Roebling station

Last updated
Roebling
Roebling Station.jpg
Platform at Roebling station in April 2015, facing southwest
General information
Location1499 Hornberger Avenue
Roebling, New Jersey
Coordinates 40°7′1″N74°46′13″W / 40.11694°N 74.77028°W / 40.11694; -74.77028
Owned by New Jersey Transit
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg NJ Transit Bus: 409
Construction
Parking215 spaces, 10 accessible spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone1
History
Openedc.1907 (PRR station)
March 15, 2004 (2004-03-15) (River Line station) [1]
Closed1950s (PRR station)
Services
Preceding station NJT logo.svg NJ Transit Following station
Florence River Line Bordentown
toward Trenton
Location
Roebling station

Roebling station is a station on the River Line light rail system, located in Roebling, New Jersey. The station opened on March 15, 2004 together with the line. A previous station, operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad, was located at the site from around 1907 until the 1950s. The station consists of one side platform serving the single-track line; an adjacent parking lot originally intended to support nearby developments is used by local commuters.

Contents

History

PRR station

The Camden and Amboy Railroad opened through what is now Roebling in 1834; there was no stop at the modern site, which was then undeveloped, nor at Kinkora just to the east, where the Kinkora Branch met the main line. The Roebling Steel Mill complex was built in 1904–1905 along the line, which was then the Pennsylvania Railroad's Amboy Division. [2]

The PRR opened a Knickerbocker Row station in Roebling about three years after the factory; it was soon renamed to Roebling in May 1907. [3] It was located at the corner of Hornberger Avenue and Railroad Avenue across the tracks from the modern station site and served a "large business" of passenger and freight traffic. [4] By 1915 the station saw seventeen daily passenger trains and seven daily mail trains; half-hourly service was available on a trolley line which ran slightly to the west, crossing the railroad at Roland Street. [5] One of the most important buildings in Roebling, it was used as a wayfinding landmark. [6]

Like most stations on the line, the Roebling station was a small wooden structure with a gabled roof. A separate small wooden platform was in place for boarding trains. [7] Like many lines, the Amboy division lost passenger traffic to cars and freight traffic to trucks. The last passenger service to Roebling was in the 1950s; passenger service on the line ended in 1963. [7] [8] The mill closed in 1974, and the station was demolished around the same time. [8] [9]

River Line station

In the 1990s, New Jersey Transit began planning a diesel light rail line, the Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit System (SNJLRTS). After alternative routes were discarded, it was determined that it would run along the original Camden and Amboy line, by then owned by Conrail as the Bordentown Secondary. Two stations were planned to serve Florence Township: Florence park and ride station, and a Roebling station with fewer parking spaces, intended to serve local riders and support transit-oriented development at the former mill site. [8] [10] The station is walkable from the dense Roebling-built rowhouses near by, as well as much of Florence proper; the area was considered to be supportive of transit use, with 550 daily boardings projected by 2020. [8]

After several years of construction, the River Line including Roebling station opened on March 15, 2004. [11] [1] In September 2004, additional early morning service from Florence and Roebling to Trenton was introduced to serve riders from Florence Township bound to Newark and New York who transfer to Northeast Corridor Line services at Trenton. [11]

The planned redevelopment of the mill site has been slower than originally expected by local officials; by late 2014, only preliminary work to widen Hornberger Avenue and streamline the permitting process had begun. [12] This has limited the utilization of the station: the 215-space parking lot was designed for expansion to 500 spaces, but by 2010 average weekday usage was 26.5% (57 spaces) – one of the lowest usage rates on the NJT system. [8] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MARC Train</span> U.S. passenger rail system in Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area

MARC is a commuter rail system in the Washington–Baltimore area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and operated under contract by Alstom and Amtrak on track owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Amtrak. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,860,600, or about 12,400 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023, less than pre-COVID-19 pandemic weekday ridership of 40,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Line (NJ Transit)</span> Light rail line in Southern New Jersey, USA

The River Line is a hybrid rail line in southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey's capital. It is so named because its route between the two cities is parallel to the Delaware River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Corridor Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and New York

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 United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) was a United States-based railroad company established in 1872. It was formed by the consolidation of three existing companies: the Camden and Amboy Railroad, Delaware and Raritan Canal Company, and New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company. The Camden and Amboy and New Jersey Rail Road were among the earliest North American railroads. The Pennsylvania Railroad leased the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company in 1872.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA Regional Rail</span> Commuter rail service in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite towns and cities. It is the sixth-busiest commuter railroad in the United States, and the busiest outside of the New York, Chicago, and Boston metropolitan areas. In 2016, the Regional Rail system had an average of 132,000 daily riders and 118,800 daily riders as of 2019.

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

Princeton is the northern terminus of the Princeton Branch commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit (NJT), and is located on the Princeton University campus in Princeton, New Jersey. At the branch's southern end at Princeton Junction, connections are available to NJT's Northeast Corridor Line and peak-hour Amtrak trains. The shuttle train between the two stations is known as the "Dinky", and has also been known as the "PJ&B", for "Princeton Junction and Back". Now running 2.7 mi (4.3 km) along a single track, it is the shortest scheduled commuter rail line in the United States. Initial studies have been conducted to add a bus transitway along the Dinky right-of-way as part of a proposed bus rapid transit system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenton Transit Center</span> Train station in Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton Transit Center is the main passenger train station in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the southernmost stop in New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor. It is the terminus for NJ Transit trains to and from New York City and SEPTA Trenton Line Regional Rail trains to and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and an intermediate station for Amtrak trains traveling between the two cities along the Northeast Corridor.

The National Railway or National Air Line Railroad was a planned air-line railroad between New York City and Washington, D.C. in the United States around 1870. Part of it was eventually built from New York City to Philadelphia by the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad and the Delaware River Branch of the North Pennsylvania Railroad, leased by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, in 1879, and becoming its New York Branch. The line was intended to provide an alternate to the various monopolies that existed along the route, specifically the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Companies and their Camden and Amboy Railroad, and as such had a long struggle to be built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivy Ridge station</span> SEPTA Regional Rail station

Ivy Ridge station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at Umbria Street and Parker Avenue in Northwest Philadelphia, it serves the Manayunk/Norristown Line. The initial station was built in a minimalist design similar to that of Elm Street, Norristown. The current station has a 204-space parking lot. In FY 2013, Ivy Ridge station had a weekday average of 602 boardings and 582 alightings.

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

Rahway station is an NJ Transit train station in Rahway, New Jersey that is located 20.7 miles southwest of New York Penn Station, with service on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Brunswick station</span> NJ Transit and Amtrak station

New Brunswick is an active commuter railroad train station in the city of New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The station services trains of New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line and Amtrak's Keystone Service and Northeast Regional. For New Jersey Transit trains, the next station to the southwest is Jersey Avenue, while the next station to the northeast is Edison. For Amtrak services, the next station southwest is Princeton Junction, the next station to the northeast is Metropark. The station consists of two handicap-accessible side platforms surrounding the four tracks.

The Bordentown Secondary was originally a freight railroad line in New Jersey, running from Pavonia Yard in Camden to Trenton. Today, a large portion of the line from Bordentown to Camden is used for New Jersey Transit's River Line light rail service. Conrail Shared Assets Operations continues to operate freight trains on the line, but these operations are restricted to overnight hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roebling, New Jersey</span> Populated place in Burlington County, New Jersey, US

Roebling is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Florence Township, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that was established as part of the 2010 United States census. As of the 2000 United States census, the CDP was combined as Florence-Roebling, which had a total population of 8,200. As of the 2010 Census, the Florence-Roebling CDP was split into its components, Florence and Roebling. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the Florence CDP was 4,426.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Philadelphia station</span> Railway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

North Philadelphia station is an intercity rail and regional rail station on the Northeast Corridor, located on North Broad Street in the North Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. SEPTA Regional Rail's Trenton Line and Chestnut Hill West Line account for most of the station's service. Three Amtrak trains, two southbound and one northbound, stop on weekdays only.

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

Middletown is a passenger railway station for New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Located along both sides of Church Street in Middletown, the station is the only active station within the township.

The Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad was a railroad in southeastern Pennsylvania that is now a part of the SEPTA commuter rail system as the Fox Chase Branch. Despite the name, it only ever extended between Philadelphia and Newtown, Pennsylvania.

The Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belle Mead station</span> Railway station in Montgomery Township, US

Belle Mead station is a train station along the CSX Trenton Subdivision and former New Jersey Transit West Trenton Line in the Belle Mead section of Montgomery Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence (CDP), New Jersey</span> Populated place in Burlington County, New Jersey, US

Florence is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Florence Township, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that was established as part of the 2010 United States Census. As of the 2000 United States Census, the CDP was combined as Florence-Roebling, which had a total population of 8,200. As of the 2010 Census, the Florence-Roebling CDP was split into its components, Roebling and Florence. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the Florence CDP was 4,426.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John A. Roebling's Sons Company, Trenton N.J., Block 3</span> United States historic place

John A. Roebling's Sons Company, Trenton N.J., Block 3 is the northern portion of the former Roebling manufacturing complex in Trenton, New Jersey. The buildings date from 1908–1929 and the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 22, 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 Mulvihill, Geoff (March 15, 2004). "Smooth Sailing for Light Rail on First Day of Operation". The Courier-News . Bridgewater, New Jersey. Associated Press. p. A3. Retrieved February 23, 2019 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. "Roebling Village Historic District". Delaware River Greenway Partnership. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  3. Baer, Christopher T. (March 2005). "PRR CHRONOLOGY 1907" (PDF). The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  4. Garrison, Winton C. (1909). The Industrial Directory of New Jersey. Trenton, New Jersey: Bureau of Statistics of New Jersey. pp. 391–392.
  5. Low, George C. (1915). The Industrial Directory of New Jersey. Trenton, New Jersey: Bureau of Statistics of New Jersey. pp. 3463–464.
  6. Plummer, Loren P. Jr. (1921). Bulletin 21 (Geologic Series): A List of Bench Marks in New Jersey, Revised to 1920 (PDF). Division of Geology and Waters, Department of Conservation and Development, State of New Jersey. p. 18.
  7. 1 2 Friends of Roebling (2007). Roebling Revisited. Arcadia. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-7385-5001-5.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Transit Village Design in Burlington County" (PDF). Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. March 2002. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  9. "Historic Aerials by NETR Online". Nationwide Environmental Title Research. 1971.
  10. "Transportation". Township of Florence. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  11. 1 2 "RIVER LINE RIDERSHIP REACHES 3 MILLION: Strong summer ridership to attractions in Trenton, Camden and Philadelphia" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  12. Rojas, Cristina (1 October 2014). "Florence sets out to improve Roebling entrance, pave way for steel mill redevelopment". NJ.com. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  13. "Targeting Transit: Assessing Development Opportunities Around New Jersey's Transit Stations" (PDF). New Jersey Future. September 2012. p. 32. Retrieved 14 February 2015.