Summary
Elizabeth is a disused train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was built by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) in 1893. It is adjacent to NJ Transit's Elizabeth station on the Northeast Corridor. That station was built and owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad; in the era of private operation passengers could transfer between the two. The CNJ right-of-way in Elizabeth is unused, and passenger trains which served the former CNJ mainline (NJT's Raritan Valley Line service) bypass Elizabeth via the Aldene Connection on their way to Newark Penn Station. The station has been renovated and used as commercial space.
ELIZABETH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The former Central Railroad of New Jersey station, with the current Elizabeth station in the background. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 14 Julian Place, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07028 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°40′02″N 74°12′59″W / 40.667149°N 74.216448°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | January 1, 1839[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | August 6, 1978[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elizabeth Station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Morris Ave., and Broad St., Elizabeth, New Jersey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°40′4″N 74°12′54″W / 40.66778°N 74.21500°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1893 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architect | Bruce Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architectural style | Roanesque, Victorian Romanesque | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MPS | Operating Passenger Railroad Stations TR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 84002825[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | September 29, 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Major named trains edit
The station was on CNJ's main line and was also utilized by B&O and Reading Railway trains which terminated at CNJ's Jersey City terminal, where ferry service to New York was available.
- Baltimore and Ohio (routes west beyond Washington, DC):
- Capitol Limited, Cincinnatian, Columbian, Metropolitan Special, National Limited and others
- Central Railroad of New Jersey & Reading Railway (route to Bethlehem, Allentown, Reading and Harrisburg):
- Harrisburg Special and Queen of the Valley
- Reading Railway (route to West Trenton and Philadelphia):
- Crusader and Wall Street
Status edit
The CNJ station suffered from a freight train wreck on November 4, 1972, when a boxcar derailed and pulled several other cars into the canopy. Although the buildings and freight cars were damaged, there were no injuries.[4] The station has been listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places since 1984 and is part of the Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource.[3][5][6][7]
There are plans to redesign the public space and create a transit plaza between the CNJ and NJT stations.[8][9][10] [11][12][13] Funding was approved in 2018.[14][15][16]
The proposed Union County Light Rail, which would have connected midtown Elizabeth with Newark Airport, would have had its western terminus at this station. The station for this line would have been referred to as Midtown to distinguish from the other stations in Elizabeth on this line. The plan has been replaced by the Union go bus expressway, a proposed bus rapid transit system between Garwood and the airport.[17][18][19]
References edit
- ^ Wyckoff, Jane Bower (April 21, 1949). "Development of Jersey Central Spurred by Plainfield Enthusiasts". The Plainfield Courier-News. p. 17. Retrieved August 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "DOT Gives Farewell Toots to Underused 'Bayonne Scoots'". The Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. August 7, 1978. p. 13. Retrieved August 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Wreck at Elizabeth, NJ". Retrieved 2009-03-26.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Mountain Station New Jersey Transit Railroad Station Survey
- ^ Essex County Listings on the National Register of Historic Places (Building - #84002656)
- ^ Brown, Douglas John (January 12, 2015). "Plans for NJT Elizabeth station upgrade touted". Railway Age. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ^ "CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION UNVEILS DESIGN PLANS FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF ELIZABETH STATION" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ^ "NEC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS OF RELEVANCE TO NEW JERSEY" (PDF). ARP. January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ "New Jersey Transit". www.njtransit.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ "New Jersey Transit". www.njtransit.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ "NJ Transit approves contracts to upgrade Elizabeth Station - Railway Technology". April 12, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ "$55 million redesign, two-story building planned for Elizabeth NJ Transit station". 12 January 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ "New Jersey Transit". www.njtransit.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ "NJ Transit moves forward with Elizabeth Station reconstruction". Railway Track and Structures. April 12, 2018.
- ^ "Union County Go bus expressway" (PDF). NJ Transit Bus Service: The Next Generation. New Jersey Transit. April 26, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2013. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
- ^ "Bollwage supports construction of new midtown train station by NJ Transit", Suburban News, March 16, 2012, retrieved 2012-02-01
- ^ "Elizabeth Downtown Multi-Modal Integration Study". North Jersey Transportation Planning Organization. 2011. Archived from the original on 2010-11-10. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
