This is Newark, New Jersey. Serving a population of 7.6 million people, a network of commuter rail
lines runs across this US city, servicing 156 stations across 16 counties and two states.
Consisting of 433 miles of track, the system travels across New Jersey and New York,
with trains radiating from New York City and Hoboken to the various outlying towns and cities.
But how did the system grow from its original stations to the network it is today?
My name’s Zach, and this is the Evolution of the Network.
Public operations of New Jersey’s commuter rail network began in January 1983,
when New Jersey Transit took over rail operations within the state from Conrail. Twelve lines were
taken over at that time, including two lines shared with New York City’s Metro North Railroad.
From New York’s Penn Station, the two lines ran to Rahway, with the North
Jersey Coast line continuing to Bay Head, and the Northeast Corridor line continuing to Trenton.
A short shuttle train connected with the Northeast Corridor at Princeton Junction,
running one stop to Princeton University. From Newark’s Penn Station, the Raritan Valley line
ran west, servicing 21 stations to Phillipsburg. Four lines ran west from Hoboken Terminal,
with three of those running through Newark’s Broad Street station. The Morristown line and Gladstone
branch share 12 stations west to Summit, with the Gladstone branch continuing to service 12 stops,
and the Morristown line servicing six stations to join the Boonton line at Denville.
The Montclair branch serviced six stations west from Newark’s Broad Street station to Bay Street,
while the Boonton line travelled from Hoboken to Netcong, servicing 20 stations along the route.
Four additional lines run north from Hoboken Terminal, including the Pascack Valley line which
services 14 stations to Montvale, and continues north into New York State to Spring Valley.
The Main and Bergen County lines service 16 unique stations to Ridgewood,
before rejoining to share seven stations to Suffern New York.
Rush hour trains on the Port Jervis line run express along the Main Line tracks from Hoboken
to Suffern, before continuing to service nine more stations into New York to Port Jervis.
Changes to the network began in April 1983, with trains on the Port Jervis line being rerouted in
New York. Stations were removed from the town centers from Harriman to Middletown,
with trains now serving suburban stations on a parallel set of tracks.
In December, service on the Raritan Valley line was cut back three stations from Phillipsburg,
with trains now ending at High Bridge. On the Morristown Line and Gladstone and Montclair
branches, stations were consolidated around Newark's Broad Street station in September 1984,
with the neighbouring stops at Harrison and Roseville Avenue were closed.
The following year, a new station opened on the Raritan Valley line in June 1985,
with trains beginning to stop at Calco. Four more stations were closed across the network
in 1986, eliminating some of the low ridership stops on the network. In April, Grant Avenue on
the Raritan Valley line closed, as well as North Newark on the Boonton line. In October, South
Paterson on the Main line closed, in addition to New Milford on the Pascack Valley line.
Five years later in 1991, more stations near Newark’s Broad Street station were closed,
having seen rapidly reducing ridership over the previous years. On the Montclair branch, Ampere
station closed in April 1991, as well as Grove St on the Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch.
In September, a new track connection opened near Newark's Penn Station,
allowing some trains from the North Jersey Coast line to be extended to Hoboken.
Two years later, North Rahway station on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey
Coast line was closed, having seen increasing maintenance issues over the previous few years.
On the Boonton and Morristown lines, a two stop extension opened one year later in October 1994,
with new stations at Mount Olive and Hackettstown. Another new track connection opened in June 1996,
east of Newark Broad Street station. This new connection allowed some trains on the
Gladstone Branch and Morristown line to be extended to New York's Penn Station,
with service provided as far west as Gladstone and Dover. Additionally, Calco station on the Raritan
Valley line was renamed to Bridgewater, servicing the nearby under construction Somerset Ballpark.
Three years later in February 1999, an infill station was added near the south
end of the Northeast Corridor line, with trains beginning to stop at Hamilton. At the same time,
Matawan station on the North Jersey Coast line was renamed to Aberdeen-Matawan,
recognizing the stations location on the border of the two towns.
Further north on the line, a new station opened in October 2001, with a stop at the Newark Liberty
International Airport. The station provides an interchange to the Newark Airport AirTrain,
taking passengers directly from the station to the airport terminals.
Service on the Montclair Branch and Boonton line was revised in September 2002,
with a new track connection being built from the end of the Montclair Branch to Walnut Station on
the Boonton line. With this change, the Montclair branch was discontinued, with
trains on the Boonton line rerouted along these tracks to Hoboken and New York’s Penn Station.
Three stations were closed as part of this change, with trains no longer
stopping at Arlington, Rowe St and Benson St. Two new stations were opened in April 2003,
including a new station opened at the east end of the Raritan Valley line at Union.
At the same time, a new station opened on the Montclair-Boonton line at Montclair
State University, which provided transfers between diesel and electric trains on the line.
In August, Harmon Cove station on the Bergen County Line was closed,
with train tracks now bypassing the station site. This station was replaced in December however,
with the nearby Secaucus Junction station opening, offering an interchange between nine train routes.
This new stop allowed passengers from northern lines to access New York’s Penn Station,
reducing traffic through Hoboken. A new station was opened near the New
York/New Jersey border in August 2004, with Ramsay Route 17 beginning service on the Main Line,
Bergen County Line, and Port Jervis Line. Two years later in October 2006, Finderne station
on the Raritan Valley line was closed, having seen very low ridership in the years prior.Two
stations were opened on the Montclair-Boonton line in January 2008, improving access to the
network. Near the middle of the line, Wayne Route 23 opened near the beginning of the month,
followed later that month by a station near the western end at Mount Arlington.
The Pascack Valley line station at North Hackensack was renamed in April 2009,
now being referred to as New Bridge Landing. Later that month, a special events line was launched,
providing service from Hoboken and Secaucus Junction to a new station
at Meadowlands. The station provided access to the Meadowlands Racetrack and Meadowlands Arena,
as well as the nearby American Dream Mall and MetLife Stadium.
The Montclair-Boonton line station at Great Notch was closed in January 2010, having
seen declining ridership in the years prior. On the Raritan Valley line, limited trains
were extended from Newark's Penn Station to New York's Penn Station in March 2014,
offering a one-seat ride into the city. Finally in May 2016, a new stop on the
Bergen County line opened at Wesmont, providing access to new developments around the station.
This brings us to the New Jersey Transit commuter rail map that we know today.
That was the evolution of Newark's commuter rail network, giving us the twelve rail lines that we
know today. If you haven’t already, be sure to watch our video on the evolution of Newark and
Jersey City’s subway and light rail network, which you can access by clicking the button in the top
right corner. Don’t forget to leave a like if you enjoyed this video, and comment down below to join
in the discussion. My name’s Zach, and I’ll be Vanishing Underground, until the next one.