Rutherford is a

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 ...

railroad station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...

served by the

Bergen County Line The Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either direc ...

. The station straddles the border between Rutherford and

East Rutherford East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.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 station building and

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 ...

-bound platform is located near a

traffic circle A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...

at the junction of Park Avenue, Union Avenue, Erie Avenue and Orient Way known as

Station Square Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States across the Monongahela River from the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. Station S ...

, with a

grade crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The term also ...

on Park Avenue. The tracks serve as the border between the two municipalities and the Suffern-bound platform and a small parking lot on the same side are actually located in East Rutherford; only the Hoboken-bound platform and a larger commuter lot are located on the Rutherford side.

History

The

Paterson and Hudson River Railroad The Paterson and Hudson River Railroad was a railroad that operated in New Jersey and connected the cities of Jersey City and southeast Paterson. The railroad was started in 1833. The company was the first in the United States to build moveable ...

was constructed through Union Township in 1833 (still mostly farmland at this point), and a station was constructed adjacent to the "Boiling Springs" (actually cold, but so named due to its turbulent flow). The service on the railroad line was initially passenger coaches pulled by horses, with the driver having a seat in the coach. The railroad soon switched to locomotive-hauled, purchasing two locomotives built in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. The introduction of the locomotive service helped spur building construction and development in the area around Boiling Springs. The increased demand led the railroad to build a new station and ticket office as they bought land in the area to speculate on future development. The

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 Erie ...

which acquired the P&HR constructed a depot that was triangular in design made out of brick. The station depot was replaced in 1862. This structure in turn was replaced by the current construction of 1897. Around this time, the boroughs of Rutherford and East Rutherford were carved out from Union Township, choosing the railroad tracks as the mutual border. The station building has been listed in the

New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office within ...

and

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

since 1984 and is part of the Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource.

Restoration

A two phase restoration project was started by New Jersey Transit in May 2008. The first phase to restore the outside of the building cost $1.4 million and was completed in June 2009. The second phase of the project was to restore the interior and cost $1.9 million. The second phase was completed on October 25, 2010.

Station layout

The station has two tracks, each with a low-level

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...

Bibliography

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References

External links