Talk:Metropark (NJT station)

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Contents 1 Move to "Metropark (NJT station)"? 2 History and use 3 Removal of unsourced statement 3.1 Need to research this dispute 3.2 Let me chip in a little here 4 25th busiest station

[edit] History and use

Can anyone provide more detail on the history and use of the Metropark stop? If NJ required Amtrak's Metroliner to stop at least once in NJ, why would Amtrak build a completely new stop in the middle of nowhere? Why not just stop in Trenton or (as they do now) Newark?

On our ride on Acela through NJ, Metropark was one of the more popular stops. At least half of our car got off there. Is it a giant Park and Ride for the entire Eastern Seaboard? What's the big draw? It just seems odd...cluth 22:29, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

One thing the station has going for it is its location. It's right off the Garden State Parkway, so a lot of people will drive to Metropark to take a train (whether it's because they don't want to ride NJT all the way to Newark or New York, don't have train service where they live, or want a better place to park their car).

As far as the requirement that the Metroliner stop there, I'd be very interested to see something to back that up. I don't recall having heard it before, and I couldn't find anything about it in a Google search. —LrdChaos 15:02, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

The Metropark station is one of the few train stations where there are enough parking spaces. Only at Metropark can one be fairly assured of finding a parking space any time on any day. Virtually all other stations in NJ have parking lots that are woefully undersized; the "daily" parking slots are all full by 8 am. In addition, since the station is on the NE corridor line, it has much more frequent service to NYC than almost any other station. If you are willing to pay a premium, you can take luxurious Amtrak to NYC instead of the plebian NJT trains. For all points south of the Raritan River in NJ, these factors make MetroPark an ideal solution for individuals getting into NYC without a car, where for one person, the train is cheaper than driving.

[edit] Removal of unsourced statement

I removed the following line from the article:

The State of New Jersey required Amtrak to have at least one stop in New Jersey, so Amtrak built a stop called Metropark.

In addition to not making sense on its face, it's also unsourced and had been tagged that way for just over two months, with no source added. —LrdChaos 14:24, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Need to research this dispute

It is curious that the station was built. It was not built at a standard community, such as a city center. It was built a century after most stations. So we should account for its creation. The idea that this station is was mandated (by New Jersey) plausible. Many potential riders would be unserved if the train ran from Philadelphia to Newark or New York with no stops. Dogru144 03:47 29 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Let me chip in a little here

I don't know the story, other than I recall it was pushed by then US Senator from NJ Harrison A. Williams, and in fact the station was originally named the "Harrison A. Williams Metropark." I suppose it was put in Edison (which is actually a large suburban population center surrounded by other suburban townships) due to its "central" location (i.e. political reasons) and also that Newark, New Brunswick and Trenton were very old city-center stations without parking. The station is overwhelming used by NJTransit commuters rather than Amtrak passengers.

In the "never name anything after a living politician" department, Williams later was caught in an investigation called "AbScam", tried and convicted of accepting bribes to influence legislation. The name was changed.

I also believe the station was named Metropark first, and the office/industrial complex followed rather than as the article states. It was probably based on the train name "Metroliner" which was established around the time the project was built as a "park and ride" for Amtrak and NJT, hence "MetroPark." Note that the conductor pronounces it "metroPAAAARK" with the emphasis on Park.

===EdJ of NJ.

[edit] 25th busiest station

While I'm grateful to Alansohn for providing a source for the statement that Metropark was the 25th busiest station in 2004, according to Amtrak, it wasn't one of the busiest stations in 2005 (though we'll have to wait a few months for the new BTS report, which may differ). Is it worth keeping the statement in, since it's no longer true, and (in my opinion) isn't really something of interest? —LrdChaos 19:23, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

I spent weeks looking for the source and finally found it today. So now that I located the source I'd hate to see it deleted. More seriously, even if it is no longer in the top rankings in 2005, the fact that it was ranked as highly in 2004 is significant and worth retaining. I used the same source for Princeton Junction (NJT station) (10th place) and Pennsylvania Station (New York City) (1st) as well. Given that the as-of year is prsent, is there really any reason to remove it. At worst, ad a statement that as of 2005, Metropark was no longer in the top XX stations. Alansohn 20:47, 1 June 2006 (UTC)