Timeline of Jersey City area railroads

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For the purposes of this article, the Jersey City area goes north to Edgewater (the northern end of the line along the Hudson River, south to Bayonne, and includes Kearny Junction and Harrison but not Newark. Thus all events relating to travel east from Newark is covered but not in any other direction.

These abbreviations are used, mainly to identify which system a line ended up with:

B&O=Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
CNJ=Central Railroad of New Jersey
DL&W=Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Erie=Erie Railroad
LV=Lehigh Valley Railroad
NYC=New York Central Railroad
NYO&W=New York, Ontario and Western Railroad
NYS&W=New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
PATH=Port Authority Trans-Hudson
PRR=Pennsylvania Railroad
RDG=Reading Railroad

[edit] 1833

November 28: The Paterson and Hudson River Railroad (Erie) opens to Marion Junction, where it ends at the New Jersey Railroad (PRR).[1]

[edit] 1834

September 15: The New Jersey Railroad (PRR) begins regular trips from Newark to Jersey City, on the west side of the Palisades.[2]

[edit] 1836

The Morris Canal is extended from Newark through Jersey City.[3]

[edit] 1837

The New Jersey Railroad (PRR) cut through the Palisades opens; the Paterson and Hudson River Railroad (Erie) also uses it.[4]

[edit] 1838

December 2: The New Jersey Railroad (PRR) switches from horse to steam power.[5]

[edit] 1861

January 28: The Long Dock Company (Erie) finishes its tunnel through the Palisades, bypassing the PRR cut.[6]
March 14: The New York and Bull's Ferry Railroad (NYC) is chartered and buys the Hoboken and Hudson River Turnpike. Its name is changed to the New York and Fort Lee Railroad on March 8, 1862.[7]

[edit] 1862

May: The Pavonia Ferry (Erie) opens.[8]

[edit] 1864

July 29: The CNJ's Jersey City extension opens.

[edit] 1868

The PRR Harsimus Branch opens, for a new freight terminal at Harsimus Cove.

[edit] 1869

July 23:The full length of the Newark and New York Railroad (CNJ) opens, using the CNJ's Hudson River terminal.

[edit] 1870

February 22: The New Jersey Railroad (PRR) builds a new bridge over the Passaic River, cutting the distance through Newark and Harrison. Some passenger trains continue to use the old alignment, the Centre Street Branch.
December 2: A frog war begins between the Erie and DL&W at the west end of the Erie's tunnel.
December 14: The DL&W begins running passenger trains on its Boonton Branch.
The New York and Fort Lee Railroad (NYC) opens.[9]
The PRR leases the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company.[10]

[edit] 1871

January 9: The frog war between the Erie and DL&W ends, with the frog being placed to allow DL&W Boonton Branch trains to run through the Erie's tunnel.

[edit] 1872

August 23: Trains are first run along the Erie's Newark and Hudson Railroad from Newark through their tunnel to Jersey City.

[edit] 1877

May 12: The DL&W opens its new tunnel through the Palisades, ending its trackage rights through the Erie's tunnel. Included with the tunnel are western approaches to the DL&W main line and Boonton Branch; the former includes a new bridge over the Hackensack River, south of the old one (which is then used only for the Erie's Newark and Greenwood Lake Branches). The new alignment at first crosses the New Jersey Midland Railroad (NYS&W) at grade.

[edit] 1884

The West Shore Railroad's (NYC) tunnel through the Palisades opens.

[edit] 1885

December 5: NYC leases the West Shore Railroad for 475 years from January 1, 1886, with the privilege of an additional 500-year term.[11]

[edit] 1886

June 30: The New Jersey Junction Railroad (NYC) leases .24 mi of the New York and Fort Lee Railroad. The rest later disappears in the West Shore Railroad's (NYC) Weehawken yard.[12]
July 1: NYC leases the New Jersey Junction Railroad for 100 years, with the option of another 100 year term.[13]

[edit] 1887

May The New Jersey Junction Railroad (NYC) opens for freight.[14]
June The New Jersey Junction Railroad (NYC) opens for passengers.[15]

[edit] 1897

The Hoboken Manufacturers Railroad opens.

[edit] 1908

February 26: The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (PATH) opens from 19th Street Manhattan to Hoboken Terminal.

[edit] 1909

July 19: The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (PATH) opens from Hudson Terminal (World Trade Center) to Exchange Place.
August 2: The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (PATH) opens its connection from Exchange Place north towards Hoboken Terminal.

[edit] 1910

November 27: The Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad (PRR) opens from Kearny Junction into New York Penn Station. Manhattan Transfer opens.
The Penhorn Creek Railroad's (Erie) four-track cut through the Palisades (Bergen Arches) opens, just south of the Erie's two-track tunnel, including a western approach through Secaucus.

[edit] 1911

March 14: The New Jersey Shore Line Railroad (NYC) opens from the West Shore Railroad's (NYC) Weehawken yard to the NYS&W at Shadyside, about .85 mi.[16]
May 16: Cars first move on the New Jersey Shore Line Railroad (NYC).[17]
October 1: The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (PATH) is extended through Jersey City to Manhattan Transfer.
November 26: The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (PATH) is extended from Manhattan Transfer to Newark Park Place.