Plauderville (NJT station)

Plauderville
The new high-level westbound platforms at Plauderville are visible from the eastbound platform as seen in October 2011.
Location	Midland Avenue, Garfield, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°53′13″N 74°06′09″W / 40.8870°N 74.1025°W / 40.8870; -74.1025Coordinates: 40°53′13″N 74°06′09″W / 40.8870°N 74.1025°W / 40.8870; -74.1025
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Line(s)	Bergen County Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	NJT Bus: 160 and 758
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	2119 (Erie Railroad)[1]
Fare zone	5[2]
History
Rebuilt	1913 (old box car body)[3] August 20, 2009[4] – October 10, 2011[5]
Electrified	Not electrified
Traffic
Passengers (2012)	450 (average weekday)[6]
Services
Preceding station   NJ Transit Rail   Following station Broadway toward Suffern Bergen County Line Garfield toward Hoboken Preceding station   Erie Railroad   Following station Garfield toward Pavonia Terminal Bergen County Railroad Fair Lawn toward Ridgewood

Plauderville Station is a New Jersey Transit train station located in Garfield, New Jersey, United States, served by the Bergen County Line. The station is in the north side of the city in the vicinity of Midland Avenue between Plauderville Avenue and Outwater Lane. The station is a full-service station as of April 2012, and has high-level platforms making the station handicapped accessible.

Prior to the opening of the new structure on October 11, 2011, Plauderville Station was located on the border between Garfield and neighboring Saddle Brook, with the border between Saddle Brook and Garfield passing through the station's platforms. The station featured low-level platforms with a shelter and ticket machines on the Hoboken-bound platform; there's neither a shelter nor a ticket machine none on the Suffern-bound platform. In addition, due to the low platforms there was no accessibility and wheelchair-bound riders had to go to either Rutherford or Glen Rock Boro Hall stations to get a train on the Bergen County Line (those being the closest stations with accessibility ramps).

Plauderville Station had been a limited service station much like Garfield's other station located on Passaic Street. Limited service denotes that trains stopped running from Garfield to Hoboken in early afternoon despite return trip service all day. Recent schedule changes, around April 2012, has added evening and weekday inbound service at Plauderville Station. As a result the Plauderville Station has seemed to usurp the Garfield Station. It also has risen in status as the city's primary "go-to" station (or station of choice).

An old box car body was installed at Plauderville in 1913 at a cost of $150 (1913 USD).^[3] Starting in 2009, with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, New Jersey Transit received funds to construct high-level platforms at Plauderville on the south side of Midland Avenue. Trains used the low-level platform until October 10, 2011, when trains were moved to the completed high-level platforms. This construction adds Plauderville to the list of stations on the Bergen County Line in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, along with Rutherford station and Glen Rock's Boro Hall station.

Station layout

Old form of New Jersey Transit rail station signage is visible on the former Plauderville station's outbound platform

The current Plauderville station is located on a plot of land that spans from Outwater Lane at Henrietta Street to Midland Avenue at Plauderville Avenue in Garfield. The station has 259 parking spaces divided among three different free parking lots owned by New Jersey Transit. The first and largest lot is next to the station's Suffern-bound platform and contains 224 parking spaces, seven of which are accessible for handicapped (limited mobility) persons. The second is located on Midland Avenue and Hartman Street with 21 extra spaces, but these are not handicap-accessible. The final parking lot is located on Outwater Lane at the Henrietta Road junction, containing 14 non-handicap accessible parking spaces and situated behind the Hoboken-bound platform. Pedestrian street access is available on both Outwater Lane and Midland Avenue, with the platform ending near the grade crossing where the original platform was. Plauderville's one ticket machine is on the Hoboken-bound side of the tracks, placed in a weather-protected seating area with a glass painting from a local artist serving as its window, and also has an overhang that spans more of the platform than the small overhang on the outbound side.^[7]

Services

The station receives stops from two buses maintained by New Jersey Transit Bus Operations, including the 160, which serves Port Authority Bus Terminal from its impetus at Elmwood Park, New Jersey during rush hours.^[8] The 758 also serves Plauderville station on its way between Passaic Bus Terminal in Passaic to the malls in Paramus.^[9]

The first train to enter the Plauderville station on its way to Hoboken Terminal on a weekday arrives at 5:43 am from Port Jervis, and the first train in the opposite direction arrives at 7:19 am. The last train heading towards Hoboken originally left Plauderville at 3:41 pm and made all stops from Suffern to Hoboken Terminal. Beginning on April 1, 2012, five additional trains were added to serve Plauderville, the last of which departs from the station at 10:17 pm. The last train heading toward Suffern and Port Jervis arrives at 1:06 am.

As of July 8, 2012, Plauderville station is located in the fifth fare zone, and tickets are adjustable between Hoboken Terminal and New York Pennsylvania Station. From Hoboken, a one-way ticket costs $5.25, $2.25 for a reduced fare. Weeklies cost the commuter $47.50 and monthlies would cost $156.00. 10 trip tickets can also be bought, costing the customer $52.50. With the terminal as New York, the costs would adjust to $6.75 one-way, $3.00 reduced, $59.50 for weeklies and $193.00 for monthlies. 10-trips can also be bought for $67.50.^[2]

History

High-level platforms

The former station platform in Plauderville, in use until October 10, 2011

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed in 2009 by the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, New Jersey Transit received funding for new high-level platforms at Plauderville station. These new high-level platforms would build a new station for persons with handicaps, under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The cost of the project was $16 million (2009 USD).^[10] On August 12, 2009, a $7.9 million contract for the construction was given to Anselmi and DeCicco Inc. with improvements including new 450-foot (140 m) long side platforms that also have glass paneling for history of Garfield. The city manager of Garfield, Tom Duch, said the station may include a statue of the late president James Garfield, who the city is named after.^[4] Once construction is completed, Plauderville will be one of three stations on the Bergen County Line other than Secaucus Junction that is handicap-accessible. The other stations are Glen Rock-Boro Hall and Rutherford for access to handicap facilities.^[2]

The first revenue train to receive commuters using the new high-level platforms (on October 10, 2011) was the 5:43 am Hoboken-bound train (originating in Port Jervis). Use of the low-level platform on the northern side of Midland Avenue was immediately discontinued. ^[5]

On September 21, 2012, the station's crossing with Outwater Lane received a new safety system for people trying to cross tracks. Part of a pilot program, new electronic signs were installed that state "Danger, Another Train Coming" on all four portions of the crossing. Audio recordings repeat the same message. The system cost $83,000.^[11]

See also

• Ridgewood (NJT station)

References

External links

Media related to Plauderville (NJT station) at Wikimedia Commons

• NJT rail station information page for Plauderville
• DepartureVision real time train information for Plauderville
• Main Line/Bergen County Line/Port Jervis Line schedule
• Station from Midland Avenue from Google Maps Street View