Newark–Trenton Fast Line
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The Newark–Trenton Fast Line was an
interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...
line from
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
to
Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...
via
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
and
New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
. It was owned and operated by the Public Service Railroad, a subsidiary of the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey. Before the Public Service Railroad, the line was owned by several other companies: *Trenton and New Brunswick Railroad (Trenton to Milltown) - incorporated in 1902, opened on May 13, 1904 *New Jersey Short Line Railroad (Milltown to
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
), not opened until 1913 *New York – Philadelphia Company - 1904 consolidation of the above two companies with the Camden and Trenton Railway, went
bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...
in 1908 *Elizabeth and Trenton Railroad - took over operations north of Trenton in 1910 *Public Service Railroad - created as a subsidiary of the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey, leased the Elizabeth and Trenton Railroad in 1913, opened on July 1, 1913 In Trenton, the line used trackage owned by the Trenton Terminal Railroad, a subsidiary of the Camden and Trenton Railway, a
terminal railroad A switching and terminal railroad is a freight railroad company whose primary purpose is to perform local switching services or to own and operate a terminal facility. Switching is a type of operation done within the limits of a yard. It gener ...
. This trackage began at Warren Street and State Street, and then used Warren Street, Bridge Street, Union Street, Federal Street, Lamberton Street, Cass Street, a
one-way pair A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descriptio ...
on Grand Street and Adeline Street, and Liberty Street onto a private
right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...
east of Olden Avenue. The line between Main Street in Milltown (south of New Brunswick) and Main Street south of
Metuchen Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, alon ...
was graded by the NJ Short Line but was never completed. When the line was finished by Public Service, existing trackage through New Brunswick was used along Main Street, Milltown Road,
Georges Road North Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was ...
, private
right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...
between Mile Run Brook and the
Raritan River Railroad The Raritan River Rail Road was a shortline railroad in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, Founded in 1888, it was based in South Amboy, New Jersey, South Amboy, from which it ran west as far as Ne ...
, Commercial Avenue, Sandford Street, Throop Avenue, George Street, Albany Street, Raritan Avenue, Woodbridge Avenue, and Main Street. Existing trackage was also used from Elizabeth to Newark, on
Bayway Bayway (formerly Bay Town Trolley) is the primary provider of mass transportation in Bay County, Florida. The system was previously known as the Bay Town Trolley, due to at one point where the majority of buses in the fleet were designed in the sty ...
, Broad Street, Newark Avenue, Frelinghuysen Avenue, a
one-way pair A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descriptio ...
on Miller Street and Vanderpool Street, and Broad Street. Two branches on the line north of New Brunswick were built, one to Carteret and one towards
Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in northeastern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", re ...
, both merging towards the north. The Carteret branch used shuttle operations, with a transfer at the junction with the mainline, but Perth Amboy trains ran all the way to Newark. On the Perth Amboy end, they used existing trackage from the end of private right-of-way along Woodbridge Avenue, East Avenue, Broad Street, private
right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...
south, west across West Avenue, and south along the east side of the CNJ line to the Woodbridge Creek bridge, then south on West Avenue and State Street, ending at Smith Street. The
Newark Public Service Terminal The Public Service Terminal was a three-level streetcar station in Newark, New Jersey, owned and operated by the Public Service Corporation, adjacent to the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad's Park Place station. It served as the terminus for s ...
opened on May 1, 1916, and the line was rerouted to use it via a
one-way pair A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descriptio ...
on Green Street and Lafayette Street, and Mulberry Street to the upper level. The line was split at New Brunswick in January 1924, with a transfer required to stay on the route. When Public Service numbered their routes, it was #15-New Brunswick-Trenton and #47-New Brunswick-Newark, with #7-Carteret and #45-Perth Amboy on the branches. The line was taken out of the Public Service Terminal on June 11, 1933. By 1927, experiments began with a rail-bus that had tires and train wheels; this was used by 1934. On January 16, 1936, trains stopped running south of New Brunswick; the line north of New Brunswick continued running until May 11, 1937. The
right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...
is now used for high-voltage
power line An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and Electric power distribution, distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances. It consists of one or more electrical conductor, conductors (commonly mu ...
s.


See also

* List of New Jersey street railroads


External links


Dayton Village Citizens' Coalition - The 'Fast Line' Trolley
an


References

*Edward Hamm, Jr., The Public Service Trolley Lines in New Jersey, {{DEFAULTSORT:Newark-Trenton Fast Line New Jersey streetcar lines Interurban railways in New Jersey Tram, urban railway and trolley companies