Transport of New Jersey

Last updated
Transport of New Jersey
Public Service Logo.gif
Public Service Logo
Overview
Owner Public Service Corporation
Area served New Jersey
Locale New Jersey
Transit type Tram and Bus
Operation
Began operation1917 (1917)
Ended operation1980;43 years ago (1980)

Transport of New Jersey (TNJ), earlier Public Service Transportation and then Public Service Coordinated Transport, was a street railway and bus company in the U.S. state of New Jersey from 1917 to 1980, when NJ Transit took over their operations. It was owned by the Public Service Corporation, now the Public Service Electric and Gas Company.

Contents

History

The Public Service-operated Edgewater, running the 125th Street Ferry route from Edgewater Ferry Terminal to 125th Street (Manhattan) in 1941 125th Street Ferry.jpg
The Public Service-operated Edgewater, running the 125th Street Ferry route from Edgewater Ferry Terminal to 125th Street (Manhattan) in 1941
Edgewater trolley terminal, early 20th century Edgewater old trolley terminal.jpg
Edgewater trolley terminal, early 20th century

The Public Service Railway operated most of the trolley lines in New Jersey by the early 20th century. Public Service lines stretched from northeast New Jersey to Trenton, and then south to Camden and its suburbs. Major parts of the system were:[ citation needed ]

Public Service Transportation was formed in 1917 as a bus-operating subsidiary of the Public Service Corporation, supplementing the Public Service Railway's trolley lines. In 1928, the operations of the two companies were merged to form Public Service Coordinated Transport. Over time, Public Service bustituted most routes.[ citation needed ]

The name was changed to Transport of New Jersey in 1971. PSE&G sold TNJ to New Jersey Transit Corporation in 1980. Although PSCT/TNJ had been a major profit center for PSE&G earlier in the century, PSE&G had increasingly felt chagrin at having to retain unprofitable routes, and believed the state could provide better service. PSE&G chairman Robert Smith said that he and his colleagues felt they were "getting rid of a headache." [1] Many of former PSCT/TNJ bus routes are still run by NJ Transit and even use the same number.[ citation needed ]

Following bustitution, the only streetcar route still in operation was the #7 line, in the form of the Newark City Subway. At the turn of the 21st century, the line was upgraded to operate new modern light rail cars, and was extended northward into Bloomfield. The system was renamed the Newark Light Rail. Additionally, a portion of an old spur tunnel to the abandoned Cedar Street Subway, another Public Service trolley conduit, has been rehabilitated and use to connect a second light rail line, which opened for service in 2006.[ citation needed ]

See also

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References

  1. Waldron, Martin (1980-09-18). "Jersey Acquires 2 Key Bus Lines For $32 Million; Byrne Describes Takeover as 'Truly Public Transit' Possible Rail Takeover 'Getting Rid of a Headache' Jersey Acquires Two Key Bus Lines". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-02-13.