake Hopatcong. The station consists of one active platform with shelter, and an abandoned side platform. There is no accessibility for handicapped people.

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

Watsessing Avenue station is a New Jersey Transit rail station in Bloomfield, New Jersey, along the Montclair-Boonton Line. It is located beneath the Bloomfield Police Benevolent Association meeting hall near the corner of Watsessing Avenue and Orange Street in Bloomfield. It is one of two stations on the line where the boarding platform is below ground level. The Watsessing station and the Kingsland station in Lyndhurst on the Main Line shared similar designs and were built about the same time.

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

Glen Ridge is a New Jersey Transit station at the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and Ridgewood Avenue in Glen Ridge, Essex County, New Jersey along the Montclair-Boonton Line. Service through Glen Ridge comes from Hoboken Terminal and New York Penn Station and goes through to one of four termini, Bay Street, Montclair State University, Dover and Hackettstown. The station depot is on-grade level with Ridgewood Avenue, with the platform and tracks below street-level.

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

Roseville Avenue was a transfer station on New Jersey Transit's Morris & Essex Lines in Newark, New Jersey, United States. The station was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1903 as part of a project to lower the tracks below the road surface to eliminate grade crossings. It serviced Newark's Roseville neighborhood. It once had two tracks on the Lackawanna mainline and two low-wall platforms, with an additional platform along the Montclair Branch. The station remained in service during most of the 20th century, until New Jersey Transit closed the station on September 16, 1984.

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

Kingsland is a railroad station on New Jersey Transit's Main Line. It is located under Ridge Road (Route 17) between New York and Valley Brook Avenues in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, and is one of two stations in Lyndhurst. The station is not staffed, and passengers use ticket vending machines (TVMs) located at street level to purchase tickets. The station is not handicapped-accessible. Originally part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's Boonton Branch, the current Kingsland station was built in 1918.

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

Lyndhurst is a New Jersey Transit rail station located off of New York Avenue in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. The station is one of two in Lyndhurst, the other being Kingsland station. The Lyndhurst station is located at milepost 8.2 on the Main Line.

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

Passaic is a NJ Transit rail station served by Main Line trains in Passaic, New Jersey. The station is located in the Passaic Park section of Passaic at an intersection that links Passaic Avenue and Van Houten Avenue with Lackawanna Place. The Hoboken bound platform is located on the Passaic Avenue side of the station and the Suffern bound platform is located at the intersection of Van Houten Avenue and Lackawanna Place. Pedestrian access to both platforms is available on Passaic Avenue, but an underpass is also available to connect both sides.

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

Ampere, formerly known as The Crescent, is a defunct stop on New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line in the city of East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. A station was first built there in 1890 to service to new Crocker Wheeler plant in the district. The stop was named in honor of André-Marie Ampère, a pioneer in electrodynamics and reconstructed as a new Renaissance Revival station in 1908. Ampere was the second stop on the branch west of Newark Broad Street Station until 1984, when the Roseville Avenue station was closed. In June of that year, the station, along with 42 others, was entered into the National Register of Historic Places. In 1986, after continuous deterioration, New Jersey Transit demolished the westbound shelter built in 1921. The agency discontinued rail service to Ampere on April 7, 1991. The entire station was demolished in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montclair-Boonton Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey

The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's Montclair Branch, which ran from Hoboken Terminal to Bay Street, Montclair. The Erie Railroad's Greenwood Lake Division, a segment from Montclair to Mountain View-Wayne, originally ran from the Jersey City Terminal to Greenwood Lake, NY, and the former Lackawanna Boonton Line ran from Hoboken to Hackettstown, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lackawanna Terminal (Montclair, New Jersey)</span> Railway station in Montclair, U.S.

Lackawanna Terminal is a former railroad terminal in the township of Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey. Built in 1913, the station was the terminal of the Montclair Branch of the Morris and Essex Lines. The station, boasting four platforms and six tracks, was built by William Hull Botsford, an architect who died in the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. The station opened on June 28, 1913 in a grand ceremony in Montclair. The station was used until March 2, 1981, when New Jersey Transit moved service to a single platform station at Bay Street. The station was converted to an enclosed shopping mall.

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

Harrison was a station on New Jersey Transit's Morris & Essex Lines in Harrison, New Jersey, United States. The station was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1906. It was situated between Newark Broad Street Station and Hoboken Terminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caldwell station</span> Rail station in Caldwell, New Jersey, U.S.

Caldwell station was the fourth of six stations on the Erie Railroad Caldwell Branch, located in Caldwell, New Jersey. The station was located on Bloomfield Avenue just north-east of Caldwell College. The station opened in 1891 as the terminus of the Caldwell Railroad, a branch of the New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad that forked off at Great Notch station in Little Falls, Passaic County.

References

  1. List of Station Numbers. Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (Report). 1952. p. 2.
  2. 1 2 3 "Morris and Essex is Seventy-Nine Years Old". The Madison Eagle. June 16, 1916. p. 10. Retrieved January 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. Walker 1902, p. 409.
  4. "Here is the First Picture of the New Station". The Madison Eagle. January 29, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved June 13, 2019 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. "Preparing for Foundation for New Madison Station". The Madison Eagle. January 15, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved June 13, 2019 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. 1 2 Taber & Taber 1980, pp. 96–97.
  7. "Lackawanna Electric Train Gets Ovations". The Paterson Morning Call. December 19, 1930. p. 34. Retrieved January 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  8. "Tearing Down the Old R. R. Station". The Madison Eagle. April 16, 1915. p. 7. Retrieved January 22, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. "QUARTERLY RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANALYSIS" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  10. Kiefer, Eric (February 21, 2018). "How Many Riders Use NJ Transit's Hoboken Train Station?". Hoboken Patch. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  12. Madison New Jersey Transit Railroad Station Survey
  13. Morris County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places
  14. New Jersey State Board of Assessors 1888, p. 58.
  15. Tuttle 1855, p. 72.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "First Train Was Horse-Drawn". The Madison-Florham Park Eagle. April 14, 1966. p. 4. Retrieved January 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  17. 1 2 Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen 1913, p. 533.
  18. "Fire! Fire!". The Madison Journal. October 27, 1877. p. 1. Retrieved January 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  19. "No steps have been taken yet..." The Madison Journal. January 19, 1878. p. 3. Retrieved January 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  20. "Are we going to have a depot?". The Madison Journal. February 9, 1878. p. 3. Retrieved January 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  21. "To a newcomer in Madison..." The Madison Journal. March 9, 1878. p. 5. Retrieved January 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  22. "We have heard from authentic sources..." The Madison Journal. March 16, 1878. p. 5. Retrieved January 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  23. "One of our prominent citizens". The Madison Journal. March 23, 1878. p. 5. Retrieved January 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  24. "The platform of the new depot is being flagged". The Madison Journal. November 9, 1878. p. 5. Retrieved January 24, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  25. "Local News". The Madison Eagle. March 27, 1903. p. 4. Retrieved January 27, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  26. "Property Worth About $250,000 Sold". The Madison Eagle. August 8, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved January 27, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  27. 1 2 3 "R.R. Improvement Ordinance Presented". The Madison Eagle. December 19, 1913. pp. 1, 8 . Retrieved January 27, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  28. "Railroad Ordinance Rejected --- Negotiations at End". The Madison Eagle. January 2, 1914. pp. 1–2 . Retrieved January 28, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  29. Gordon, Reginald (March 1916). "New Stations on the Lackawanna and New York Central". Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way. Vol. 12, no. 3. pp. 83–85.
  30. "Madison Station Information". njtransit.com. New Jersey Transit. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  31. 1 2 "Morris and Essex Timetable" (PDF). njtransit.com. New Jersey Transit. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  32. "873 Timetable" (PDF). njtransit.com. New Jersey Transit. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  33. Bush, Sabrina (August 13, 2018). "Sick of Transit? This App Boxcar Offers a Cure". New Jersey Monthly. Retrieved June 23, 2021.