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Asbury Park is an
NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
railway station in
Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188
, in Monmouth County,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, United States. It is served by trains on the
North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or com ...
. It is located along Cookman Avenue between Main Street and Memorial Drive. The current Asbury Park station is one of two original Asbury Park stations on the line. The North Asbury Park station still exists, but is no longer a station stop; the former station was located at the Sunset Avenue crossing.


History

Railroad service into Asbury Park began in 1875 with the construction of an extension of the
New York and Long Branch Railroad The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The railr ...
(NY&LB), a subsidiary of the
Central Railroad of New Jersey The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , 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 ...
and the
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
. The NY&LB began as a railroad between
Elizabethport Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
, Union County) to Long Branch, finished in 1875. The railroad was extended through the city of Asbury Park on August 25.
and Loch Arbour. Construction of the new station at Interlaken began in August 1889, with a projected cost of $10,000 (1889 
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
). Timber and staking came by August 27. Construction of the station at Interlaken finished and opened in late-June 1890. As a result of the new station at Interlaken, North Asbury Park station was closed by the railroad on November 23, 1890, despite please to keep it open. Passengers started using the Asbury Park station instead of the new depot at Interlaken, however. However, a new station opened at North Asbury Park in July 1892 at the cost of $8,000. A new agreement was signed between the railroad and the Campmeeting Association on August 1, 1904. This allowed Sunday service to begin at North Asbury Park station. The station at North Asbury Park getting Sunday service led to the discontinuance of the Interlaken station. In July 1911, the railroad applied to the Public Service Commission to begin Sunday service at the downtown Asbury Park station. On October 10, 1911, despite pleas from the Campmeeting Association, the commission filed in favor of the railroad, feeling it was not furnishing proper service by forcing trains to skip Asbury Park station on Sundays. The order was to take effect on November 1, 1911. Ocean Grove handed the railroad its rights to the Asbury Park depot and its surrounding land on March 3, 1912. Construction of a new depot in Asbury Park began on the morning of February 8, 1922. This station depot, a majestic replacement over the original, opened on November 2, 1922. The new depot, of brick and reinforced concrete, cost $200,000 (1922 USD). This new depot was large with a grand chandelier in the depot. The depot was symmetrically designed on both sides. A local editorial piece in the '' Asbury Park Evening Press'' noted that the city should be proud of the new depot. However, there was still concern that the depot was not large enough to handle the expected amount of business, which proved to be true for several decades after its construction. As the
New York and Long Branch Railroad The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The railr ...
began to deteriorate due to the advent of the
Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jersey ...
, the station deteriorated with it. The railroad painted the depot in 1962. Six ticket windows opened with the station, and eventually it became just one.
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
, who took over in 1976, looked to sell off depots. The railroad offered the depot for the city to use. Asbury Park preferred to demolish the station and replace it with a new municipal complex, which would cost $2.3 million. $1.5 million of that total would come from the
Economic Development Administration The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides grants and technical assistance to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain exist ...
. This new complex would provide new homes for the Asbury Park City Council, the Asbury Park Police Department along with various city offices. The city spent $800,000 for alternative costs along with $50,000 for land acquisition. The Historic Preservations Advisory Council came to protest to the demolition of the 55-year old depot in 1977, citing the historic nature of the depot. They were hoping to get an injunction against the demolition, stating the depot was eligible for listing on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. However, despite the protests, the city manager signed off in November 1977 to seek bids for demolition. On January 4, 1978, the city approved a contract with Mazza and Sons, Inc. of Oceanport for $10,910 (1978 USD). The station depot would be replaced with a wooden trailer for Conrail employees to sell tickets. Demolition of the old station came in March 1978.


Station layout

The station has two high-level
side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
s.


References


External links


Station from Bangs Avenue from Google Maps Street View
{{NJT stations navbox Asbury Park, New Jersey NJ Transit Rail Operations stations Stations on the North Jersey Coast Line Railway stations in Monmouth County, New Jersey 1875 establishments in New Jersey Railway stations in the United States opened in 1875 Former New York and Long Branch Railroad stations