Secaucus Junction

Last updated

Secaucus
Njt4.jpg
Upper level platforms of Secaucus Junction
General information
Other namesFrank R. Lautenberg Rail Station at Secaucus Junction
LocationCounty Road & County Avenue
Secaucus, New Jersey
Coordinates 40°45′41″N74°04′32″W / 40.76127917328393°N 74.07569111593966°W / 40.76127917328393; -74.07569111593966
Owned by New Jersey Transit
Line(s)
Platforms
Tracks8
Connections
Construction
Platform levels2
Parking1,080 spaces, 14 accessible spaces [3]
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone1
History
OpenedDecember 15, 2003 (December 15, 2003)
Passengers
201726,298 (average weekday) [4] [5] Increase2.svg 12.2%
Services
Preceding station NJT logo.svg NJ Transit Following station
Newark Penn Station
toward Trenton
Northeast Corridor Line New York
Terminus
Newark Penn Station
toward Bay Head
North Jersey Coast Line
Newark Penn Station
toward High Bridge
Raritan Valley Line
limited service
Newark Broad Street
toward Hackettstown
Montclair-Boonton Line
weekdays
Morristown Line
Newark Broad Street
toward Gladstone
Gladstone Branch
limited service
Wood-Ridge Pascack Valley Line Hoboken
Terminus
Kingsland
toward Suffern
Main Line
Rutherford
toward Suffern
Bergen County Line
Meadowlands
Terminus
Meadowlands Rail Line
special event service
Preceding station MTA NYC logo.svg Metro-North Railroad Following station
Ramsey Route 17
toward Port Jervis
Port Jervis Line Hoboken
Terminus

Secaucus Junction (signed as Secaucus) is an intermodal transit hub operated by New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) in Secaucus, New Jersey. It is one of the busiest railway stations in North America.

Contents

The $450 million, 321,000-square-foot (29,800 m2) station opened on December 15, 2003. It was known as Secaucus Transfer during planning stages and was dedicated as the Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station at Secaucus Junction. U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, who died in 2013, was a transit advocate who had worked to allocate federal funds for the project. [6]

The station is on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) five miles west of New York Penn Station and five miles east of Newark Penn Station. At Secaucus, the NEC crosses above the Main Line, which originates/terminates at Hoboken Terminal; the station allows passengers to transfer between the two lines. The station is served by all NJ Transit rail lines except for the Atlantic City Line and the Princeton Branch. Amtrak trains run through Secaucus but do not stop.

A bus terminal was built at the station in 2016.

Purpose and history

Secaucus Junction's lower level platforms Secaucus Junction lower level.jpg
Secaucus Junction's lower level platforms

NJ Transit's rail operations are split between two divisions, a legacy of their roots in separate railroads. The Hoboken Division consists of lines formerly part of the Erie Lackawanna Railway and its predecessors, while the Newark Division lines had once been part of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey. Conrail ran both networks under contract to the New Jersey Department of Transportation from 1976 until handing them to NJ Transit in 1983. While the opening of the Kearny Connection and Waterfront Connection in 1996 allowed for the implementation of some interdivisional trains, including the "Midtown Direct" service to New York Penn Station on the Hoboken Division's Morris & Essex Lines, direct passenger transfers between the divisions were still not possible. Secaucus Junction was built to integrate the two systems and allow for transfers between trains on each division.[ citation needed ]

The two-track Northeast Corridor embankment was expanded to three tracks for a mile on each side of the station and to four tracks through the station itself, allowing Amtrak and nonstop NJT trains to pass stopped trains. The two-track Bergen County Line was re-aligned southwestward to join the two-track Main Line to pass through the station on the four-track lower level. The construction required the bodies from the Hudson County Burial Grounds to be disinterred and moved to another cemetery. [7]

The station was built with little public parking, as NJT believed few passenger trips would originate there. In 2005, exit 15X on the adjacent New Jersey Turnpike opened to provide easier access to the station; two years later, it was the least-used interchange on the turnpike, possibly due in part to the lack of parking at the station. [8] Despite NJT's prediction that the station would be used primarily for transfers, in 2008 an upscale "transit-oriented" housing development called Xchange at Secaucus Junction opened nearby with 799 units marketed toward Manhattan commuters, and is expected to expand to 1,538 total units by 2024. [9] [10] On June 1, 2009, Edison Parkfast, a private company, opened the first parking lot near the station, [11] with space for 1,094 cars. Bicycle parking is also available. [12]

On July 26, 2009, NJ Transit began rail service to the Meadowlands station at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, with Secaucus Junction being a transfer point for passengers. [13] From 2009 to 2014, Secaucus Junction served trains coming from Metro-North's New Haven Line for New York Giants and New York Jets football games at the Meadowlands with 1:00 p.m. kickoffs on Sundays. [14] [15] In anticipation of increased ridership for Super Bowl XLVIII in February 2014, NJT extended the lower level platforms at Secaucus Junction by 120 ft (37 m) to accommodate multi-level 10-car train sets which could handle about 1,400 to 1,800 passengers per trip. [16] The capacity to handle crowds, a plan dubbed the Mass Transit Super Bowl, was seen as unsuccessful.

On June 5, 2013, two days after his death, a special Amtrak train stopped at the station to carry the coffin of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg to Washington, D.C. for his burial. [17] On February 2, 2014, a limited number of Amtrak trains made stops at Secaucus for passengers going to Super Bowl XLVIII. [18] Local officials have indicated a desire to have regular Amtrak service stop at Secaucus Junction after American Dream Meadowlands opened in October 2019, [19] however, as of 2022, this has not been implemented.

Bus-train transfer plaza Secaucus Junction Bus Plaza station entrance.jpg
Bus-train transfer plaza

In March 2016, a new bus station with 14 bus berths opened; it is used for intermodal connections and was intended to add redundancy to the transportation network. [20] In 2021 NJ Transit authorized studies for alternative options between the Meadowlands Sports Complex and Secaucus Junction including a bus "transitway". [21] [22] [23] Further funding for design was approved in 2023 for an exclusive bus transitway planned to go into service for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [24]

Station layout

Concourse at Secaucus Junction Secaucus Junction concourse October 2023.jpeg
Concourse at Secaucus Junction

Despite its name, Secaucus Junction is not a true junction, in which trains can switch between lines; there is no rail connection between the upper and lower levels. The station has two platform levels connected by a third level on top. [25] Such a loop, however, is proposed as part of the Gateway Project to improve commuter access to Manhattan.

Proposed New York City Subway extension

On November 16, 2010, The New York Times reported that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration was working on a plan to bring the 7 and <7> trains of the New York City Subway under the Hudson River to Secaucus Junction. [26] [27] An extension of that service from Times Square – 42nd Street to a new terminus at Eleventh Avenue and 34th Street, has already been built. [28] [29]

The extension would take the subway outside the city's and New York's borders and under the Hudson River for the first time. The plan would alleviate pressure on the NJ Transit/Amtrak route under the Hudson, after the cancellation of the Access to the Region's Core tunnel project by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in October 2010. It would offer a direct route to Grand Central Terminal on the east side of Manhattan, while connecting with most other subway routes. New York City spent $250,000 for a consultant to conduct feasibility studies for the project. However, no design work commenced nor were financing arrangements made. [30] On October 26, 2011, Bloomberg reiterated his support for the project, while Christie also expressed general concurrence. [31] [32] In April 2013, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority rejected the proposed extension, citing lack of funding. [33] However, it was reconsidered again in 2018. [34] [35]

Gateway Project

The Gateway Project, a series of infrastructure improvements along the NEC between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station, includes a proposal to build the so-called Secaucus Loop or Bergen Loop, tracks connecting the Main Line and the NEC at Secaucus, thus creating a true junction station. As part of the second phase of the Gateway Project, the loop is projected to be constructed between 2024 and 2030. [36]

SecaucusJunction.png
View of Secaucus Junction from the western Hudson Palisades

See also

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References

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  10. Waterside At Xchange’s Curtain Wall Nears Completion in Secaucus, New Jersey, New York YIMBY, Oct. 3, 2023
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Google Maps Street View
Searchtool.svg Upper Concourse Level
Searchtool.svg South Lower Level Concourse
Searchtool.svg Platform A/B, 2, & 3 (Upper Level)
Searchtool.svg Platforms E/F & G/H (Lower Level)
Searchtool.svg Bus Terminal/Plaza
Searchtool.svg Station from New Jersey Turnpike