Kingsland is a railroad station on
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 ...
's
Main Line
Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to:
Transportation
Railway
* Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system
* Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...
. It is located under Ridge Road (
Route 17) between New York and Valley Brook Avenues in
Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Lyndhurst is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 20,554, reflecting an increase of 1,171 (+6.0%) from the 19,383 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in tur ...
, and is one of two stations in Lyndhurst. The station is not staffed, and passengers use ticket vending machines (TVMs) located at street level to purchase tickets. The station is not handicapped-accessible. Originally part of the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...
's
Boonton Branch
The Boonton Branch refers to the railroad line in New Jersey that was completed in 1870 and ran 34 miles (54.8 km) from Hoboken to East Dover Junction as part of the Morris & Essex Railroad (M&E). Although the branch hosted commuter train ...
, the current Kingsland station was built in 1918.
History
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
![Harrison Cut-Off Track at Kingsland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Harrison_Cut-Off_Track_at_Kingsland.jpg)
The
Boonton Branch
The Boonton Branch refers to the railroad line in New Jersey that was completed in 1870 and ran 34 miles (54.8 km) from Hoboken to East Dover Junction as part of the Morris & Essex Railroad (M&E). Although the branch hosted commuter train ...
of the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...
was first constructed as a freight bypass of the
Morris & Essex Railroad
The Morris and Essex Railroad was a railroad across northern New Jersey, later part of the main line of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
History
The M&E was incorporated January 29, 1835, to build a line from Newark in Essex Co ...
in 1868. This was constructed due to the lack of freight along its passenger lines and stretched from
the Denville station to
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by nine NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, one Metr ...
via
Boonton
Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline of 149 (− ...
and
Paterson. The line had shops at Kingsland, built in 1868 for the purpose of repairing, restoring and re-erecting train cars and locomotives for the line. In 1875, shop equipment from Hoboken was moved over to Kingsland. However, just seven years later, the machine shop, also the main building of the shops, caught fire and was completely destroyed. Despite the fire, the structure was immediately reconstructed for use. During this time, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western used a small house as a station depot.
When the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western expanded the Kingsland Shops in 1903,
a new station depot was constructed of brick along with a cut and cover tunnel. The tunnel itself cost $71,500 (1903 USD) and permitted the local street, Schuyler Avenue to cross over the rail line. The new station depot was built on Ridge Road over the tracks, with platforms crossing over the new bridge. The design of the station depot located above the tracks was later replicated by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western's
Montclair Branch
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R ...
for its
Watsessing Avenue station
Watsessing Avenue (also known as Watsessing) is a New Jersey Transit rail station in Bloomfield, New Jersey, along the Montclair-Boonton Line. It is located beneath the Bloomfield Police Benevolent Association meeting hall (which formerly served ...
in
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.
History
The initial patent for the land that w ...
.
In 1917, the railroad was brought before the New Jersey Board of Public Utility Commissioners due to an accident on November 28, 1916, at Kingsland station. Passenger train No. 582, a special train for employees of the Canadian Car Company, had near stopped at Kingsland station. The train never left at any defined time, although averaged around 6:30 in the evening. However, around 6:30 that evening, Train No. 479 came in twelve minutes late at a high speed, and as a result could not slow down fast enough to avoid hitting passengers. At that time, the station had no inter-track fencing to prevent crossing of both Boonton Branch tracks, and because of this, people could board trains from either platform. That day the engineer of Train No. 479 was unable to see the platform or the special train, and due to the lack of signals, had no information until the train left the west portal of Kingsland Tunnel. However, signals were set for west-bound trains if problems were to occur. After the accident, the Board requested the Lackawanna to install a westbound signal to prevent further accidents, while the Canadian Car Company moved its boarding to the company's rail siding.
Erie–Lackawanna Railroad and the Passaic Plan
After several years of sharing railroad facilities, the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...
and Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad merged on October 17, 1960, replaced by the
Erie-Lackawanna Railway. Since 1949 the Erie Railroad had been dealing with the city of
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,78 ...
about its double track mainline through the city via
Rutherford.
Due to the high cost of removing the main line with no back-up service, it was unable to progress forward, and as a result, the Erie built some new stations to replace old wooden ones in 1952.
With the railroad merger in 1960, the Erie–Lackawanna had the Boonton Branch that also served Passaic, and on August 23, 1960, with pressure from the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...
to go ahead with it, a deal was struck between the city of Passaic and the railroad.
A new connection was to be made via the Erie's old Newark Branch to connect the Boonton Branch to the old Erie main at South Paterson. The old Erie main line through Passaic was abandoned at a ceremony on April 2, 1963, when service was terminated. Trains were re-routed via a "new" main line, using the Boonton Branch from Kingsland to Athenia.
The remainder of the Boonton Branch was steadily decommissioned through 1963, as the New Jersey Department of Transportation requested the Boonton Branch's alignment through Paterson as part of
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
and
New Jersey Route 21
Route 21 is a state highway in northern New Jersey, running from the Newark Airport Interchange with U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1-9) and US 22 in Newark, Essex County to an interchange with US 46 in Clifton, Passaic County. The route i ...
through Passaic near BE Drawbridge and the
Passaic Park station. This was turned over to the Department of Transportation on October 27, 1963, after a connection was constructed at
Mountain View to the Erie's former New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad. The stretch from Paterson Junction to Totowa, including the Paterson High Bridge built in 1902, was abandoned and soon dismantled.
However, despite the changes, the Erie–Lackawanna continued to lose strength and in 1975, agreed to become part of the
Consolidated Rail Corporation
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 busi ...
, dubbed Conrail, effective April 1, 1976.
New Jersey Transit
In January 1983, Consolidated Rail Corporation handed over operation of the commuter railroads to
New Jersey Transit Rail Operations
NJ Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of NJ Transit. It operates commuter rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered on transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark. NJ Transit also operates rail service i ...
.
On September 20, 2002, as part of the
Montclair Connection
The Montclair Connection is a short section of double-track railroad on the NJ Transit Rail Operations system in New Jersey, United States, connecting the former end of the Montclair Branch at Bay Street station to the old Boonton Line southeast ...
, merging the
Montclair Branch
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R ...
and
Boonton Line, the
Arlington station in
Kearny was closed, resulting in the lack of a station in Kearny. As a result, a rail shuttle bus was created by the town of Kearny to bus passengers from Arlington station north to Kingsland (parallelling NJ Transit's bus route #76, giving rail passenger service to
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 ...
and Hoboken Terminal. Shuttle buses were aligned at that time with the 5:02 AM, 6:03 PM and 7:08 PM. Services were adjusted for the timetable services on September 30, 2002.
On June 22, 2010, the town of Lyndhurst put forward a proposal to buy the station depots at both Kingsland and
Lyndhurst stations. The mayor of Lyndhurst, Richard DiLascio, said that the stations have seen better days and New Jersey Transit has no interest in renovating both buildings. Design plans for Kingsland station look towards a new coffee shop, after repairing and renovating the building. The station would also be converted from its old subway tile to a newer retro look for the building, paid for by leasing the building. Because an average of 440 to over 1,000 people use the Kingsland station daily, it would look better for the town of Lyndhurst to make a good impression on the riders.
As of 2012, the station house is unoccupied. The town of Lyndhurst has requested that NJT lease the building to the municipality so that it might be renovated and brought into use as a way to revitalize the immediate vicinity.
In 2021, it was revealed that once the new Lyndhurst train station was complete, Kingsland station would be abandoned/torn down.
Station layout and services
Kingsland station has two tracks, each with a 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 ...
. The
over-track train station house is located on a bridge over the Main Line on
Route 17 (Ridge Road) crossing over the tracks. A short tunnel leads downstairs to the two side platforms. The station platform on the
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by nine NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, one Metr ...
-bound side has a third track that heads through the platform, the western leg of a
wye used for the Harrison Cut-Off, built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. Above ground, the station is provided with just nineteen parking spaces, none designated for the handicapped. There is no fee for parking. Short-term parking is also provided by New Jersey Transit on Route 17.
The station has a connection to
Route 76 run by
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations
NJ Transit Bus Operations is the bus division of NJ Transit, providing bus service throughout New Jersey along with service along one light rail line, with many routes going to New York City and Philadelphia. In , the bus system had a ridership ...
.
References
External links
Ridge Road entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{Good article
Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Railway stations in Bergen County, New Jersey
NJ Transit Rail Operations stations
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1870
Former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad stations
1870 establishments in New Jersey