Newark and New York Railroad
The façade of the
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal near
Four Corners in
Downtown Newark
At the site of the Hackensack River crossing
footings of the bridge remain, situated between
Lincoln Highway and the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge , as do approaches to the
PD Draw across the Passaic.
1915 view of Jackson Avenue station
The bridge over the
Northeast Corridor near
Newark Penn Station , slated to become part of
Triangle Park
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 of their mouths at the
Newark Bay in
northeastern New Jersey . The
Central Railroad of New Jersey operated it from its opening in 1869. Though operations ended in 1946; portions remained in use until 1967.
History
Opened on July 23, 1869 and operated by the
Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), the railroad provided a direct route between
Newark and its
Jersey City terminal, where passengers could transfer to
ferries to New York .
[1] The line cost $300,000 per mile, unprecedented at the time, earning it the sobriquet "the country's costliest railroad".
[2] In 1872 a connection south was added at a junction called Newark Transfer to
Elizabeth , where it joined the railroad's main line, which crossed
Newark Bay at
Bayonne on the predecessor of the
CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge . The line was built partially to relieve overcrowding and reduce the travel time taken on the
New Jersey Railroad line to
Exchange Place on the
Hudson River waterfront .
[3]
[4]
[5]
The route travelled west from the Hudson and crossed
Bergen Hill where a
cut had been excavated for a
right of way (ROW).
[6]
[7] It then crossed the Hackensack to
Kearny Point , the tip of a larger peninsula formally known as
New Barbadoes Neck , to the
Passaic River . The bridges across the rivers were raised in 1913 to accommodate shipping.
[8] Upon crossing the Passaic River, it entered the
Ironbound Section of Newark at Ferry and St. Francis Streets, traveling parallel to and south of Market Street until it crossed Ferry Street again between Union and Prospect Streets. From there, the line crossed over the
Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) tracks and terminated at Broad Street.
[9] At its peak over 100 passenger trains used the route daily.
[2]
After a boat collided with the
Hackensack Drawbridge in 1946 causing severe damage,
[10] the through line was discontinued, and the bridge was dismantled.
[7]
[2] Passenger trains from both Newark and
Elizabethport continued utilizing the
PD Draw over the Passaic to Kearny to serve a
Western Electric plant on Kearny Point until the
Aldene Plan was implemented in 1967.
[11]
The
piers of the Hackensack bridge are still visible (at
40°43′07″N 74°06′14″W / 40.718709°N 74.103985°W / 40.718709; -74.103985 ) from the shoreline along the proposed
Hackensack RiverWalk .
[12] Several open-deck spans of the
Passaic River swing bridge , and its main pier (though not the swing span itself), remain (at
40°43′23″N 74°07′17″W / 40.72299°N 74.121346°W / 40.72299; -74.121346 ). While the Newark terminal building is still standing and is part of the
Four Corners Historic District the trackage and train shed which served it are now the site of the
Prudential Center . The rail yard is site of
Mulberry Commons . The bridges from the yard over
McCarter Highway , the PRR tracks now used by
Amtrak /
New Jersey Transit (NJT) to
Newark Penn Station , and New Jersey Railroad Avenue still exist.
[13] The right of way through the Ironbound was developed as commercial space and housing.
[14] A station house at the
Jackson Avenue station survived until at least 2007.
[15]
[16]
The ROW through
Bergen Hill and
West Side in Jersey City has become part of the
Hudson Bergen Light Rail . NJT has announced plans for 0.7 mile extension of the West Side Branch from its current terminus at
West Side Avenue station over
Route 440 to a redevelopment area known as
Bayfront , where a new station would be constructed.
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
Service
See also
References
^
"Opening of the Newark and New-York Railroad" (PDF) . New York Times . July 24, 1869.
Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2011 .
^
a
b
c Schmidt Jr., W.H. (November 1948). " "Costliest railroad" now half abandoned".
Trains . Vol. 9, no. 1. p. 52.
^
"Importance of the New Railroad to Newark" (PDF) . The New York Times . March 4, 1866.
Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2018 .
^
"NEW-YORK AND NEWARK RAILROAD; Enthusiastic Meeting in Newark-Abuses of the New-Jersey Railroad Denounced--Resolutions in Support of a New Road--Importance of Proper Communications with New-York" (PDF) . The New York Times . February 14, 1866.
Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2018 .
^
"Article 1 -- No Title" (PDF) . The New York Times . February 16, 1866.
Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2018 .
^
"The Newark and New-York Railroad Company" (PDF) . The New York Times . September 16, 1866.
Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2018 .
^
a
b French, Kenneth (February 24, 2002).
Images of America: Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey City .
Portsmouth, New Hampshire :
Arcadia Publishing . pp. 25–29.
ISBN
978-0-7385-0966-2 . Archived from
the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2009 .
^
"Dredge Hackensack River Improving Newark Meadows Section for Development" (PDF) . New York Times . February 9, 1913.
Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2011 .
^
"Railway Management.; A New Story Of A Deal" (PDF) . The New York Times . January 12, 1890.
Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2018 .
^
"Steamer Wrecks Bridge in Jersey 6000-Ton Coal Ship Shears Off Two Spans of Central Railroad Structure" , The New York Times , February 4, 1946
^ Colletti, Richard (December 26, 2011).
"Towers of the CNJ2" . Towers of the CNJ . NRHS (Jersey Central).
Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012 .
^
"Hackensack River bridges" .
Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2010 .
^
"Newark and New York Branch over NJ21" (PDF) . New Jersey Historic Bridge Data . NJDOT. 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2012 .
^ Garbarine, Rachelle (July 2, 1989).
"IN THE REGION: New Jersey; Dwellings Proliferate in Newark's Ironbound" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023 .
^
a
b
"Jackson Avenue Station" .
Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2010 .
^
a
b
"Jackson Avenue Station" .
Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2010 .
^ Whiten, John (May 11, 2011).
"Light Rail Extension to Jersey City's West Side Gets Push Forward from NJ Transit" . Jersey City Independent. Archived from
the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011 .
^
"NJ Transit Approves Study of Light Rail Extension" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. September 16, 2010. Archived from
the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011 .
^
a
b Whiten, Jon (August 23, 2010).
"West Side Light Rail Extension Project Picks Up Some Federal Funding" . www.jerseycityindependent.com. Archived from
the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011 .
^
NJ Transit's board advances light-rail extension, awards transit center contract
^
a
b
c Travelers' official Guide of the Railways . National Railway Publication Company. June 1, 1970.
^
a
b
c Travelers official Guide of the Railways . National Railway Publication Company. June 1893.
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m Timetable (1925),
Service schedule (Newark and New York) , Central Railroad of New Jersey, archived from
the original on July 14, 2011
^
"Weekdays" . New Jersey Central. 1941. Archived from
the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012 .
^
"Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal" . Archived from
the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2009 .
^ Higgs, Larry (March 3, 2020).
"New NJ Transit light rail will serve developments along N.J. waterfronts" . nj.com.
Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020 .
External links