Jersey Avenue is a
New Jersey 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 ...
station on the
Northeast Corridor Line
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 ...
in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuting, commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail t ...]
program.
Jersey Avenue has a different layout than most New Jersey Transit stations. While it has two platforms, one for trains heading south toward
Trenton Transit Center
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 ...
and one for trains heading north toward
New York Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, is the main inter-city rail, intercity railroad station in New York City and the List of busiest railway stations in North America, busiest transportation facilit ...
, the northbound platform is not positioned across the track from the southbound platform as would normally be the case for most New Jersey Transit stations (especially those along the Northeast Corridor, which have a wider gap between platforms due to an extra track in each direction used by Amtrak). Instead, the northbound platform is set ''behind'' the southbound platform and the platforms are separated by a parking lot. With this layout, northbound trains from Trenton cannot service Jersey Avenue and thus bypass the station en route to New York. Some southbound trains do terminate at Jersey Avenue, using a siding that is also used by special northbound trains that originate at the station.
In April 2014 NJT approved a contract for a design for relocation and rebuilding the station platform to permit high-level boarding, along with pedestrian overpass, vertical circulation, improved parking, and bus connection areas, as well as improvements to 5 miles of the existing Delco freight line to make it a 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour) main line track for passenger trains. As of 2015, additional design and engineering work to reconfigure the station was funded, but no construction date had been scheduled.
Services
As of 2021, Park America manages the parking lot at Jersey Avenue. Parking costs $60/month or $180/quarter as of May 1, 2021. Daily parking is also available for $6/day. Spaces in private lots adjacent to the station are available for $75–$100 per month.
History
The conception of the Jersey Avenue station dates back to July 16, 1963, when officials for 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 ...
and then-governor
Richard J. Hughes
Richard Joseph Hughes (August 10, 1909December 7, 1992) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. A Democrat, he served as the 45th governor of New Jersey from 1962 to 1970, and as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973 to ...
broke ground on a new station and freight depot along the line by the
Tri-State Transportation Committee. The new station was started as an 18-month experiment done by the committee to provide people with access from the railroad to their cars in a new
park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuting, commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail t ...
. The station cost $256,185 (1963
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 ...
) and supplemented the
New Brunswick station
New Brunswick station is a railroad station in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It serves Amtrak and NJ Transit trains on the Northeast Corridor. The station is located at the intersection of Easton Avenue and French and Albany Streets, near the Col ...
north on Albany, Wall and Easton Streets. The new station, slated to open in October, was to be funded by grants from the state and federal governments, and was the inception for a new mass transit system.
The station opened October 24, 1963.
Station layout
The station has one low-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 ...
serving southbound NJ Transit trains at all times. Some northbound trains originate here on weekdays; this is the only northbound service from this station.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
lines bypass the station via the inner tracks.
See also
*
New Jersey Route 91
Route 91 is a spur state highway in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The route runs as a spur of U.S. Route 1 (US 1) along Jersey Avenue in North Brunswick Township to Van Dyke Avenue in the city of New Brunswick. At Van Dyke Avenue, Ro ...
*
County Yard
200px, County yard
County Yard is a rail yard complex comprising Adams Yard, Delco Lead, and the eponymous County Yard along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The complex straddles the New Brunswick and North Brunswick border in Central New Jersey. ...
*
Millstone Branch
The Millstone and New Brunswick Railroad (M&NB) was chartered in the mid-19th century as a seven-mile long branch line from New Brunswick, New Jersey to East Millstone, New Jersey. Construction was completed and the line began operation on Decembe ...
References
External links
{{NJT stations navbox
NJ Transit Rail Operations stations
Buildings and structures in New Brunswick, New Jersey
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1963
Stations on the Northeast Corridor
Railway stations in Middlesex County, New Jersey
Former Pennsylvania Railroad stations