NJ Transit Rail Operations

NJ Transit Rail Operations

NJ Transit provides rail service throughout northern New Jersey, between Philadelphia and Atlantic City in southern New Jersey, and in the lower Hudson Valley west of the Hudson River.
Overview
Headquarters	1 Penn Plaza East Newark, NJ 07105
Reporting mark	NJTR
Locale	North and Central Jersey, White Horse Pike corridor, Hudson Valley
Dates of operation	1983–present
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	12.5 kV 25 Hz AC Catenary 25 kV 60 Hz AC Catenary

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 had an average weekday ridership of 306,892 from June 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.^[1], making it the second-busiest commuter railroad in North America as well as the longest by route length. This does not include NJ Transit's light rail operations.

Network and infrastructure[]

The lines operated by NJ Transit were formerly operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey and 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 subsidizing 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. The two networks were not integrated until the opening of Secaucus Junction in 2003 enabled passengers to transfer between lines bound for New York and Hoboken.

Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap

NJTransit Rail Lines

Lines[]

As of 2012, NJ Transit's commuter rail network consists of 11 lines and 164 stations,^[2] primarily concentrated in northern New Jersey, with one line running between Atlantic City and Philadelphia.

Current lines[]

Operations are in two divisions:

• Hoboken Division, formerly operated by the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, runs from Hoboken Terminal or through Newark – Broad Street and includes Midtown Direct service via the Kearny Connection. Most station platforms are low-level.
• Newark Division, formerly operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey and New York and Long Branch Railroad, operates through Newark Penn Station via the Northeast Corridor, with most trains continuing to New York Penn Station. This division also includes the Atlantic City Line formerly operated by the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. Most station platforms are high-level.

Freight usage[]

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 (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[]

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:

• Harrison-Kingsland Branch: derelict
• Raritan Valley Line:
  • High Bridge-Bloomsbury: NS
  • Bloomsbury-Phillipsburg: trackage removed due to construction of Interstate 78 in 1989
• Red Bank -South Lakewood: Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO)
• Woodmansie-Winslow Junction: derelict
• Beesley's Point Secondary:
  • Winslow Junction-Palmero/Beesley's Point: CSAO
  • Palermo-Ocean City: leased to city of Ocean City in 1999 for use as interim Ocean City Bike Path rail trail
• Tuckahoe-Cape May: Cape May Seashore Lines, Southern Railroad of New Jersey
• HX Interlocking (Hackensack River)-Croxton Yard: realigned for Secaucus Junction, used as yard lead by NS
• Freehold-Farmingdale: derelict
• Freehold-Matawan: leased to Monmouth County Park System until 2020 as interim section of Henry Hudson Trail

Ownership[]

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

• Atlantic City Line – Philadelphia 30th Street Station to Frankford Junction (owned by Amtrak) and Frankford Junction to Pennsauken Delair Junction (owned by Conrail)
• Northeast Corridor Line – entire line except Morrisville Yard (owned by Amtrak)
• Port Jervis Line – Suffern to Port Jervis (owned by Norfolk Southern and leased by Metro-North)
• Raritan Valley Line – Aldene to Hunter (owned by Conrail)
• Montclair-Boonton Line – West of Netcong (owned by Norfolk Southern)

Yards and maintenance[]

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:
  • Waldwick Yard
  • Suffern Yard
• Montclair-Boonton Line:
  • Great Notch Yard, Little Falls
• Morris and Essex Lines:
  • Gladstone Yard
  • Summit Yard
  • Dover Yard
  • Port Morris Yard
• North Jersey Coast Line:
  • Long Branch Yard
  • Bay Head Yard
• Northeast Corridor:
  • Morrisville Yard, Morrisville, PA (near the Trenton Transit Center)
  • County Yard, New Brunswick (near Jersey Avenue)
  • Hudson Yard, Harrison (Serves mostly Raritan Valley Line trains)
• 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[]

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[]

This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia's inclusion policy. (March 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Reporting marks[]

All NJ Transit Rail Operations equipment in both revenue and non-revenue service carry AAR reporting marks of NJTR without exception. Equipment owned by Metro-North carries AAR reporting marks MNCW without exception.

Locomotives[]

Active revenue[]

These locomotives carry NJTR reporting marks for revenue service. Not included are the EMU cars, which are technically locomotives, but are listed in the passenger cars roster below.

Builder and model	Photo	Numbers	Built	Acquired	Type	Amount Active	Power	Notes
EMD GP40PH-2		4100, 4101, 4109	1968	1983 (inherited at inception)	Diesel	3	3,000 hp (2,237 kW)	Former Central Railroad of New Jersey GP40P 3671-3682; rebuilt by Conrail 1991–1993. Last remaining units from a 13 engine order. 4109 painted in heritage Central Railroad of New Jersey scheme.
EMD GP40PH-2B		4200–4219	1965–1969	1993–1994		20		Ex-Penn Central. Replacements for the GE U34CHs. 4219 was rebuilt from GP40PH-2A 4148, which was damaged in 1996.[4]
EMD F40PH-2CAT		4119, 4120	1981			2		Last remaining units from a 17 engine order. Relegated to work service between 2013 and 2020, except for a brief period between 2018 and 2019 when they were temporarily assigned to passenger service due to installation of PTC on cab cars.
Bombardier ALP-46		4600–4628	2001–2002		Electric	29	7,100 hp (5,294 kW)	Purchased for service increases related to Midtown Direct.
Alstom PL42AC		4000–4032	2005–2006		Diesel	30	4,200 hp (3,132 kW) 3,680 hp (2,744 kW) available for traction	Some units to be replaced by the ALP-45DP.[5]
Bombardier ALP-46A		4629–4664	2010–2011		Electric	36	7,500 hp (5,593 kW)	Delivery started in 2010; the first units entered service on June 2, 2010.[6] 4636 wrapped in heritage Pennsylvania Railroad scheme
Bombardier ALP-45DP		4500–4534	2011–2012		Dual-mode (electric and diesel)[7]	35	Electric mode 5,365 hp (4,001 kW) Diesel mode 4,200 hp (3,132 kW) 3,000 hp (2,237 kW) available for traction	Option for 17 additional locomotives (4535+) exercised in December 2017;[8] upgraded to 25 in July 2020.[5] 4519 wrapped in heritage Erie Lackawanna Railroad scheme.
		4535-4559	2020–

Retired revenue[]

Builder and model	Photo	Numbers	Built	Acquired	Retired	Type	Power	Notes
EMD F40PH-2CAT		4113–4118, 4121-4129	1981		2014	Diesel	3,000 hp (2,237 kW)	Replaced by ALP-45DP. 4115, 4116, 4123 & 4125 sold to Metro-North. 4124 & 4128 sold to the Grand Canyon Railway.
GE U34CH		4151-4183	1970–1971	1976	1994		3,600 hp (2,700 kW)	Former Conrail units 3351-3382. Replaced by GP40PH-2A and GP40PH-2B. 4172 (renumbered back to 3372) is preserved.
EMD GP40FH-2		4130–4144	1966–1967	1987	2012		3,000 hp (2,237 kW)	Rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen with the frame of a standard GP40 and cowl of an F45. 4130-4134 rebuilt into MP20B-3 switchers. Replaced by ALP-45DP.
EMD GP40PH-2A		4145–4150	1967–1971	1992–1993	2014			4148 was wrecked in 1996 and was rebuilt as GP40PH-2B 4219. Replaced by ALP-45DP. 4145 sold to MARC.
GE P40DC		4800-4803	1993	2007	2015		4,250 hp (3,170 kW)	Former Amtrak units 808, 810, 812 and 820. Used primarily for Atlantic City Express Service; later used on other lines Sold to CDOT for use on Shore Line East and the Hartford Line
ABB ALP-44O		4400–4414	1989	1990	2011	Electric	7000 hp (5.2 MW)	Replacements for the GE E60CHs. Replaced by ALP-46 and ALP-46A. All units currently in storage
ABB ALP-44E		4415–4419	1995		2012
ABB ALP-44M		4420–4431	1996		2011
GE E60CH		958-973	1973	1984	1998		6,000 hp (4.5 MW)	Ex-Amtrak. Replaced by ALP-44. 958 is preserved.
GE/Altoona Works GG1		4872-4884	1934-1943	N/A	1983		4,620 hp (3,450 kW)-8,500 hp (6,300 kW)	Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad. Replaced by E60. 4876, 4877, 4879 and 4882 are preserved.
EMD F7A		417-418, 420, 422-425	1949-1952		1984	Diesel	1,500 hp (1,100 kW)	Ex-Chicago and North Western Railway
EMD E8A		4246, 4248-4249, 4251, 4253, 4256-4258, 4267, 4272, 4285, 4305, 4320-4328, 4330-4334	1950-1953		N/A		2,250 hp (1,678 kW)	4328 and lower ex-Penn Central, 4330-4334 ex-Southern Railway. Several ex-Penn Central units replaced with ex-Illinois Central Railroad units.
EMD F40PHR		270, 274, 293, 302, 311, 400	1975-1992	2003	2005		3,000–3,200 hp (2.2–2.4 MW)	Ex-Amtrak. Leased from Rail World, then returned.

Non-revenue[]

All non-revenue locomotives are diesel-powered and legally carry the same "NJTR" AAR reporting marks as all other equipment without exception. As these locomotives lack HEP, they do not haul trains in passenger service unless performing a rescue.

Passenger cars[]

NJ Transit has a fleet of over 1,000 passenger cars. The fleet and examples are described below.

Except for the Comet II (which are all trailers), all examples shown are cab cars leading or on the tail end of trains.

Car groupings are, except for the Arrow III MUs, arranged in the following order: cab cars, trailers with lavatories, and trailers without lavatories, where applicable.

Single Arrow III MU's are GE Model MA-1J, married pairs are GE Model MA-1H. NJ Transit also leased 10 MARC coaches in 2018 to alleviate an equipment shortage.^[9]

Builder and model	Photo	Numbers	Total	Built	Rebuilt (rebuilder)	Notes
GE Arrow III		1304–1333 (singles) 1334–1533 (pairs)	30 single cars (no lavatory) 200 paired cars (lavatory in odd cars)	1977	1992–1995 (ABB)	Self-propelled cars. 160 cars are in revenue service. Some units sold to USDOT for testing. To be replaced by Bombardier Multilevel III units.
Bombardier Comet II		5300–5460	161 trailers (no lavatories)	1982–1989	1999–2003 (AAI/Alstom)
Bombardier Comet IV		5011–5031, 5235–5264, 5535–5582	21 cab cars (lavatory) 30 trailers (lavatory) 48 trailers (no lavatory)	1996		No door at the engineer's position. 5019 and 5025 are retired. Cab cars are now used exclusively as trailers and will no longer be leading/ending the train since the cab controllers have been deactivated.
Alstom Comet V		6000–6083, 6200–6213, 6500–6601	84 cab cars (lavatory) 14 trailers (lavatory) 102 trailers (no lavatory)	2002–2004		Cars have center doors. Stainless steel cars. Purchased to replace Comet I low-platform cars & to address Midtown Direct service increases. Several cars damaged in a September 29, 2016 train crash at Hoboken Terminal.
Bombardier MultiLevel Coach		7000–7051, 7200–7298, 7500–7677	52 cab cars (lavatory) 99 trailers (lavatory) 178 trailers (no lavatory)	2006–2010		Joint order with AMT (Montreal). First cars with quarter-point doors.[10] 45 car option exercised in June 2007.[11] 50-car option exercised in August 2008.[12] 7229–7236 were formerly used for the Atlantic City Express Service.
Bombardier MultiLevel Coach II		7052–7061, 7678–7767	10 cab cars (lavatory) 90 trailers (no lavatory)	2012–2013		A 100 car base order was announced on July 14, 2010.[13] It was finalized and awarded to Bombardier on September 1, 2010. The order includes an additional 79 car option.[14][15] 54 of these options exercised by MARC to obtain 54 cars with quick turnaround, leaving 25 unexercised options.
Bombardier MultiLevel Coach III		?	58 powered multiple units[16] 33 unpowered cab cars[16] 22 unpowered trailers (6 with lavatory)[16]	2022-2023		NJ Transit awarded Bombardier a $670 million contract for the construction of an initial 113-car order in December 2018, with deliveries expected to begin in late 2022 and entry into service scheduled for mid-2023.[16] The contract includes options for up to 636 more cars.[16]

Stations[]

NJ Transit provides passenger service on 12 lines at total of 165 stations, some operated conjunction with Amtrak and Metro North (MNCW).^[17]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Jersey Transit rail operations.

• NJ Transit
• NJ Transit Rail
• Draft 2012 State Rail Plan