__NOTOC__ For the purposes of this article, the

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Edgewater (the Northern end of the line along the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

), South to

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

and includes Kearny Junction and

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

but not Newark. Many routes east of Newark are listed here.

Railroad Name Abbreviations

*B&O:

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

*CNJ:

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 ...

*CRCX:

Conrail Shared Assets Operations Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) is the commonly used name for modern-day Conrail ( reporting mark CRCX), an American railroad company. It operates three networks, the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit Shared Assets Area ...

*DL&W:

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 ...

*Erie:

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 ...

*LV:

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad built in the Northeastern United States to haul anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Pennsylvania. The railroad was authorized on April 21, 1846 for freight and transportation of passengers, goods, ...

*NYC:

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mi ...

*NYO&W:

New York, Ontario and Western Railway The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 (the last train ran from Norwich to Middletown, NY on this date), after which it was or ...

*NYS&W:

New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (or New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad and also known as the Susie-Q or the Susquehanna) is a Class II American freight railway operating over 400 miles (645 km) of track in t ...

*PATH:

Port Authority Trans-Hudson Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) is a rapid transit system in the Gateway Region, northeastern New Jersey cities of Newark, New Jersey, Newark, Harrison, New Jersey, Harrison, Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City, and Hoboken, New Jersey, H ...

*PRR:

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 ...

*RDG:

Reading Railroad The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly call ...

1833

*November 28: The Paterson and Hudson River Railroad (Erie) opens at Marion Junction, ending at the New Jersey Railroad (PRR).

1834

* September 15: The New Jersey Railroad, which 38 years later would become the

(PRR), begins regular trips from Newark to Jersey City's first terminal.Jersey City and its Historic Sites
/ref> The route crosses the Passaic River on the Newark, over Centre Street Bridge to the Hackensack River and onto Jersey City, on the West side of the Palisades. It uses temporary tracks and horse-drawn trains around and over the

Bergen Hill Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet. Rai ...

, to the Terminal on the Hudson at Paulus Hook for transfer to ferries bound for New York City.

1836

* The

Morris Canal The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals at Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New Jers ...

is extended from Newark through

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.

1837

* The New Jersey Railroad (PRR) cut through the Palisades opens; the Paterson and Hudson River Railroad (Erie) also uses it.

1838

* December 2: The New Jersey Railroad (PRR) switches from horse to steam power.

1858

* The

builds a five-track passenger station and ferry at Hudson Street

1861

*January 28: The Long Dock Tunnel, Long Dock Company (Erie) finishes its

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

through the Palisades, bypassing the PRR cu

*March 14: The New York and Bull's Ferry Railroad (NYC) is chartered and buys the

Hoboken and Hudson River Turnpike Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...

1862

*March 8: The New York and Bull's Ferry Railroad (NYC) changes its name to the

New York and Fort Lee Railroad New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

br>
*May: The Pavonia Ferry (Erie) open

1864

*July 29: The CNJ's Jersey City extension opens, from about Spring Street in Elizabeth to the Jersey City terminal, including a CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge, long bridge across Newark Bay.

1868

*The Passaic and Harsimus Line (PRR), opens for a new freight terminal at Harsimus Cove.

1869

*July 23: The full length of the

Newark and New York Railroad The Newark and New York Railroad was a passenger rail line that ran between Downtown Newark and the Communipaw Terminal at the mouth of the North River (Hudson River) in Jersey City, bridging the Hackensack River and Passaic River just north ...

(CNJ) opens, from Broad St terminal in Newark to the CNJ at

Communipaw Communipaw is a neighborhood in Jersey City in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It is located west of Liberty State Park and east of Bergen Hill, and the site of one of the earliest European settlements in North America. It gives its nam ...

1870

*February 22: The New Jersey Railroad (PRR) builds a new bridge over the Passaic River, cutting the distance through Newark and Harrison. Some passenger trains continue to use the old alignment, the Centre Street Branch. *December 2: A

frog war A frog war occurs when one private railway company attempts to cross the tracks of another, and this results in hostilities between the two railways. It is named after the frog, the piece of track that allows the two tracks to join or cross and ...

begins between the Erie and DL&W at the west end of the Erie's tunnel where the new Boonton Branch would join. *December 14: The DL&W begins running passenger trains on its Boonton Branch. *The

(NYC) open

*The PRR leases 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 ...

br>

1871

*January 9: The

between the Erie and DL&W ends, with the frog being placed to allow DL&W Boonton Branch trains to run through the Erie's tunnel.

1872

*August 23: Trains are first to run along the Erie's Newark Branch, Newark and Hudson Railroad from Newark through their tunnel to Jersey City.

1873

* The

constructs a new passenger ferry terminal with 12 tracks and six platforms. The wooden terminal is built on piers over the water.''Buildings and Structures of American Railroads'', Walter G. Berg, C.E., John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1892, p.412 * The

Hudson Connecting Railway The New Jersey Midland Railway was a 19th-century predecessor to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) that operated in Northern New Jersey and Orange County, New York. Formation and construction The New Jersey Midland Railway c ...

, part of the New Jersey Midland and later NYS&W, completed to West End Junction with Erie connection to Marion Junction.

1877

*May 12: The DL&W opens its new tunnel through the Palisades, ending its

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may ...

through the Erie's tunnel. Included with the tunnel are western approaches to the DL&W mainline and Boonton Branch; the former includes a new bridge over the Hackensack River, south of the old one (which is then used only for the Erie's Newark and Greenwood Lake Branches). The new alignment at first crosses the New Jersey Midland Railroad (NYS&W) at grade.

1883

* The

National Docks Railway National Docks Secondary is a freight rail transport, freight rail line within Conrail's North Jersey Shared Assets Area in Hudson County, New Jersey, used by CSX Transportation. It provides access for the national rail network to maritime, indu ...

is constructed to connect the National Storage Company docks at Black Tom with the

in Jersey City. The PRR controls and operates the railroad until 1889, when control passes to the

after completion of the New Jersey Junction Railroad. In 1894, the

acquired half interest and obtains full control in 1900.

1884

* The

West Shore Railroad The West Shore Railroad was the final name of a railroad that ran from Weehawken, New Jersey, on the west bank of the Hudson River opposite New York City, north to Albany, New York, and then west to Buffalo. It was organized as a competitor ...

's (NYC) tunnel through the Palisades to Weehawken Terminal opens. * August 4: The

passenger and ferry terminal at Exchange Place burns as a result of an explosion in a gas reservoir underneath the station.

1885

* December 5: NYC leases the

for 475 years from January 1, 1886, with the privilege of an additional 500-year term.The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad
/ref>

1886

* June 30: The New Jersey Junction Railroad (NYC) leases of the

. The rest later disappears in the

's (NYC) Weehawken yard. * July 1: NYC leases the New Jersey Junction Railroad for 100 years, with the option of another 100-year term.

1887

* May: The New Jersey Junction Railroad (NYC) opens for freight. * June: The New Jersey Junction Railroad (NYC) opens for passengers. * October: The

settles a long legal battle with the

, opening the way to build a Jersey City terminal on land originally purchased in 1872 for the

New Jersey West Line Railroad The New Jersey West Line Railroad was a proposed railroad running east and west across Northern New Jersey, of which the only part constructed was what is now the Gladstone Branch of New Jersey Transit between Summit, New Jersey, Summit and Berna ...

1889

* The

constructs its freight terminal on the south side of the Morris canal basin at South Cove, adjacent to the

terminal. The LVRR reaches its new terminal over CNJ tracks on a five-year lease.

1890

* The

constructs the

Edgewater Railway Edgewater may refer to: Australia *Edgewater, Western Australia United States * Edgewater, Alabama * Edgewater, Colorado * Florida: ** Edgewater, Broward County, Florida **Edgewater, Volusia County, Florida **Edgewater High School, in Orlando, F ...

, on the north side of the Morris Canal basin.

1891

* The

(PRR), rebuilds the passenger ferry terminal to replace the old terminal which was partially destroyed by fire. The new terminal is raised above the old level to accommodate new elevated rails that eliminate grade crossings in the city.

1892

* The

opens its

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

across Newark Bay. The LVRR connects with the

east of the bridge in order to reach the LVRR terminal.

1894

* May 15: The

Edgewater Tunnel The Edgewater Branch was a branch of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) that ran about through eastern Bergen County, New Jersey in the United States. Starting from a rail junction at the Little Ferry Yard (in Ridgefield), it ...

through the Palisades opened to freight traffic. The mile-long tunnel took 18 months to construct and provides the NYS&W access to its own waterside terminal in Edgewater. The NYS&W had previously used the DL&W terminal in

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...

1897

*The

Hoboken Manufacturers Railroad Hoboken Shore Railroad , initials HSRR, was a New Jersey railroad which was created around 1954. It took over the activities of the Hoboken Manufacturers Railroad , initials HMRR. This railroad owned only of mainline but leased about 1906 the lon ...

opens. *The National Docks and New Jersey Junction Connecting Railway (LV + NYC) is completed. This line was mainly a short tunnel under the Pennsylvania Railroad to connect the New Jersey Junction Railroad (NYC) with the

(LV + NYC). For nine years the PRR fought the construction of the line both in the courts and on the ground, at one point dumping stone into the tunnel and turning fire hoses onto the construction crews.

1900

* The

Greenville and Hudson Railway Greenville is the name of several places: Canada * Laxgalts'ap, British Columbia, formerly named Greenville * Greenville, Nova Scotia, in Yarmouth County * Greenville Station, Nova Scotia, in Cumberland County * Lower Greenville, Nova Scotia, in ...

(LVRR) completes construction of a line roughly parallel to the National Docks Railway from the Newark Bay bridge to the Jersey City terminal. Upon completion, the

has a wholly owned route from the coal fields of Pennsylvania to its terminal in Jersey City.

1908

*February 26: The

Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) is a rapid transit system in the northeastern New Jersey cities of Newark, Harrison, Jersey City, and Hoboken, as well as Lower and Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is operated as a wholly owned ...

(PATH) opens from 19th Street Manhattan to Hoboken Terminal.

1909

*July 19: The

(PATH) opens from Hudson Terminal (World Trade Center) to Exchange Place. *August 2: The

(PATH) opens its connection from Exchange Place, north towards Hoboken Terminal.

1910

*November 27: The Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad (PRR) opens from Kearny Junction into New York Penn Station. Manhattan Transfer opens. *The Penhorn Creek Railroad's (Erie) four-track cut through the Palisades (

Bergen Arches Bergen Arches is an abandoned railroad right of way through Bergen Hill (the lower New Jersey Palisades) in Jersey City, New Jersey. History Bergen Arches is the common name for the Erie Cut, the Erie Railroad's mile-long, four-track cut whic ...

) opens, just south of the Erie's two-track tunnel, including a western approach through Secaucus.

1911

* March 14: The

New Jersey Shore Line Railroad The New Jersey Shore Line Railroad was part of the New York Central Railroad and ran along the Hudson River in New Jersey, from the West Shore Railroad (NYCRR) yards at Guttenberg north to the Erie Terminals Railroad at the Hudson/Bergen Co ...

(NYC) opens from the

's (NYC) Weehawken yard to the NYS&W at Shadyside, about .85 mi. * May 16: Cars first move on the

(NYC). * October 1: The

(PATH) is extended through Jersey City to Manhattan Transfer. * November 26: The

(PATH) is extended from Manhattan Transfer to Newark Park Place.

1937

*June 20: Manhattan Transfer closes and the

(PATH) is realigned to

Newark Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (also known as Newark Penn Station) is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, ...

1939

*August 1: The NYS&W begins bus service from

Susquehanna Transfer Susquehanna Transfer was a passenger station on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, located in North Bergen, New Jersey located at what today is the Route 495 overpass. It was an interchange station where transfer was possible ...

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

via the

Lincoln Tunnel The Lincoln Tunnel is an approximately tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey, to the west with Midtown Manhattan in New York City to the east. It carries New Jersey Route 495 on the New Jersey side and unsigned Ne ...

1959

Weehawken Terminal closes. The ''Weehawken'' is the last ferry to the terminal on March 25, 1959 at 1:10 am, ending 259 years of continuous ferry service.

1960

*The Erie Railroad trains shift 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 ...

, as the company merges with the Lackawanna Railroad. Erie trains began moving to Hoboken in Oct 1956 for off peak and weekend trains. Peak hour trains began using Hoboken on March 25, 1957 with the exception of Nyack and NYS&W trains which continued to use the few remaining tracks in Jersey City. NYS&W trains were later discontinued and Nyack trains used a backup move to reach Hoboken until they were discontinued in 1966.

1967

* With the Aldene Plan,

Communipaw Terminal The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal, was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The terminal was built in 1889, replacing ...

, the last Jersey City terminal closes.

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

trains now terminate at Newark Penn Station, as do Reading Railroad trains. CNJ Trains run over LV from Roselle Park, NJ to Newark, NJ then on the PRR and terminate at Newark Penn Station, and use a small yard in Harrison. It was not until the late 1990s, when the midtown direct service was instituted, that NJ TRANSIT ran a service of some Raritan Valley trains to Hoboken (Penn Sta. New York).

1983

NY Waterway NY Waterway (or New York Waterway) is a private transportation company running ferry and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley. The company utilizes public-private partnership with agencies such as the Port ...

re-institutes ferry service across the Hudson.

1994

A short partially elevated track, known as the Marion Running Track, is built to connect the Passaic and Harsimus Line towards Kearny with the Northern Branch. This provided the Northern Branch with a direct connection to other lines heading west and south at Marion Junction.

1999/2000

created. CSX River line is shifted to the re-newed Northern Running track to North Bergen Yard.

2000

The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail opened to the public on April 15, 2000 with an initial operating (MOS) The extension to southern terminal at 8th Street opened January 31, 2011.

2001

NJ Transit renovates Bergen Tunnels.

2003

Secaucus Junction Secaucus Junction (known as Secaucus Transfer during planning stages and signed simply as Secaucus) is a NJ Transit Rail Operations commuter rail hub in Secaucus, New Jersey. The $450 million, station opened on December 15, 2003, and was ded ...

opened on December 15, 2003.

2009

On July 26, 2009,

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 ...

began shuttle service to the Meadowlands station at the

Meadowlands Sports Complex The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). The complex currently con ...

2010

On October 7, 2010, New Jersey governor Chris Christie announced that the

Access to the Region's Core Access to the Region's Core (ARC) was a proposed commuter-rail project to increase passenger service capacity on New Jersey Transit (NJT) between Secaucus Junction in New Jersey and Manhattan in New York City. New infrastructure would have i ...

, which included a new right-of way from Secaucus Junction under the

Hudson Palisades The Palisades, also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson River Palisades, are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in Northeastern New Jersey and Southeastern New York in the United States. The cliffs s ...

and

to Midtown Manhattan was officially cancelled.

2019

ExpressRail ExpressRail is a network of on- or near-dock rail yards supporting intermodal freight transport at the major container terminals of the Port of New York and New Jersey. The development of dockside trackage and rail yards for transloading has bee ...

Port Jersey Port Jersey, officially the Port Jersey Port Authority Marine Terminal and referred to as the Port Jersey Marine Terminal, is an intermodal freight transport facility that includes a container terminal located on the Upper New York Bay in the ...

opened on June 17, 2019.{{cite web, url=http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=3150, title=PORT OF NY/NJ AT STRONGEST COMPETITIVE POSITION IN DECADES WITH COMPLETION OF EXPRESSRAIL NETWORK, CAPSTONE OF MULTI-BILLION PORT MODERNIZATION PROGRAM, publisher=The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, date=June 17, 2019, accessdate=June 19, 2019

Sources

*Poor's and Moody's railroad manuals *New-Jersey Railroad Improvements,

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

February 23, 1870, page 5 *Local News in Brief,

November 28, 1870, page 8 *Almost a Riot,

December 3, 1870, page 1 *Local News in Brief,

December 15, 1870, page 8 *Local News in Brief,

January 10, 1871, page 8 *New-Jersey,

August 24, 1872, page 8 *The New Bergen Tunnel,

May 12, 1877, page 10

Notes

External links

This article, by Dick Greene, was first published in “The Old Station Timetable” in Fall 1987.

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.

Railroad Name Abbreviations

1833

1834

1836

1837

1838

1858

1861

1862

1864

1868

1869

1870

1871

1872

1873

1877

1883

1884

1885

1886

1887

1889

1890

1891

1892

1894

1897

1900

1908

1909

1910

1911

1937

1939

1959

1960

1967

1983

1994

1999/2000

2000

2001

2003

2009

2010

2019

See also

Sources

Notes

External links