NJ Transit Rail Operations( reporting mark NJTR) 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 [1] 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 lines operated by NJ Transit were formerly operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey, New York and Long Branch Railroad, and Erie Lackawanna Railroad, most of which date from the mid-19th century. From the 1960s onward, the New Jersey Department of Transportation began funding the commuter lines. By 1976, the lines were all operated by Conrail under contract to NJDOT. The system took its current form in 1983, when NJ Transit took over all commuter service in New Jersey. NJ Transit Rail Operations is divided into the Hoboken Division and the Newark Division. The two networks were not integrated until the opening of Secaucus Junction in 2003, which enabled passengers to transfer between lines bound for New York and Hoboken.
As of 2022, NJ Transit's commuter rail network consists of 12 lines and 165 stations, primarily concentrated in northern New Jersey, with one line running between Atlantic City and Philadelphia. [2]
Operations are in two divisions:
Lines | Terminals | ||
---|---|---|---|
Northeast Corridor Line | New York Penn Station | Trenton Jersey Avenue (some peak weekday trains) | |
Princeton Branch | Princeton Junction | Princeton | |
North Jersey Coast Line | New York Penn Station Hoboken Terminal (limited service) | Long Branch (electric service) Bay Head (diesel service) | |
Raritan Valley Line | Newark Penn Station (most trains) New York Penn Station (limited weekday trains) Hoboken Terminal (1 inbound weekday train) | Raritan (most trains) High Bridge (limited weekday trains) | |
Atlantic City Line | Philadelphia 30th Street Station | Atlantic City |
Lines | Terminals | ||
---|---|---|---|
Main Line | Hoboken Terminal | Suffern | |
Bergen County Line | Suffern (weekday service) Waldwick (weekend service) | ||
Pascack Valley Line | Spring Valley | ||
Port Jervis Line | Port Jervis | ||
Meadowlands Rail Line | Secaucus Junction Hoboken Terminal (limited service) | Meadowlands | |
Montclair-Boonton Line | Hoboken Terminal New York Penn Station (Midtown Direct service) | Montclair State University (weekday electric service) Hackettstown (limited weekday diesel service) Bay Street (weekend service) | |
Morristown Line | Dover (electric service) Hackettstown (limited weekday diesel service) | ||
Gladstone Branch | Hoboken Terminal (weekday service) New York Penn Station (Midtown Direct service, weekdays only) Summit (weekend service) | Gladstone |
Although NJ Transit itself does not carry freight, NJTR allows freight service to be operated over its lines via trackage rights agreements with several railroads. Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO), CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS) and several short lines (Cape May Seashore Lines (CMSL), Dover and Delaware River Railroad (DD), Morristown & Erie Railway (M&E), and Southern Railroad of New Jersey (SRNJ) currently have trackage rights contracts to operate freight service on NJ Transit lines. The Morristown & Erie Railway can only use NJT trackage to get between its owned trackage; it cannot serve customers on NJ Transit trackage. A similar situation exists for Conrail on the Atlantic City Line.
Below is a list of NJ Transit lines and freight lines that operate on them:
NJTR also owns several lines not used for regular passenger service. These lines were purchased by the New Jersey Department of Transportation in the late 1970s for railbanking purposes, with ownership transferring to NJ Transit upon its creation in 1979. These lines are either leased for freight/tourist service, interim rail trail use, or remain derelict:
NJT owns most of its tracks, infrastructure, bridges, tunnels and signals. The exceptions are:
NJ Transit's main storage and maintenance facility is the Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, New Jersey. Other major yard facilities are located at Hoboken Terminal. Amtrak's Sunnyside Yard in Queens, New York serves as a layover facility for trains to New York Penn Station. Additional yards are located at outlying points along the lines. These include: [3]
NJT has a fleet of maintenance crews and vehicles that repair tracks, spread ballast, deliver supplies and inspect infrastructure. There are eight non-revenue work diesels used for these purposes.
NJT utilizes numerous moveable bridges:
NJ Transit operates a fleet of 175 locomotives and over 1,200 passenger cars.
Builder and model | Photo | Numbers | Number active | Type | Built |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
EMD GP40PH-2 | 4100, 4101, 4109 | 3 | Diesel | 1968 | |
EMD GP40PH-2B | 4200–4219 | 19 | 1965–1969 | ||
EMD F40PH-2CAT | 4119, 4120 | 2 | 1981 | ||
Alstom PL42AC | 4000–4032 | 29 | 2005–2006 | ||
Bombardier ALP-46 | 4600–4628 | 29 | Electric | 2001–2002 | |
Bombardier ALP-46A | 4629–4664 | 36 | 2010–2011 | ||
Bombardier ALP-45DP | 4500–4534 | 60 | Dual-mode (electric and diesel) [4] | 2011–2012 | |
Bombardier/Alstom ALP-45A | 4535-4559 | 2021–present |
NJ Transit has a fleet of over 1,100 passenger cars. The fleet and examples are described below.
Builder and model | Photo | Numbers | Total | Built |
---|---|---|---|---|
GE Arrow III | 1304–1333 | 30 single cars (no lavatory) | 1977 | |
1334–1533 | 200 paired cars (lavatory in odd cars) | |||
Bombardier Comet II | 5300–5460 | 161 trailers (no lavatories) | 1982–1989 | |
Bombardier Comet IV | 5011–5031 | 21 cab cars (lavatory) | 1996 | |
5235–5264 | 30 trailers (lavatory) | |||
5535–5582 | 48 trailers (no lavatory) | |||
Alstom Comet V | 6000–6083 | 84 cab cars (lavatory) | 2002–2004 | |
6200–6213 | 14 trailers (lavatory) | |||
6500–6601 | 102 trailers (no lavatory) | |||
Bombardier MultiLevel Coach | 7000–7051 | 52 cab cars (lavatory) | 2006–2010 | |
7200–7298 | 99 trailers (lavatory) | |||
7500–7677 | 178 trailers (no lavatory) | |||
Bombardier MultiLevel Coach II | 7052–7061 | 10 cab cars (lavatory) | 2012–2013 | |
7678–7767 | 90 trailers (no lavatory) |
NJ Transit provides passenger service on 12 lines at total of 165 stations, some of which are operated in conjunction with Amtrak and Metro-North (MNCW). [5]
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It operates buses, light rail, and commuter rail services throughout the state, connecting to major commercial and employment centers both within the state and in its two adjacent major cities, New York City and Philadelphia. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 209,259,800.
Secaucus Junction is an intermodal transit hub served by New Jersey Transit and Metro-North Railroad in Secaucus, New Jersey. It is one of the busiest railway stations in North America.
The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad commuter trains between Trenton and New York, and is NJ Transit's busiest commuter rail service. After arrival at New York Penn Station, some trains load passengers and return to New Jersey, while others continue east to Sunnyside Yard for storage. Most servicing is done at the Morrisville Yard, at the west end of the line.
The Main Line is a commuter rail line owned and operated by New Jersey Transit running from Suffern, New York to Hoboken, New Jersey, in the United States. It runs daily commuter service and was once the north–south main line of the Erie Railroad. It is colored yellow on NJ Transit system maps, and its symbol is a water wheel.
Newark Penn 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 the United States, and the fourth busiest in the New York City metropolitan area.
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 Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either direction along the Main Line. It is colored on NJT system maps in grey, and its symbol is a cattail, which are commonly found in the Meadowlands where the line runs.
Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) is the commonly used name for modern-day Conrail, an American railroad company. It operates three networks, the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit Shared Assets Areas, where it serves as a contract local carrier and switching company for its owners, CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. When most of the former Conrail's track was split between these two railroads, the three shared assets areas were kept separate to avoid giving one railroad an advantage in those areas. The company operates using its own employees and infrastructure but owns no equipment outside MOW equipment.
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.
The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage that was controlled by both the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. It shares trackage with SEPTA and Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) until it crosses the Delaware River on Conrail's Delair Bridge into New Jersey.
The Port Jervis Line is a predominantly single-track commuter rail line running between Suffern and Port Jervis, in the U.S. state of New York. At Suffern, the line continues south into New Jersey on NJ Transit's Main Line. The line is operated by NJ Transit Rail Operations under a contract with Metro-North Railroad (MNRR).
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.
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.
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 NJ Transit; however, the land remains the property of Conrail Shared Assets Operations, which is in turn owned by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Corporation.
The Newark Drawbridge, also known as the Morristown Line Bridge, is a railroad bridge on the Passaic River between Newark and Harrison, New Jersey. The swing bridge is the 11th bridge from the river's mouth at Newark Bay and is 5.85 miles (9.41 km) upstream from it. Opened in 1903, it is owned and operated by New Jersey Transit.
Morristown & Erie Railway is a short-line railroad based in Morristown, New Jersey, chartered in 1895 as the Whippany River Railroad. It operates freight rail service in Morris County, New Jersey and surrounding areas on the original Whippany Line between Morristown and Roseland, as well as the Morris County-owned Dover & Rockaway Branch, Chester Branch, and High Bridge Branch. The M&E also operated the Maine Eastern Railroad from November 2003 to December 31, 2015.
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.
The Sawtooth Bridges are a pair of railroad bridges on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) known individually as Amtrak Bridge No. 7.80 and Amtrak Bridge No. 7.96. They are located in the Meadowlands in Kearny, New Jersey, between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction at a stretch where the rights-of-way of Amtrak, NJ Transit, PATH, and Conrail converge and re-align. The name refers to their appearance and the numbers refer to the milepoint (MP) from New York Penn Station. Originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, they are now owned and operated by Amtrak. They are slated for replacement as part of the Gateway Program, an infrastructure-improvement program along the NEC.
The Greenway is a planned state park and greenway in the northerneastern New Jersey counties of Essex and Hudson. It will follow an abandoned railroad right of way (ROW) across the New Jersey Meadowlands, over the Hackensack and Passaic rivers, as well pass through densely-populated neighborhoods. The nearly 9-mile (14 km) long shared-use linear park/rail trail will encompass about 135 acres (55 ha) and will average 100 feet (30 m) in width. Running between Jersey City and Montclair it will pass through Secaucus, Arlington in northern Kearny, North Newark, Belleville, Bloomfield and Glen Ridge. The initial phase in Newark and Kearny is expected to open in late 2025.