| Secaucus Junction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A train arriving at the upper platform level of Secaucus Junction station. |
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Address | County Road & County Avenue, Secaucus, NJ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | NJT Bus: 2, 78, 129, 329, 353 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Levels | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 island platform and 2 side platforms (upper level) 2 island platforms (lower level) |
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| Tracks | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | December 15, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | New Jersey Transit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers (2010) | 18,826 (average weekday) 11.03% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Frank R. Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station (known as Secaucus Transfer during planning stages) is a major commuter rail hub in Secaucus, New Jersey. It serves trains from nine New Jersey Transit lines.
Opened on December 15, 2003, the $450 million, 312,000 ft² (29,000 m²) station sits atop the spot where Hoboken Terminal-bound tracks pass under New York Penn Station-bound tracks. This allows travelers on New Jersey Transit to switch trains more conveniently and save roughly 15 minutes traveling to Midtown Manhattan. The station does not serve Amtrak trains.
The station was named after Senator Frank Lautenberg, who had worked to allocate federal funds for the project.
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Unlike other New Jersey Transit rail stations, Secaucus Junction was built primarily as a transfer point; it allows passengers to transfer between trains on nine of the system's commuter rail lines. (The lines that do not stop at the station are the Princeton Branch and the Atlantic City Line, which operate only in the southern part of New Jersey; Raritan Valley Line trains, which terminate at Newark Penn Station; and Gladstone Branch Midtown Direct trains, which pass through the station without stopping.)
Before Secaucus Junction was built, commuters on non-electrified lines to Hoboken Terminal had to use PATH trains or ferries to reach Manhattan and other points in New York City. Commuters whose trains terminated at New York Penn Station could connect to subway services but had to go to a PATH station in order to reach Hoboken (apart from Morristown Line riders).
The two-track Northeast Corridor mainline embankment was expanded to three tracks for a mile on each side of the station and to four tracks through the station itself, allowing Amtrak and nonstop NJT trains to pass stopped trains. The two-track Bergen County Line was re-aligned southwestward next to the two-track Main Line to pass through the station on the four-track lower level. On weekdays, the station's lower level sees 79 westbound trains from Hoboken, while the upper level sees 164 westbound NJ Transit trains and 51 Amtrak trains (plus the triweekly Cardinal), according to public timetables as of April 3, 2011. Some NJ Transit and all Amtrak trains pass without stopping.
The construction required the bodies from the Hudson County Burial Grounds to be disinterred and moved to another cemetery.
In 2005, New Jersey Turnpike Exit 15X was opened to provide easier access to the station from the surrounding area. 15X is the least-used interchange on the New Jersey Turnpike,[1] partly due to a lack of parking at the junction.
The station was built with little public parking, as NJT believed few passenger trips would originate at the transfer point. But New Jersey Transit officials have since judged this a mistake (the station is at a major passenger rail intersection and next to a major highway) and have considered building a parking garage on station property. On June 1, 2009, Edison Parkfast, a private company, opened the first parking lot near the station,[2] with space for 1,094 cars. Bicycle parking is also available.[3]
Secaucus Junction's large volume of service has made it attractive for alternative rail routings. Beginning on July 26, 2009, New Jersey Transit began offering frequent shuttle service to the Meadowlands Station at the Meadowlands Sports Complex with the station serving as a major transfer point for passengers coming from New York City and other areas in New Jersey.[4] Also since 2009, Secaucus Junction serves trains coming from Metro-North's New Haven Line for connecting trains to football games at the Meadowlands. The service will only run for Giants and Jets games with 1 pm kickoffs on Sundays.[5]
Despite its name, Secaucus Junction is not a true junction, in which trains can be switched between lines; there is no rail connection between the upper and lower levels. It would be more accurately called Secaucus Transfer or the Secaucus Connection, since it allows passengers to change trains rather than allowing trains to change direction.
Secaucus Junction has two platform levels connected by a third level on top.
One of the most prominent criticisms of Secaucus Junction at its opening was its low usage in comparison to the amount of money spent to build it. The station cost $609 million by the time it opened, yet drew only 5,600 riders in an average day in 2004, far lower than expected.[6] Secaucus Junction initially had no on-site parking, despite being right next to Exit 15X of the New Jersey Turnpike. In June 2009, a parking facility was opened, and the opening of the Meadowlands Rail Line has attracted more riders. Since 2004, average weekday ridership at Secaucus Junction has increased to 17,000 passengers, making it New Jersey Transit's fourth-busiest station.[7]
On November 16, 2010, The New York Times reported that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration was working on a plan to bring the 7 train service of the New York City Subway to Secaucus Junction. An extension of that service, from its current terminus at Times Square – 42nd Street, to a new station at Eleventh Avenue and 34th Street, is already under construction.
If built, the extension would take the New York City Subway outside the city's borders for the first time.[8][9][10][11][12][13] The plan would replace the Access to the Region's Core tunnel, which was canceled by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in October 2010. It would offer a direct route to Grand Central Terminal on the east side of Manhattan, while connecting with most other subway routes. New York City spent $250,000 for a consultant to conduct feasibility studies for the project, however no design work has commenced, nor have financing arrangements have been made.[14] On October 26, 2011, New York City Mayor Bloomberg reiterated his support for the project, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also expressed general concurrence.[15][16]
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