Belle Mead station

Summary

Belle Mead station is a train station along the CSX Trenton Subdivision and former New Jersey Transit West Trenton Line in the Belle Mead section of Montgomery Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.

Belle Mead
The former Belle Mead Reading Railroad station.
History
ClosedDecember 3, 1982[1]
Rebuilt–December 8, 1919[2]
Key dates
October 1976Station agent eliminated[3]
Former services
Preceding station Conrail Following station
Hopewell Crusader and Wall Street
1976–1981
Bound Brook
toward Newark
Hopewell West Trenton Line
1981–1982
(NJ Transit)
Preceding station Reading Railroad Following station
Harlingen New York Branch Hamilton

History edit

The current station was built by the Reading Railroad, opening to the public on December 8, 1919.[2] This replaced the older station which was built in the late 19th century. The current Belle Mead station was closed in 1981 and is still standing. New Jersey Transit may reopen the station as part of the proposed revival of the West Trenton Line.[4] This station was expected to have the second largest ridership on the branch with 290 daily passengers. If the station were to be reopened, two small station buildings would be renovated. Commuter parking would possibly be located on the eastside of the right-of-way with access from Route 206 with 300 parking spaces. The intersection of Township Line Road and Route 206 would be improved along with replacement of the adjacent Route 206 bridge over the railroad.[5]

Preservation New Jersey declared it one of the most endangered buildings in the state in 2019.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ "Agency Cuts 200 Jobs, Rail Line and Bus Routes". The Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. November 12, 1982. p. 21. Retrieved November 26, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ a b "New Reading Station Opened". The Plainfield Courier-News. December 26, 1919. p. 14. Retrieved August 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Forrestal, Pat (October 10, 1976). "Ticket Office Remains Open". The Ridgewood News. Ridgewood, New Jersey. p. 16. Retrieved November 26, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ West Trenton Line (New Jersey Transit; Capital Improvement Program - System Expansion Projects) Archived 2009-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Transit. Accessed November 27, 2015.
  5. ^ "Proposed Restoration of Passenger Rail Service on the West Trenton Line Appendix K: Public Involvement" (PDF). njtransit.com. New Jersey Transit. November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  6. ^ "Belle Mead Station – Preservation New Jersey".

40°28′03″N 74°39′43″W / 40.4675°N 74.6620°W / 40.4675; -74.6620