West Side Avenue is a
station on the
Hudson–Bergen Light Rail
The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) is a light rail system in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by New Jersey Transit (NJT) and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, it connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey Ci ...
(HBLR) in the
West Side
West Side or Westside may refer to:
Places Canada
* West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario
* West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Westside, Birmingham E ...
neighborhood in
Jersey City
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.[Hudson County
Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...]
,
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 ...
. Located on the east side of West Side Avenue, the station is the terminal of the West Side Avenue branch of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail, with service to
Tonnelle Avenue station
Tonnelle Avenue is a ground-level station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) located at 51st Street in North Bergen, New Jersey. The station opened for service on February 25, 2006.
Service from the station travels to West Side Avenue in ...
in
North Bergen
North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by ...
. The station consists of a single
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
and a pair of tracks that end at the station. The station contains a pedestrian bridge over West Side Avenue to a small parking lot and bus stop on the west side of the street. The station is accessible for handicapped people per the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 19 ...
, with an elevator in the pedestrian overpass and train-level platforms. West Side Avenue station opened on April 17, 2000 as part of the original operating segment of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail.
[ ]
History
West Side Avenue station is located on the site of a station with the same name used by 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 ...
. The original station was established in 1869 as part 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 ...
at the crossing for Mallory Avenue (
Hudson County Route 611). The stop, known as West Bergen was moved in the late 1870s to West Side Avenue. A two-story wooden depot was built at West Side Avenue and an eastbound brick station measuring came in 1910. Service at West Side Avenue, which went to
Lafayette Street Terminal in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
became truncated on February 3, 1946 when a steamship collided with the bridge over the
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The drainage basin, watershed of the ri ...
, eliminating two spans. The station lost passenger service on May 6, 1948 when service on the branch ended.
The new station opened on April 17, 2000.
After two years of studies, in May 2011, NJT announced its plan for 0.7 mile extension of the line. The new track would be laid along an elevated viaduct from the West Side Avenue station, across
Route 440 to the northern end of the proposed
Bayfront redevelopment area, where a new station would be constructed. The trip between the two stations would take 1 minute and 50 seconds. The project, eligible for federal funding, is estimated to cost at $171.6 million. In December 2017, NJ Transit approved a $5 million preliminary engineering contract for the extension project.
In early 2019, it was announced that the West Side Avenue, Martin Luther King Drive, and Garfield Avenue stations on the West Side Branch would close for nine months starting in June 2019 for repairs to a sewer line running along the right-of-way. During that time, replacement service was provided by NJ Transit shuttle buses. Service to the station was restored on May 23, 2020.
Station layout
The station is on an embankment above the east side of street, and consists of an
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
and two tracks.
Bumper blocks are at the west end of the station while the platform continues with a pedestrian bridge and elevator connecting it to a large park and ride lot and bus station. It is built along the former
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 ...
's
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 ...
right of way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
that continued west across
Newark Bay.
Vicinity
*
New Jersey City University
New Jersey City University (NJCU) is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally chartered in 1927, and known as Jersey City State College for 40 years of its history, New Jersey City University consists of the School of Business, ...
*
Droyer's Point
*
Bayfront
*
Greenville, Jersey City
Greenville is the southernmost section of Jersey City in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.
Geography
In its broadest definition, Greenville encompasses the area south of the West Side Branch of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and north of the ...
*
St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church
*
Henry Snyder High School
Academy of the Arts at Henry Snyder High School is a four-year performing arts public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Greenville section of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, operating as part o ...
*
A. Harry Moore School*
*
Jersey City Board of Education
The Jersey City Public Schools is a comprehensive community state school, public school district located in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 f ...
- JB Bd of Ed @ Lightoiler Building
/ref>
Bibliography
*
*
References
External links
{{NJT links
West Side Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail stations
Transportation in Jersey City, New Jersey
Railway stations in the United States opened in 2000
2000 establishments in New Jersey
Former Central Railroad of New Jersey stations