The Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad was a railroad company in the state of

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 Delawa ...

. It was incorporated in 1855, and completed its line between

Rahway Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

and

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,4 ...

, in 1864. The company became part of 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 ...

system and was merged into the

United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) was a railroad company which began as the important Camden & Amboy Railroad (C&A), whose 1830 lineage began as one of the eight or ten earliest permanent North AmericanList of Earliest Am ...

in 1958. Its line is part of the

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 ...

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail line running from Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electrified as far south as Long Branch. On rail system m ...

History

The Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad was incorporated on March 9, 1855, and opened its line on October 11, 1864. The line diverged from the

New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) was a railroad company which began as the important Camden & Amboy Railroad (C&A), whose 1830 lineage began as one of the eight or ten earliest permanent North AmericanList of Earliest Am ...

's main line at

Rahway, New Jersey Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

(at the future location of

Union Tower Union Tower is a closed interlocking tower on the Pennsylvania Railroad's Northeast Corridor in Rahway, New Jersey. History Union Tower was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to control the Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad. Incidental ...

), and ran south through Woodbridge to South Amboy, New Jersey (at Essay Tower), on the

Camden and Amboy Railroad The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) was a railroad company which began as the important Camden & Amboy Railroad (C&A), whose 1830 lineage began as one of the eight or ten earliest permanent North AmericanList of Earliest Am ...

. The New Jersey Rail Road leased the company on completion; the

assumed the lease in 1871 when the New Jersey Rail Road, Camden and Amboy, and

Delaware and Raritan Canal Company The Delaware and Raritan Canal (D&R Canal) is a canal in central New Jersey, built in the 1830s, that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelp ...

were consolidated to form the

. The line was double-tracked in 1886–1887. In 1891, the Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad was consolidated with the Perth Amboy and Long Branch Railroad; the new company kept the name Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad merged the Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad into the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company in 1958. The line was electrified in 1935. On

Penn Central Transportation The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...

's bankruptcy in 1976, the Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Branch was conveyed to

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 bus ...

. 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 ...

acquired the line, along with most other properties hosting commuter rail, in 1978.

Today

Today this line is part of

, which operates into

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...

. This line is controlled by the

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 ...

dispatcher from Graw interlocking (inclusive), to the west. Amtrak CETC-9 controls from Graw (exclusive) east into Amtrak's Union Interlocking. Between

and South Amboy, New Jersey the main line crosses the Raritan Bay Drawbridge over the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Corporate Genealogy: Perth Amboy and Woodbridge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perth Amboy Woodbridge Railroad Predecessors of the Pennsylvania Railroad Defunct New Jersey railroads Railway companies established in 1855 Transportation in Middlesex County, New Jersey Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Perth Amboy, New Jersey