Pennsylvania Station (Newark)

Pennsylvania Station (also known as Newark Penn Station) is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey.[6] One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, making it the seventh-busiest rail station in United States, and the fourth-busiest in the New York area. Located at Raymond Plaza, between Market Street and Raymond Boulevard, it is served by the Newark Light Rail,[7] three NJ Transit commuter rail lines, the PATH rapid transit system, and all 11 of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor services (including the Acela Express). The station is also Newark's main intercity bus terminal; it is served by carriers Greyhound, Bolt, and Fullington Trailways. Additionally, it is served by 33 local and regional bus lines operated by NJ Transit Bus Operations and Coach USA (Orange-Newark-Elizabeth).

Newark Penn Station
Newark, NJ
Penn Station main entrance at dusk
Other namesNewark ( PATH)
Location1 Raymond Plaza West, Newark, New Jersey
Owned byNJ Transit
Line(s)Northeast Corridor
Platforms1 side platform (upper level)
3 island platforms and 2 side platforms (main level)
Tracks6 (Northeast Corridor), 2 (PATH)
Connections NJT Bus: 1, 5, 11, 21, 25, 28, 29, 30, 34, 39, 40, 41, 62, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 78, 79, 108, 308, 319, 361, 375, 378
Coach USA: 31, 44
Greyhound Lines
Fullington Trailways
Construction
ParkingAvailable in immediate area
Bicycle facilitiesNo
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeNWK (Amtrak)
ZRP (IATA)
Fare zone1 (NJT only)
History
OpenedMarch 24, 1935
Rebuilt2007
Electrified12 kV 25 Hz AC overhead lines (Northeast Corridor)
Passengers
201727,695 (average weekday)[1][2] (NJT)
2018702,182[3] 2.96% (Amtrak)
20188,789,165[4] 1.4% (PATH)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Metropark Acela New York
Trenton
toward Chicago
Cardinal New York
Terminus
Trenton
toward Charlotte
Carolinian
Trenton Crescent
Newark Airport
toward Harrisburg
Keystone Service
Metropark
toward Savannah
Palmetto
Trenton
toward Pittsburgh
Pennsylvanian
Trenton
toward Miami
Silver Meteor
Silver Star
Newark Airport Northeast Regional New York
Metropark
weekends
Vermonter New York
toward St. Albans
Trenton
weekdays
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station
Newark Liberty Int'l Airport
toward Trenton
Northeast Corridor Line Secaucus Junction
Union Raritan Valley Line Secaucus Junction
(Limited service, suspended)
Hoboken
(Limited service, suspended)
Terminus
Newark Liberty Int'l Airport
toward Bay Head
North Jersey Coast Line Secaucus Junction
Hoboken
(Limited service)
Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Trenton Metroliner New York
Terminus
Metropark
Until 2005
Trenton
toward Chicago
Three Rivers
1995-2005
Broadway Limited
Until 1995
Trenton National Limited
Trenton Montrealer New York
toward Montreal
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station
Atlantic City
Terminus
Atlantic City Express Service New York Penn Station
Terminus
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Bound Brook West Trenton Line Terminus
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Newark South Street
toward Chicago
Main Line Manhattan Transfer
Newark South Street New Brunswick Line
Preceding station Lehigh Valley Railroad Following station
Townley
toward Buffalo
Main Line Manhattan Transfer
toward New York
Meeker Avenue
toward Buffalo
Preceding station Central Railroad of New Jersey Following station
Roselle Park Main Line
After 1967
Terminus
Pennsylvania Station
Newark Penn Station
LocationRaymond Plaza West,
Newark, New Jersey
Coordinates40°44′5″N 74°9′51″W
Area5 acres (2 ha)
Built1935
ArchitectMcKim, Mead & White
Architectural styleClassical Revival, Art Deco
NRHP reference No.78001760[5]
Added to NRHPDecember 20, 1978

History

Looking east on Market St ca. 1911; Newark Penn Station on right
Market Street under station, 1935

Designed by the renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the station has Art Deco and Neo-Classical features. The main waiting room has medallions showing the history of transportation, from wagons to steamships to cars and airplanes, the eventual doom of the railroad age. Chandeliers are decorated with Zodiac signs.[8] The building was dedicated on March 23, 1935; the first regular train to use it was a New York–Philadelphia express at 10:17 on March 24.[9][10] The new station was built alongside (northwest of) the old station, which was then demolished and replaced by the southeast half of the present station, completed in 1937. Except for the separate, underground Newark Light Rail station, all tracks are above street level.

It was to be one of the centerpieces of Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR's) train network, and to become a transfer point to the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (now PATH), which was partially funded by the PRR, for travel to lower Manhattan. PRR then scheduled 232 weekday trains through Newark, about two-thirds of them to or from New York Penn Station and the rest to/from Jersey City.

CNJ train at Penn Station on July 4, 1969

The station itself, the adjacent 230-foot Dock Bridge over the Passaic River (the longest three-track railway lift span in existence at the time) and the realignments of the Newark City Subway (now Newark Light Rail) and H&M cost $42 million, borne almost evenly by the PRR and the City of Newark. The City Subway extension and H&M realignment opened on June 20, 1937, and the nearby Manhattan Transfer station was closed, along with the H&M's original Park Place station.[11]

The Port of New York Authority (now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) bought the bankrupt H&M Railroad and reorganized it as Port Authority Trans-Hudson in 1962. New Jersey Department of Transportation's Aldene Plan redirected Central Railroad of New Jersey and Reading Railroad trains from Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City to Newark Penn Station in 1967. The Pennsylvania Railroad merged with longtime rival New York Central Railroad in 1968 to form Penn Central Railroad, but Newark kept the name "Penn Station." In 1970, Penn Station became the sole intercity station in Newark when the Erie Lackawanna ran its last intercity trains through Broad Street Station.

After Amtrak took over inter-city service in 1971, Penn Central continued to operate commuter service, despite being bankrupt. In 1976 the New Jersey Department of Transportation acquired Penn Central, Reading and Jersey Central passenger service, which included lines from as far away as Philadelphia's SEPTA diesel service along the West Trenton Line, with Conrail operating service under contract. New Jersey Transit acquired the rail line north of West Trenton in 1982, and established its rail operations division in 1983, acquiring almost all commuter rail service from Conrail within the state.

Newark Penn Station was extensively renovated in 2007, with restoration of the facade and historic interior materials (e.g., plaster ceilings, marble and limestone, windows, lighting fixtures), as well as train platform and equipment improvements.[12]

In August 2019 the United States Department of Transportation awarded $18.4 million to NJ Transit to rehabilitate and repair Platform "D" that serves Tracks 3 & 4 and is a major transfer point for Amtrak and NJ Transit.[13]

Current operations

Despite being 10 mi (16 km) from New York Penn, the busiest train station in North America, Newark Penn is a major station in its own right. In 2014 it was the 14th busiest station in the Amtrak system, the eighth busiest in the Mid-Atlantic region (behind New York Penn, Washington Union, Philadelphia, Baltimore Penn, Albany-Rensselaer, BWI Airport and Wilmington) and by far the busiest of the six Amtrak stations in New Jersey. This is mainly because since the 1970s, it has been the only intercity rail station in heavily populated northeastern New Jersey.

It is served by all 11 services running along the Northeast Corridor, providing a second option for Amtrak riders traveling through the New York area.

Due to the wide availability of these routes, as well as the Northeast Regional and Acela Express, passengers on most of Amtrak's southbound medium and long-distance routes are not allowed to detrain in Newark, nor are they allowed to entrain on Amtrak's nouthbound medium and long-distance routes.

Newark Penn Station carries the IATA airport code of ZRP.[14]

New Jersey Transit

Three NJ Transit commuter rail lines converge here: the Northeast Corridor Line, North Jersey Coast Line and the Raritan Valley Line. The former two continue to New York via Secaucus Junction, with the North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line offering limited service to Hoboken. The Raritan Valley Line generally terminates here, with the exception of select trains that continue to New York and one inbound weekday train that continues to Hoboken (RVL #2604).

PATH station

Newark
PATH rapid transit station
PATH platform
Tracks2 (Tracks H and M)
Electrified600 V DC third rail
Services
Preceding station PATH Following station
Terminus NWK–WTC Harrison

Newark Penn is the western terminus of the Newark–World Trade Center line of the PATH train, operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Trains discharge on Platform H (upper level) and return to service on the lower level (platform B/C). Until the opening of Secaucus Junction in 1999, NJ Transit and Amtrak commuter rail passengers had to transfer to PATH here in order to reach Jersey City or Hoboken.

Newark Light Rail

Newark Penn Station
Light rail platform
Tracks5 (2 inbound, 3 outbound)
Electrified750 V DC overhead lines
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station
Military Park Grove Street – Newark Penn Terminus
Terminus Broad Street – Newark Penn NJPAC/Center Street

On the lower level is the southern terminus of the Newark Light Rail (formerly the Newark City Subway), with three outbound tracks and two inbound tracks. Passengers on this light rail system from Newark and its nearby suburbs can transfer to Amtrak, NJ Transit or PATH trains, or travel to Newark Broad Street or downtown Newark. The Broad Street extension, opened in 2006, was intended to ease transfers between the former Erie Lackawanna commuter routes that call at Broad Street and the Amtrak and former PRR commuter routes that call at Newark Penn. Previously, passengers had to make their own way (usually by taxi or bus) between the two stations.

Tracks and platforms

Track layout
Main level
to upper level
5
4
3
2
M
1
A
from upper level
Upper level
from main level
H
to main level

Newark Penn has 8 tracks and 6 platforms for both NJT and PATH (Newark Light Rail not included), but PATH trains from NYC arrive on the upper level and ones from South Street arrive on the lower level.[15]

  • Track A is less used and has a side platform, usually for Raritan Valley Line arrivals. Trains relay and lay-up at Hudson Yard in Harrison before returning on Track 5 for the reverse trip. Occasionally used by Amtrak trains to New York Penn Station.
  • Track 1 is normally used by New Jersey Transit trains to New York Penn Station and is served by an island platform shared with Track M.
  • Track 2 is typically used by northbound Amtrak and New Jersey Transit express trains, but is also used during the PM rush for westbound North Jersey Coast Line express trains. This track has an island platform that is shared with track M.
  • Track 3 is usually used by southbound Amtrak trains, though westbound New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor Line express trains will often use this track in the evening rush hours. This platform has an island platform shared with track 4.
  • Track 4 is normally used by westbound New Jersey Transit trains traveling via Rahway.
  • Track 5 is usually used by westbound Raritan Valley Line trains and weekend eastbound Raritan Valley Line trains terminating. This track has a side platform. This track has closed periodically since 2013.[16]
  • Track M is the track for departing PATH trains to World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.[15]
  • Track H is for discharging PATH trains. This upper-level track, which did not have turnstiles until SmartLink ones were installed in 2005, has stairs to Track 2, along with ramps to Tracks 3 and 4, and a separate stairway to Track 5. Trains relay and lay-up south of the station before returning on Track M for the trip to World Trade Center. There are two pairs of crossover switches south of the station for that purpose, as well as a center express track from which trains can be reversed quickly.[15]

Platform layout

Note: Shows platform layouts only, not the actual station layout.

Upper platform Side platform, doors will open on the right
Track H      NWK–WTC termination track
Main
level
Side platform
Track 5      Raritan Valley Line toward Raritan or High Bridge (Union)
     Raritan Valley Line peak termination track →
Track 4      Northeast Corridor Line toward Rahway, Jersey Avenue or Trenton (Newark Airport)
     North Jersey Coast Line toward South Amboy, Long Branch or Bay Head (Newark Airport)
Island platform
Track 3      Northeast Corridor Line toward Trenton (Rahway, Metropark, New Brunswick, or Princeton Junction)
     Amtrak services towards Philadelphia and points south (Newark Airport)
Track 2      Raritan Valley Line toward High Bridge or Dunellen (Roselle Park or Union)
     Amtrak services toward New York and points north (New York)
     Northeast Corridor Line toward New York (Secaucus Junction)
     North Jersey Coast Line toward New York (Secaucus Junction)
Island platform
Track M      NWK–WTC toward World Trade Center (Harrison)
Island platform
Track 1      Raritan Valley Line off-peak toward Hoboken or New York (Secaucus Junction)
     Northeast Corridor Line toward New York (Secaucus Junction)
     North Jersey Coast Line toward New York (Secaucus Junction)
Track A      Raritan Valley Line peak termination track →
     North Jersey Coast Line toward Hoboken (Terminus)
Side platform
Mezzanine Mezzanine below platforms Shops, ticket machines, waiting rooms

Sources and notes

  1. "QUARTERLY RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANALYSIS" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  2. "How Many Riders Use NJ Transit's Hoboken Train Station?". Hoboken Patch. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2018, State of New Jersey" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. "PATH Ridership Report" (PDF). pathnynj.gov. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. "Getting Around". Greater Newark Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  7. Pirmann, David; Darlington, Peggy. "Newark City Subway". nycsubway.org. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  8. "Newark, NJ (NWK)". Great American Stations. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  9. "Newark Dedicates New Station Today". The New York Times. March 23, 1935. p. 13. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  10. "Newark Dedicates Its New Terminal". The New York Times. March 24, 1935. p. N1. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  11. "New Station Open for Hudson Tubes". The New York Times. June 20, 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  12. Hall Construction Co., Howell, NJ. "NJ Transit - Newark Penn Station Improvement Program." Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2011-11-15.
  13. "Commuters, rejoice! Newark Penn station is getting $18.4M upgrade". nj.com. August 20, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  14. "Three Letter Airport Codes". Lastupdate Travel. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  15. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 via Google Books.
  16. Higgs, Larry (August 26, 2015). "What's going on with Track 5 in Newark? Ask @CommutingLarry". NJ.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
Google Maps Street View
Market Street entrance
Raymond Plaza East entrance
Station building
PATH arrival platform
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.