The station opened on the Erie Railroad's New Jersey and New York Railroad Division on May29, 1904, as Williams Avenue, named after the street in Hasbrouck Heights that used to cross at the station. The station was one of two in Hasbrouck Heights, with the other station at Malcolm Avenue. The namesake street, Williams Avenue, was cut off at the railroad tracks in August1934. The station depot built at Williams Avenue burned on July10, 1916 and was replaced by an abandoned freight car to use as temporary structure. This would be replaced by an old passenger coach, which was in use through World War I.[6]
In 1967, as part of consolidation efforts, the railroad closed the Hasbrouck Heights station and demolished it due to construction of Route17.[8] Under NJ Transit, Teterboro had no weekend service, and with the exception for one late-night outbound local train from Hoboken. However, on November 8, 2020, NJ Transit introduced full weekend service.[9]
History
Around 5:00p.m. on June10, 1916, the station depot at Williams Avenue caught fire. By the time the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department had arrived, much of the station was already consumed by fire.[10] Due to limited hydrant locations in Hasbrouck Heights, the closest spot to access water was 0.3-mile (0.48km) away at Terrace Avenue. The Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department left their equipment on Terrace Avenue and grabbed hand extinguishers to put out the station fire. This approach did not work in reducing the fire, requiring the brigade to run back to Terrace Avenue and pump water from a hose to put the fire out. The Hackensack Fire Department also arrived at the fire on the request of the Erie Railroad and helped pump water from a nearby ditch to quell the fire. The station was a total loss once the flames were put out. The fire damage ruined the telegraph and telephone communications along the New Jersey and New York Railroad line. Authorities considered that the station fire was a case of arson rather than accidental.[10][11]
Rumors were immediate that the Erie Railroad was already considering closing the Williams Avenue station and not rebuild the station depot after the fire.[11] The railroad replaced the burned out structure with a box car to serve as a station depot by June20.[12] However, by June29, it was reported that the Erie Railroad had interest in building a new station without any delays.[13] Plans for a full station were drawn up for the railroad by July22.[14] Rumors were the station depot would be more attractive than the former station that caught fire.[15] While rumors broke that the Erie Railroad would begin construction of the new station soon after August23,[16] no construction began. In May1917, the railroad informed the borough that the construction could not begin because of World War I.[17]
The borough of Hasbrouck Heights appealed to the Board of Public Utility Commissioners in 1917 to force the Erie Railroad to build an adequate structure at Williams Avenue station. The railroad contested that the station, due to its low ridership, that the passenger coach that replaced the old box car would be sufficient for riders. The Board tossed Hasbrouck Heights' appeal in January1918, stating that with World War I going on, that they should appeal again under more normal circumstances. However, the Board also dismissed the Erie Railroad's petition to not have to build one at all, stating that the railroad must maintain an agent at Williams Avenue station. They added that the area around the station was growing and that there was no sign of declining ridership.[6]
Station layout
The station has one track and one low-level side platform four cars long to its east. Although it was formerly named Williams Avenue, that street dead-ends on the line on the opposite side of the platform (since August17, 1934)[18] which can only be accessed by Green Street that runs alongside it. Since there is no way to reach the station from its west side, customers from there often illegally crossed the tracks from the Williams Avenue dead-end to reach the platform. In February 2013, New Jersey Transit built a barbed-wire fence on this dead-end, forcing riders from the west side to loop around the station through Route 46 and Route 17, neither of which have sidewalks, to reach it.[19][20]
The platform has a wide painted yellow line below track level and a silver highway guard rail (with gaps to enter it) separating it from the 27-space parking lot that is in between it and Green Street. The southern end of the platform in the tiny area south of the parking lot's end has a bike rack for two behind a single wooden bench. There is a tiny silver shelter that has another bench next to the station's only ticket vending machine.
Commons Italics denote closed stations, stations under construction, and unused line segments. Stations north of Montvale are operated by Metro-North Railroad
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