Woodbridge is a

commuter railroad Commuter rail services in the United States, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica provide common carrier passenger transportation along railway tracks, with scheduled service on fixed routes on a non-reservation basis, primarily for sho ...

station in Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County,

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Located on

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 ...

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 ...

, it is one of three active railroad stations in the eponymous township, including Avenel to the north on the same line and

Metropark station Metropark station is an intermodal transportation hub on the Northeast Corridor in the Iselin section of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey that is located 24.6 miles southwest of New York Penn Station. It is owned and opera ...

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 ...

. Woodbridge station is located on Pearl Street at the intersection with Brook Street, where stairs to the 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 ...

that serves trains are located. Railroad service through downtown Woodbridge began on October 11, 1864, with the opening of the

Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad The Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad was a railroad company in the state of New Jersey. It was incorporated in 1855, and completed its line between Rahway and Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in 1864. The company became part of the Pennsylvania Railro ...

, a branch of the New Jersey Railroad, which would become the Pennsylvania Railroad. The first station depot was built in 1873 and was built at a level where the train cars would meet the platform at level. Discussions began in March 1882 to replace the depot. Following approval from Pennsylvania Railroad officials, construction on the new depot began in April 1885 and finished in August 1885. The idea of elevating the tracks to eliminate grade crossings in Woodbridge began in 1934 after the death of a local resident at the Green Street crossing on January 27. After attaining funds from the Public Works Administration, construction on the new elevated tracks began on September 8, 1938, with the first train operating over the current alignment on February 16, 1940. NJ Transit did their own reconstruction project, starting in September 2005, and being completed in mid-2007.

History

The concept of a railroad through downtown Woodbridge came from a bill introduced by New Jersey State Senator Ralph C. Stults of Middlesex County introduced a bill to create the

. A few previous attempts to extend the New Jersey Railroad from

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 ...

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

had failed. The Senate passed an incorporation charter on March 9, 1855. Construction began on the Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad on July 1, 1858. At their annual meeeing on June 4, 1859, the New Jersey Railroad agreed to operate a service between Perth Amboy and Woodbridge when it would be opened. The Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad would be officially organized on June 9, 1860. The New Jersey Railroad declared themselves the stock subscriber on December 20, 1862. At that point they had 885 shares and on November 23, 1863, they approved 615 more, totaling 1,500. These bonds would be guaranteed by the railroad on December 28. Construction of the railroad began between Rahway and Perth Amboy, opening on October 11, 1864. The railroad service included an enclosed streetcar and one trailer, operated by the New Jersey Railroad. The railroad built a station in 1873, similar to the current high-level platform where the station platform was above track level to meet cars for ease of boarding. The Pennsylvania Railroad began through service through Woodbridge along the

New York and Long Branch Railroad The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The rail ...

on April 1, 1882, resulting in trains going through to Seaside Park. Demands for a new station to be built by the Pennsylvania Railroad came in 1882. Local citizens held a meeting at the Woodbridge Masonic Hall on March 6 to inquire about a new depot. The railroad sent back a message that they were going to consider it. Pennsylvania Railroad officials sent an inspection train in April 1882 to look at the situation and Woodbridge. After the inspection, they decided to go ahead with the construction of a new depot based on local demands. Woodbridge residents, in return, offered additional land for a new depot and new approaches from Green Street and Pearl Street. However, construction of the new station began in April 1885. The new station, built of brick, opened in August 1885.

Station layout

Woodbridge has one high-level

serving trains in both directions.

Gallery

Image:Woodbridge_station02.jpg, Old Woodbridge train platform Image:Woodbridge_station03.jpg, Looking south on the old platform Image:Woodbridge_station04.jpg, Building the new platform

Bibliography

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References

External links