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Morristown Line

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Morristown Line
A Dover-bound Morristown Line train made up of MultiLevel coaches getting ready to bypass Mountain Station
Overview
OwnerAmtrak
(New York Penn Station to Kearny Connection)
New Jersey Transit
(all other trackage)
LocaleNorthern New Jersey
Termini
Stations26
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemNew Jersey Transit Rail Operations
Operator(s)New Jersey Transit
Rolling stockALP-46 and ALP-45DP locomotives, MultiLevel coaches, Comet coaches, Arrow III multiple units
Daily ridership50,000[1]
(13.5 million annually)[1]
History
OpenedNovember 19, 1836 (Newark–Orange)
January 1, 1838 (Orange–Morristown)
July 4, 1848 (Morristown–Rockaway)
July 31, 1848 (Rockaway–Dover)
January 16, 1854 (Dover–Hackettstown)
June 10, 1996 (New York–Newark via Kearny Connection/Midtown Direct)
Technical
Line length57.4 mi (92.4 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 25 kV 60 Hz AC
Route map

Legend
Washington Secondary
to Phillipsburg
 Hackettstown
US 46.svg US 46
Musconetcong River
 Mount Olive
I-80.svg I-80
 Netcong
Port Morris Yard
Lackawanna Cut-Off
to Andover
Landing Masonry Bridge
 Lake Hopatcong
I-80.svg I-80
 Mount Arlington
Chester & High Bridge Branches
 Wharton
Dover & Rockaway Branches
US 46.svg US 46
 Dover
Dover Yard
original alignment
Rockaway
Denville
MOBO via Montclair
 Mount Tabor
Ellipse sign 10.svg Route 10
US 202.svg US 202
 Morris Plains
M&E Main Line
to Roseland
 Morristown
I-287.svg I-287
 Convent Station
Madison
Chatham
Passaic River
GLAD to Gladstone
 Summit
Rahway Valley Railroad
to Roselle Park
Elongated circle 24.svg Route 24
 Short Hills
Rahway River
 Millburn
Maplewood
South Orange
Mountain Station
Highland Avenue
I-280.svg I-280
 Orange
Brick Church
East Orange
GSPkwy Shield.svg G.S. Parkway
Grove Street
MOBO
to Hackettstown
via Montclair
Roseville Avenue
I-280.svg I-280
Newark Light Rail
 Newark Broad Street
Newark Light Rail
Newark Drawbridge
over Passaic River
 Harrison
Harrison Cut-off
Northeast Corridor
to Washington
Kearny
Connection
│
 
Sawtooth
Kearny
Connection
│
Bridges
Sawtooth
│
Waterfront
Connection
Hackensack River
Meadows Maintenance Complex
MAIN & BCL to Suffern
 Secaucus Junction
Bergen Tunnels
Hoboken Yard
 Hoboken Terminal
Port Authority Trans-Hudson Hudson–Bergen Light Rail
North River Tunnels
under Hudson River
NJ
NY
 New York Penn Station
Amtrak
East River Tunnels
under East River
Sunnyside Yard
LIRR Main Line
to Long Island
&
Amtrak NEC
to Boston
This diagram:

The Morristown Line is an NJ Transit commuter rail line connecting Morris and Essex counties to New York City, via either New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal. Out of 60 inbound and 58 outbound daily weekday trains, 28 inbound and 26 outbound Midtown Direct trains (about 45%) use the Kearny Connection (opened June 10, 1996) to Penn Station; the rest go to Hoboken. Passengers can transfer at Newark Broad Street or Summit to reach the other destination. On rail system maps the line is colored dark green, and its symbol is a drum, a reference to Morristown's history during the American Revolution.

There is frequent service weekdays, with hourly service to/from New York (none going beyond Dover) on weekends. Until August 13, 2006, there was also hourly service to Hoboken. On that date, service between Hoboken and Summit was cut back to once every two hours on weekends. On May 11, 2008, off-peak weekday Hoboken-Dover trains (600 Series) were cut. In addition, weekend Gladstone trains were cut back to Summit, and a shuttle train is operated every two hours between Newark Broad Street and Hoboken Terminal.

The Millburn-Summit segment underwent extensive rehabilitation in the mid-2010s. This included the replacement of the creosote crossties on both tracks with concrete crossties, the replacement of all crossties on the double trestle over Short Hills Avenue, and the replacement of several sections of rail. Work has also progressed on rehabilitating both tracks between Summit and Dover with concrete crossties and new welded rail, and rehabilitation of select road overpasses.

Hurricane Sandy inflicted considerable damage on the Morristown Line on October 29–30, 2012, as fallen trees brought down catenary and signal wires and washed out sections of track, most notably through the New Jersey Meadowlands on both the main line and the Kearny Connection. Midtown Direct service was restored from Dover to New York on November 12, 2012;[2][3] service to Hoboken and west of Dover resumed on November 19.[4]

Description

[edit]

The Morristown Line begins at Hoboken Terminal or at New York Penn Station. Trains departing for points west of Dover require diesel locomotives. Immediately after leaving Hoboken, the route passes the coach and diesel yards before entering the 1908 Bergen Tunnels under the New Jersey Palisades just past the East End interlocking. At the west portal of the Bergen Tunnel is West End interlocking, where the Main Line, Bergen County Line and Pascack Valley Line branch off to the north. The Morristown Line then crosses over Lower Hack Lift, a vertical lift bridge built in 1927 over the Hackensack River. The line crosses under Route 7 and then passes NJ Transit's Meadowlands Maintenance Complex (MMC).

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and the New Jersey Turnpike cross overhead. The Midtown Direct trains join the Morristown line from New York at Kearny Jct. just past this overpass. The Morristown Line parallels the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and PATH lines and Interstate 280 (I-280) for a short distance here. The Waterfront Connection is just prior to the overpass at Meadows interlocking. It allows selected North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line trains to reach Hoboken from the Northeast Corridor Line.

Newark Drawbridge over the Passaic River bridge. The swing bridge is to the right of the vehicular William A. Stickel Memorial Bridge (I-280) lift bridge in background
Passing Passaic River by NJT train, east of Broad Street, in Newark, NJ

The line begins its journey by following I-280 and crosses a two-track swing bridge over the Passaic River. It enters the newly renovated Newark Broad Street station, which features two high platforms serving all three tracks. Within the city limits of Newark, the line runs in a trench, passing beneath numerous streets, I-280, and the Newark City Subway. At the site of the former Roseville Avenue station, now known as the Roseville interlocking, the Montclair-Boonton Line diverges to the right. The section of the track extending westward from the Passaic River to just east of Millburn station is composed of triple tracks, while the remainder of the route to Lake Hopatcong station is a double-track railway.

After passing the abandoned station at Grove Street, now the location of Green interlocking, the line crosses the Garden State Parkway and reaches East Orange, which is situated on a viaduct. Subsequent elevated stations include Brick Church and Orange. The line then curves southward over Interstate 280, passing past Highland Avenue and Mountain Station. The next station is South Orange, an elevated structure with two platforms and three tracks, near Seton Hall University. Maplewood follows, with a side platform and a center platform serving all westbound and some eastbound trains. Beyond Maplewood, the line narrows to two tracks at Millburn interlocking. Millburn and Short Hills stations each have two side platforms serving two tracks.

Summit, a major node along the line, features two high platforms with the station building located above the tracks and a glass crossover above the platforms. Some weekday local services terminate and originate here. Many private schools are located in Summit, making commuting high school students a major source of traffic for this station. Schedules are timed for most Morristown trains to facilitate a convenient transfer to a Gladstone branch train across the platform.

West of Summit, the Gladstone Branch diverges, and the line crosses the Passaic River for the second time as it enters into Chatham Township. Chatham station is situated on an embankment with two side platforms, while Madison station, on a viaduct, features a recently refurbished 1916 station house on the eastbound side.

The line encounters its first grade crossing at Convent station, located near Saint Elizabeth University. This station has two side platforms, with the main station building on the eastbound side and a brick waiting house on the westbound track. An old freight station is situated on the eastbound side, and two additional grade crossings follow this station.

Upon crossing I-287, the line enters Morristown. The The Morristown station has two low side platforms and a large station building that remains open throughout the week. The station is a focal point of a new transit-oriented development, featuring ADA-compliant mini-high platform ramps at both ends. An abandoned freight station is located at the west end. West of the station, the Morristown & Erie Railway's main offices are located, and its main line diverges at this point.

The next station is Morris Plains, featuring a 1915 brick station structure. A local model railroad club occupies the freight house just north of the station. Beyond Morris Plains, the line curves through wooded areas, passing beneath Route 10, and several crossings before reaching Mount Tabor station, a small stop in Denville Township near the community of the same name in Parsippany. This station is served by select weekday and limited weekend services and lacks an eastbound platform.

Denville station lies a short distance from Mount Tabor, where the Morristown Line converges with the Montclair-Boonton Line shortly after this station.

The line proceeds over Estling Lake and alongside the Rockaway River, entering Dover. Dover station, the terminal stop within the electrified section, features a 1905 station that was recently renovated in the mid-1990s with a single high platform. Due to the cessation of electric traction infrastructure near this location, most NJ Transit services terminate here. As of 2022, all Midtown Direct Morristown Line services are exclusively electric, although future acquisitions of dual-mode locomotives by NJ Transit could alter this service configuration. Most Hoboken services on the Morristown Line are also electric, offering superior efficiency and performance, with only a few diesel-powered Hoboken services extending westward to Hackettstown. The Morristown Line's catenary wires end approximately half a mile west of Dover station near the U.S. Route 46 (US 46) overpass. There are unfunded plans[citation needed] to extend electric service to Lake Hopatcong, as the Dover Yard is at capacity and Wharton's substation has been operational since 1984.

Hackettstown station

Continuing westward, two tracks extend over the Rockaway River, passing D&R Junction in Wharton, where the Dover-Rockaway Branch of Morris County diverges. Chester Junction, located on the left, provides a connection to the Chester and High Bridge Branch of Morris County. Mount Arlington park-and-ride station follows, with dual high platforms and 285 parking spaces near Exit 30 on Interstate 80 (I-80). After passing beneath I-80, Lake Hopatcong station is next. The Lackawanna Cutoff connects on the right as the train approaches Port Morris Yard, which houses the diesel fleet serving both the Montclair-Boonton and Morristown lines. Netcong station has a brick station building on the low platform and served as the line's endpoint until late 1994. Crossing beneath I-80 again, the line enters the Mount Olive International Trade Center, where a station is positioned at Waterloo Valley Road.

The route traverses Allamuchy Mountain State Park and runs along the Musconetcong River en route to Hackettstown. A freight spur serving the M&M/Mars is located on the right before the line crosses US 46 in downtown. Hackettstown station is located shortly thereafter, featuring a single low platform with a mini-high ADA ramp. The track beyond Hackettstown falls under the ownership of Norfolk Southern Railway and is operated by the Dover & Delaware River Railroad as part of the Washington Secondary extending to Phillipsburg.

Historically, the Morristown Line constituted the main line of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. Until 1970, passenger services extended beyond Lake Hopatcong, reaching the Pocono Mountains, Scranton, Pennsylvania, Binghamton, New York, and Buffalo, New York, via the Lackawanna Cut-Off. Service along the Cut-Off to Andover is anticipated to recommence post-2025, with the completion of the first phase of the Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project. Future plans contemplate extending rail services into northeastern Pennsylvania, potentially reaching as far as Scranton.

Electrification

[edit]

The Morristown Line east of Dover station is electrified, using 25 kV, 60 Hz AC overhead catenary wire. The line was electrified in 1930 at 3 kV DC, but was re-electrified in 1984 at the contemporary standard of 25 kV, 60 Hz. The connecting Gladstone Branch and Montclair Branch were also re-electrified at this time.

Rolling stock

[edit]

Weekday local service between Hoboken and Dover now is mainly diesel (electric if the locomotive is an ALP-45DP or ALP-46), with occasional Arrow III electric MU cars. All Midtown Direct service is push-pull, utilizing electric ALP-46 locomotives or dual-mode ALP-45DP locomotives and Comet or Multilevel coaches. Through service west of Dover from Hoboken uses GP40PH-2 or PL42AC diesels or the ALP-45DP dual-power locomotive (runs electric east of Dover, diesel west of Dover) with Comet cars.

Stations

[edit]
State Zone
[5] 		Location Station[5] Miles (km) Date opened Date closed Connections / notes[5]
NY 1 Manhattan Pennsylvania Station Disabled access 0.0 (0.0) 1910 Amtrak (long distance): Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star
Amtrak (intercity): Acela Express, Adirondack, Carolinian, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Vermonter
Long Island Rail Road: Babylon, Belmont Park, City Terminal Zone, Far Rockaway, Hempstead, Long Beach, Montauk, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Port Washington, Ronkonkoma, West Hempstead branches
NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone, Montclair-Boonton, Northeast Corridor, Raritan Valley, North Jersey Coast lines
New York City Subway: 1, ​2, and ​3 (at 34th Street – Penn Station (Seventh Avenue)), A, ​C, and ​E (at 34th Street – Penn Station (Eighth Avenue))
New York City Bus: M7, M20, M34 SBS, M34A, Q32
Academy Bus: SIM23, SIM24
Flixbus: Eastern Shuttle
Vamoose Bus
NJ Secaucus Secaucus Junction Disabled access 3.5 (5.6) 2003 NJ Transit Rail: Bergen County, Gladstone, Main, Meadowlands, Montclair-Boonton, Northeast Corridor, Pascack Valley, Raritan Valley, and North Jersey Coast lines
Metro-North Railroad: Port Jervis Line
NJ Transit Bus: 2, 78, 129, 329, 353
Hoboken Hoboken Terminal Disabled access – 1903 NJ Transit Rail: Bergen County, Gladstone, Main, Meadowlands, Montclair-Boonton, Pascack Valley, Raritan Valley, and North Jersey Coast lines
Metro-North Railroad: Port Jervis Line
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail: 8th Street-Hoboken, Hoboken-Tonnelle
PATH: HOB-WTC, HOB-33, JSQ-33 (via HOB)
NJ Transit Bus: 22, 22X, 23, 68, 85, 87, 89, 126
New York Waterway
2
Harrison Harrison 7.13 (11.5) September 16, 1984[6]
Newark Newark Broad Street Disabled access 10.4 (16.7) November 19, 1836[7] NJ Transit Rail: Montclair-Boonton Line and Gladstone Branch
Newark Light Rail: Broad Street – Newark Penn
NJ Transit Bus: 11, 13, 27, 28, go28, 29, 30, 41, 72, 76, 78, 108
4
Roseville Avenue 11.6 (18.7) September 16, 1984[6]
East Orange
Grove Street 12.2 (19.6) April 7, 1991[8]
East Orange Disabled access 12.6 (20.3) November 19, 1836[7] NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
NJ Transit Bus: 21, 71, 73, 79, 94
Community Coach: 77
Brick Church 13.2 (21.2) November 19, 1836[7] NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
NJ Transit Bus: 21, 71, 73, 79, 94, 97
Community Coach: 77
ONE Bus: 24
Orange Orange 14.1 (22.7) November 19, 1836[7] NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
NJ Transit Bus: 21, 41, 71, 73, 92
Community Coach: 77
ONE Bus: 24, 44
West Orange Community Shuttle
5 Highland Avenue 14.8 (23.8) NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
NJ Transit Bus: 92
ONE Bus: 44
South Orange Mountain Station 15.7 (25.3) NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
NJ Transit Bus: 92
South Orange Disabled access 16.5 (26.6) September 17, 1837[9] NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
NJ Transit Bus: 92, 107
ONE Bus: 31
South Orange Community Shuttle
West Orange Community Shuttle
6 Maplewood Maplewood 17.8 (28.6) September 17, 1837[9] NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
Maplewood Community Shuttle
Wyoming
7 Millburn Millburn 19.4 (32.2) September 17, 1837[9] NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
NJ Transit Bus: 70
Short Hills Short Hills 20.4 (32.8) July 1879[10] NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
Springfield Community Shuttle
9 Summit Summit Disabled access 22.7 (36.5) September 17, 1837[9] NJ Transit Rail: Gladstone Branch
NJ Transit Bus: 70, 986
Lakeland Bus: 78
10 Chatham Chatham 26.1 (42.0) September 17, 1837[9] NJ Transit Bus: 873
11 Madison Madison Disabled access 28.1 (45.2) September 17, 1837[9] NJ Transit Bus: 873
12 Convent Station Convent Station 30.3 (48.8) 1867[11] NJ Transit Bus: 873, 878, 879
14 Morristown Morristown Disabled access 32.5 (52.0) January 1, 1838[12] NJ Transit Bus: 871, 872, 873, 874, 880
Community Coach: 77
16 Morris Plains Morris Plains 34.6 (55.7) July 4, 1848[13] NJ Transit Bus: 872, 880
Mount Tabor Mount Tabor 38.3 (61.6) NJ Transit Bus: 880
Denville Denville Disabled access 39.3 (63.2) July 4, 1848[13] NJ Transit Rail: Montclair-Boonton Line
NJ Transit Bus: 880
17 Dover Dover Disabled access 43.1 (69.4) July 31, 1848[14] NJ Transit Rail: Montclair-Boonton Line
NJ Transit Bus: 872, 875, 880
Terminus of electrification, transfer point between trains to New York/Hoboken and Dover
19
Wharton Wharton January 6, 1958[15][16]
Mount Arlington Mount Arlington Disabled access
(limited service) 		January 16, 1854[17][18]
January 21, 2008[19] 		November 8, 1942[20][21] NJ Transit Rail: Montclair-Boonton Line
Lakeland Bus: 80
Also known as Howard Boulevard Park and Ride
Roxbury Lake Hopatcong
(limited service) 		48.5 (78.1) 1882[22] NJ Transit Rail: Montclair-Boonton Line
Lakeland Bus: 80
Port Morris April 24, 1949[23][24] Passenger service ended on April 24, 1949, but the site continued to serve as split of the Lackawanna Cut-Off.
Netcong Netcong
(limited service) 		51.0 (82.1) January 16, 1854[17][18] NJ Transit Rail: Montclair-Boonton Line
Former western terminus, originally Netcong-Stanhope
Mount Olive Mount Olive Disabled access
(limited service) 		52.7 (84.8) January 16, 1854[17][18]
October 31, 1994[25] 		April 24, 1960[26][27]
 NJ Transit Rail: Montclair-Boonton Line
Originally Waterloo
Hackettstown Hackettstown Disabled access
(limited service) 		60.0 (96.6) January 16, 1854[17]
October 31, 1994[25] 		September 30, 1966[28]
  		NJ Transit Rail: Montclair-Boonton Line

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b NJ Transit celebrates 10-year anniversary of MidTOWN Direct service New Jersey Transit Retrieved 2007-09-08
  2. ^ "NEW FERRY OPTION TO MIDTOWN MANHATTAN FROM HOBOKEN: EFFECTIVE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12". NJ Transit Customer Notices: Post-Hurricane Service Updates and Travel Options. NJTransit.com. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Midtown Direct Will Resume Limited Service Monday". Millburn-Short Hills Patch. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  4. ^ "All But One NJ TRANSIT Rail Lines Fully or Partially Restored Starting Monday, November 19". njtransit.com. New Jersey Transit. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "Morris & Essex Line Timetable" (PDF). New York, New York: New Jersey Transit. November 19, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Morris & Essex Lines Timetable (September 16, 1984 ed.). Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. 1984.
  7. ^ a b c d Douglass 1912, p. 339.
  8. ^ Morris & Essex Lines Timetable (April 7, 1991 ed.). Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. 1991.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Morris and Essex is Seventy-Nine Years Old". The Madison Eagle. June 16, 1916. p. 10. Retrieved February 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ Stern, Fishman & Tilove 2013, p. 131.
  11. ^ Housing Legislation of 1966: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Banking and Currency - United States Senate Eighty-Ninth Congress Second Session on Proposed Housing Legislation for 1966 (Report). 89th United States Congress. 1967. p. 1198. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  12. ^ Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen 1913, p. 533.
  13. ^ a b Arch, Brad (January 1982). "The Morris and Essex Railroad" (PDF). Journal of New Jersey Postal History Society. X (1): 4–8. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  14. ^ Platt 1922, p. 36.
  15. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad Timetables" (PDF). New York, New York: Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. October 27, 1957. p. 14. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad Timetables" (PDF). New York, New York: Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. January 6, 1958. p. 14. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  17. ^ a b c d Davis, J.M. "Letter to the New York Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society" (PDF). The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company. p. 8. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c New Jersey Comptroller of the Treasury 1856, p. 31.
  19. ^ Saha, Paula (January 21, 2008). "NJ Transit Station in Mount Arlington Offers Choice to Commuters". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  20. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad Timetables" (PDF). New York, New York: Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. August 1, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  21. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad Timetables" (PDF). New York, New York: Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. November 8, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  22. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - Ledgewood Historic District" (PDF). nps.gov. National Park Service. p. 38. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  23. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad Timetables" (PDF). New York, New York: Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. February 14, 1949. p. 14. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  24. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad Timetables" (PDF). New York, New York: Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. April 24, 1949. p. 14. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  25. ^ a b Ciliberti, Dino F. (October 30, 1994). "Train Service Starts Tomorrow to Mount Olive, Hackettstown". The Daily Record. Morristown, New Jersey. p. E7. Retrieved April 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  26. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad Timetables" (PDF). New York, New York: Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. April 24, 1960. p. 14. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  27. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad Timetables" (PDF). New York, New York: Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. January 1, 1960. p. 14. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  28. ^ "Erie Curtailment Approved by Judiciary". The Morning Call. Paterson, New Jersey. October 1, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved April 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

Bibliography

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