NJ Transit Rail Operations

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NJ Transit Rail Operations (reporting mark NJTR) is the rail division of NJ Transit. It operates commuter rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered on transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark. NJ Transit also operates rail service in Orange and Rockland counties in New York under contract to Metro-North Railroad. The commuter rail lines saw 57,179,000[1] riders in 2023, making it the third-busiest commuter railroad in North America and the longest commuter rail system in North America by route length.

NJ Transit Rail Operations
NJ Transit provides rail service throughout North Jersey, between Philadelphia and Atlantic City in South Jersey, and in the lower Hudson Valley west of the Hudson River.
Overview
Headquarters1 Penn Plaza East
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Reporting markNJTR
LocaleNorth Jersey, Central Jersey, White Horse Pike corridor, Hudson Valley
Dates of operation1983–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line;
Route map

Map
Otisville
Nanuet
Middletown–Town of Wallkill
Pearl River
Campbell Hall
Salisbury Mills–Cornwall
Montvale
Harriman
Park Ridge
Tuxedo
Woodcliff Lake
Sloatsburg
Hillsdale
Westwood
Emerson
Mahwah
Oradell
Ramsey Route 17
River Edge
Ramsey
New Bridge Landing
Allendale
Anderson Street
Waldwick
Essex Street
Ho-Ho-Kus
Teterboro
Ridgewood
Wood-Ridge
Glen Rock–Boro Hall
Glen Rock–Main Line
Radburn
Hawthorne
Broadway
Paterson
Plauderville
Clifton
Garfield
Passaic
Wesmont
Delawanna
Rutherford
Lyndhurst
Kingsland
Secaucus Junction
Port Authority Trans-Hudson Hudson–Bergen Light Rail Hoboken
New York
Penn Station
Amtrak
Newark Light Rail
Newark
Broad Street
Newark
Penn Station
Newark Light Rail Port Authority Trans-Hudson Amtrak
Watsessing Avenue
East Orange
Bloomfield
Brick Church
Glen Ridge
Orange
Bay Street
Highland Avenue
Walnut Street
Mountain Station
Watchung Avenue
South Orange
Upper Montclair
Maplewood
Mountain Avenue
Millburn
Montclair Heights
Short Hills
Montclair State Univ.
Summit
Little Falls
Chatham
Wayne Route 23
Madison
Mountain View
Convent Station
Lincoln Park
Morristown
Towaco
Morris Plains
Boonton
Mount Tabor
Mountain Lakes
New Providence
Denville
Murray Hill
Dover
Berkeley Heights
Mount Arlington
Gillette
Lake Hopatcong
Stirling
Planned
2026
Millington
Netcong
Lyons
Mount Olive
Basking Ridge
Bernardsville
Far Hills
Peapack
Union
Roselle Park
Newark Liberty
International Airport
Amtrak
Cranford
North Elizabeth
Garwood
Elizabeth
Westfield
Linden
Fanwood
Rahway
Netherwood
Plainfield
Avenel
Dunellen
Woodbridge
Bound Brook
Perth Amboy
Bridgewater
South Amboy
Somerville
Aberdeen–Matawan
Raritan
Hazlet
North Branch
Middletown
White House
Red Bank
Lebanon
Little Silver
Annandale
Monmouth Park
Seasonal
Long Branch
Amtrak Metropark
Elberon
Metuchen
Allenhurst
Edison
Asbury Park
Amtrak New Brunswick
Bradley Beach
Jersey Avenue
Belmar
Spring Lake
Amtrak Princeton Junction
Manasquan
Point Pleasant Beach
Hamilton
Amtrak TRE River Line (NJ Transit) Trenton
Philadelphia Amtrak
Pennsauken River Line (NJ Transit)
Cherry Hill
Lindenwold PATCO
Atco
Hammonton
Egg Harbor City
Absecon

Network and infrastructure

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The lines operated by NJ Transit were formerly operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey, New York and Long Branch Railroad, and Erie Lackawanna Railroad, most of which date from the mid-19th century. From the 1960s onward, the New Jersey Department of Transportation began funding the commuter lines. By 1976, the lines were all operated by Conrail under contract to NJDOT. The system took its current form in 1983, when NJ Transit took over all commuter service in New Jersey. NJ Transit Rail Operations is divided into the Hoboken Division and the Newark Division. The two networks were not integrated until the opening of Secaucus Junction in 2003, which enabled passengers to transfer between lines bound for New York and Hoboken.

Lines

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As of 2022, NJ Transit's commuter rail network consists of 12 lines and 165 stations, primarily concentrated in northern New Jersey, with one line running between Atlantic City and Philadelphia.[2]

Current lines

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Operations are in two divisions:

Newark Division
Lines Terminals
 Northeast Corridor Line  New York Penn Station Trenton
Jersey Avenue (some peak weekday trains)
 Princeton Branch  Princeton Junction Princeton
 North Jersey Coast Line  New York Penn Station
Hoboken Terminal (limited service)
Long Branch (electric service)
Bay Head (diesel service)
 Raritan Valley Line  Newark Penn Station (most trains)
New York Penn Station (limited weekday trains)
Hoboken Terminal (1 inbound weekday train)
Raritan (most trains)
High Bridge (limited weekday trains)
 Atlantic City Line  Philadelphia 30th Street Station Atlantic City
Hoboken Division
Lines Terminals
 Main Line  Hoboken Terminal Suffern
 Bergen County Line  Suffern (weekday service)
Waldwick (weekend service)
 Pascack Valley Line  Spring Valley
 Port Jervis Line  Port Jervis
 Meadowlands Rail Line  Secaucus Junction
Hoboken Terminal (limited service)
Meadowlands
 Montclair-Boonton Line  Hoboken Terminal
New York Penn Station (Midtown Direct service)
Montclair State University (weekday electric service)
Hackettstown (limited weekday diesel service)
Bay Street (weekend service)
 Morristown Line  Dover (electric service)
Hackettstown (limited weekday diesel service)
 Gladstone Branch  Hoboken Terminal (weekday service)
New York Penn Station (Midtown Direct service, weekdays only)
Summit (weekend service)
Gladstone

Freight usage

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Morristown and Erie Railroad, one of the freight operators authorized to operate on the NJ Transit system, crossing the Passaic River in Roseland

Although NJ Transit itself does not carry freight, NJTR allows freight service to be operated over its lines via trackage rights agreements with several railroads. Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO), CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS) and several short lines (Cape May Seashore Lines (CMSL), Dover and Delaware River Railroad (DD), Morristown & Erie Railway (M&E), and Southern Railroad of New Jersey (SRNJ) currently have trackage rights contracts to operate freight service on NJ Transit lines. The Morristown & Erie Railway can only use NJT trackage to get between its owned trackage; it cannot serve customers on NJ Transit trackage. A similar situation exists for Conrail on the Atlantic City Line.

Below is a list of NJ Transit lines and freight lines that operate on them:

  • Morristown Line: DD, M&E
  • Montclair-Boonton Line: DD, M&E
  • Main Line: NS, M&E
  • Bergen County Line: NS, M&E
  • Pascack Valley Line: NS
  • Raritan Valley Line: CSAO
  • North Jersey Coast Line: CSAO
  • Atlantic City Line: CSAO, SRNJ

Non-passenger lines

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NJTR also owns several lines not used for regular passenger service. These lines were purchased by the New Jersey Department of Transportation in the late 1970s for railbanking purposes, with ownership transferring to NJ Transit upon its creation in 1979. These lines are either leased for freight/tourist service, interim rail trail use, or remain derelict:

Ownership

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NJT owns most of its tracks, infrastructure, bridges, tunnels and signals. The exceptions are:

Yards and maintenance

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NJ Transit's main storage and maintenance facility is the Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, New Jersey. Other major yard facilities are located at Hoboken Terminal. Amtrak's Sunnyside Yard in Queens, New York serves as a layover facility for trains to New York Penn Station. Additional yards are located at outlying points along the lines. These include:[3]

  • Main and Bergen County Lines:
  • Montclair-Boonton Line:
  • Morris and Essex Lines:
  • North Jersey Coast Line:
    • Long Branch Yard
    • Bay Head Yard
  • Northeast Corridor:
  • Pascack Valley Line:
    • Woodbine Yard, Spring Valley, NY
  • Port Jervis Line:
    • Port Jervis Yard, Port Jervis, NY
  • Raritan Valley Line:
    • Raritan Yard
    • Hudson Yard, Harrison (Shared with Northeast Corridor)

NJT has a fleet of maintenance crews and vehicles that repair tracks, spread ballast, deliver supplies and inspect infrastructure. There are eight non-revenue work diesels used for these purposes.

Movable bridges

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NJT utilizes numerous moveable bridges:

  • Dock Bridge, Newark (Passaic River) – Northeast Corridor Line (vertical lift) (owned and operated by Amtrak)
  • Portal Bridge, Secaucus (Hackensack River) – Northeast Corridor Line (swing) (owned and operated by Amtrak)
  • Newark Draw, Newark (Passaic River) – Morristown Line (swing)
  • Lower Hack Lift, Jersey City (Hackensack River) – Morristown Line (vertical lift)
  • Upper Hack Lift, Secaucus (Hackensack River) – Main Line (vertical lift)
  • HX Draw, Secaucus (Hackensack River) – Bergen County Line and Pascack Valley Line (bascule)
  • Lyndhurst Draw, Lyndhurst (Passaic River) – Main Line (swing)
  • River Draw, South Amboy (Raritan River) – North Jersey Coast Line (swing)
  • Morgan Draw, Old Bridge (Cheesequake Creek) – North Jersey Coast Line (bascule)
  • Oceanport Draw, Oceanport (Oceanport Creek) – North Jersey Coast Line (swing)
  • Shark River Draw, Belmar (Shark River) – North Jersey Coast Line (bascule)
  • Brielle Draw, Brielle (Manasquan River) – North Jersey Coast Line (bascule)
  • Beach Bridge, Atlantic City (Beach Thorofare) – Atlantic City Line (swing)
  • Delair Bridge, Pennsauken (Delaware River) – Atlantic City Line (vertical lift) (owned and operated by Conrail)

Rolling stock

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NJ Transit, operates a fleet of 175 locomotives and over 1,200 passenger cars.

Locomotives

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Builder and model Photo Numbers Number active Type Built
EMD GP40PH-2   4100, 4101, 4109 3 Diesel 1968
EMD GP40PH-2B   4200–4219 19 1965–1969
EMD F40PH-2CAT   4119, 4120 2 1981
Alstom PL42AC   4000–4032 29 2005–2006
Bombardier ALP-46   4600–4628 29 Electric 2001–2002
Bombardier ALP-46A   4629–4664 36 2010–2011
Bombardier ALP-45DP   4500–4534 60 Dual-mode
(electric and diesel)[4]
2011–2012
Bombardier/Alstom ALP-45A   4535-4559 2021–present

Passenger cars

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NJ Transit has a fleet of over 1,100 passenger cars. The fleet and examples are described below.

Builder and model Photo Numbers Total Built
GE Arrow III   1304–1333 30 single cars (no lavatory) 1977
1334–1533 200 paired cars (lavatory in odd cars)
Bombardier Comet II   5300–5460 161 trailers (no lavatories) 1982–1989
Bombardier Comet IV   5011–5031 21 cab cars (lavatory) 1996
5235–5264 30 trailers (lavatory)
5535–5582 48 trailers (no lavatory)
Alstom Comet V   6000–6083 84 cab cars (lavatory) 2002–2004
6200–6213 14 trailers (lavatory)
6500–6601 102 trailers (no lavatory)
Bombardier MultiLevel Coach   7000–7051 52 cab cars (lavatory) 2006–2010
7200–7298 99 trailers (lavatory)
7500–7677 178 trailers (no lavatory)
Bombardier MultiLevel Coach II   7052–7061 10 cab cars (lavatory) 2012–2013
7678–7767 90 trailers (no lavatory)

Stations

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Hoboken Terminal, the terminus for all trains headed east on the Hoboken Division

NJ Transit provides passenger service on 12 lines at total of 165 stations, some of which are operated in conjunction with Amtrak and Metro-North (MNCW).[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "NJT Facts at a Glance".
  3. ^ Rouse, Karen (November 16, 2012). "NJ Transit's rail fleet hit hard by storm". The Record. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  4. ^ Bombardier Press release
  5. ^ "New Jersey Transit At A Glance" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
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