Elizabeth station (NJ Transit)

Elizabeth is a New Jersey Transit station in Midtown in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, 15.4 miles (24.8 km) southwest of New York Penn Station on the Northeast Corridor. It is between Broad Street and West Grand Street on an embankment and viaduct. This station is often called Broad Street Elizabeth to distinguish it from North Elizabeth station. A number of bus lines have stops nearby. The station is next to the former Central Railroad of New Jersey station.

Elizabeth
Elizabeth station in October 2019; Central Railroad of New Jersey station tower at center
General information
Location	11 West Grand Street Elizabeth, New Jersey
Coordinates	40.6668°N 74.2158°W / 40.6668; -74.2158
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Line(s)	Amtrak Northeast Corridor
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	NJ Transit Bus: 24, 26, 48, 52, 56, 57, 58, 59, 62, 112
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Racks, lockers
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	5
History
Opened	December 3, 1835 (inaugural train) December 21, 1835 (regular passenger service)[1]
Rebuilt	September 2019–June 18, 2024[2]
Electrified	December 8, 1932[3]
Key dates
May 1971	Station depot caught fire[4]
Passengers
2012	3,807 (weekday)[5] (NJT)
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Linden toward Trenton Northeast Corridor Line North Elizabeth toward New York Penn Station Linden toward Bay Head North Jersey Coast Line North Elizabeth toward New York Penn Station or Hoboken
Former services Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Linden toward Chicago Main Line Newark South Street toward New York or Exchange Place South Elizabeth toward New Brunswick New Brunswick Line North Elizabeth toward New York or Exchange Place
Location

History

On April 21, 1893, the Pennsylvania Railroad's elevated structure that grade separated the line through Elizabeth opened for service.^[6]

On June 9, 1968 the funeral train of Robert F. Kennedy heading south to Washington, DC passed through the station, where crowds lined the tracks to bid farewell and pay tribute. Prior to its passing, two persons were killed and 5 injured after being struck by a northbound Penn Central train that had originated in Chicago.^[7][8] They were unable to get off the track in time, though the New York-bound train's engineer had slowed to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) for the normally 55-mile-per-hour (89 km/h) curve, blown his horn continuously, and rung his bell through the curve.^[9][10]

In January 2015 it was announced that a new station house, platforms, and stairways would be built, a project estimated to cost $55 million (2015 USD).^[11] The design was made in coordination with Amtrak (which owns the NEC but ended Elizabeth stops about 1973) which plans to add a fifth track.^[12] Funding was approved in 2018,^[11][13][14] and includes the creation of a transit plaza between the two stations.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20]} As part of the project, the platforms are being extended to accommodate 12-car trains.^[21] Construction began in 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2022.^[22]

On September 12, 2023, the eastbound platform and station house fully reopened.^[23] All work on Elizabeth station finished by June 2024, resulting in a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 18, 2024.^[2]

Station layout

The station has two high-level side platforms; Amtrak's Northeast Corridor trains do not stop.

S-curve improvements

The Elizabeth S-curve limits speeds imposed by the transition between the two curves in the S-curve.^[24] There have been many discussions over possible improvements. Amtrak says the current speed limit is 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) for Acela and 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) for Northeast Regionals. However, in practice trains operate more slowly “due to a restrictive ‘approach limited’ signaling that governs the approach to Elizabeth, requiring trains to make a braking application.”.^[25] In technical terms, the issue is due to restrictive ‘approach limited’ signaling (causing all trains to slow down to 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) before speeding back up to the speed limit) and the station needs to be converted to 562 signaling and specified through ACSES transponders to allow travel at the stated speed limit.

If rebuilt, with the track provided with aggressive banking and using modern rolling stock, the speed limit could be raised to 135 miles per hour (217 km/h), pushing the northern end of the high speed section in New Jersey closer to Newark. This is included in the improvements Amtrak has planned for the NEC.^[26]

See also

• List of New Jersey Transit stations
• Mid-Town Historic District

References

1. Baer, Christopher T. (June 2015). "A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Its Predecessors and Successors and Its Historical Context: 1835" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. pp. 51, 54. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
2. Higgs, Larry (June 18, 2024). "Take a Look at NJ Transit's New Elizabeth Station". New Jersey Advance Media. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
3. "Electric Train Service Started by P.R.R. Today". The Daily Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. December 8, 1932. pp. 1, 11. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Burks, Edward C. (February 11, 1973). "Elizabeth's Station Gets 'Sidetracked'". The New York Times. p. 90. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
5. "Quarterly Ridership trends Analysis" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. December 27, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
6. "Affairs of Railroads.; Elevated Tracks in Elizabeth". The New York Times. April 25, 1893. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
7. "President Joins Kennedys in Tribute at Graveside". The New York Times. June 9, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
8. Clarke, Thurston. "Robert F. Kennedy and the 82 Days That Inspired America". History News Network. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013.
9. Morgan, David P. (August 1968). "The train the nation watched". Modern Railways. XXIV (239). Shepperton, Middlesex: Ian Allan Ltd.: 408–409.
10. Gillon, Steven M. (June 7, 2021). "Inside RFK's Funeral Train: How His Final Journey Helped a Nation Grieve". History Channel.
11. Lannan, Katie (January 12, 2015). "$55 million redesign, two-story building planned for Elizabeth NJ Transit station". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
12. "Critical Infrastructure Needs on the Northeast Corridor" (PDF). Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission. January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
13. "New Jersey Transit". www.njtransit.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
14. Senese, Kyra (April 12, 2018). "NJ Transit moves forward with Elizabeth Station reconstruction". Railway Track and Structures.
15. Brown, Douglas John (January 12, 2015). "Plans for NJT Elizabeth station upgrade touted". Railway Age. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
16. "Christie Administration Unveils Design Plans for Reconstruction of Elizabeth Station" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
17. "NEC Infrastructure Projects of Relevance to New Jersey" (PDF). ARP. January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
18. "New Jersey Transit". www.njtransit.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
19. "New Jersey Transit". www.njtransit.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
20. "NJ Transit approves contracts to upgrade Elizabeth Station - Railway Technology". Railway Technology. April 12, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
21. "NJ TRANSIT 2020 Capital Plan Appendix B Capital Plan Project Sheets Rail Infrastructure" (PDF). njtransit.com. NJ Transit. 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
22. Makin, Bob (October 1, 2019). "NJ Transit breaks ground on new Elizabeth train station on Northeast Corridor". Courier News and Home News Tribune.
23. "UPDATE: Elizabeth Station Eastbound Platform and Stationhouse Reopen – Effective Tuesday, September 12, 2023". njtransit.com. NJ Transit. September 12, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
24. Merrill, Jeremy B. (June 23, 2015). "The Northeast Corridor's Curviest Stretches, and Amtrak's Plans for Safety and Speed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
25. Johnston, Bob (May 10, 2021). "Analysis: Long road ahead for improving Northeast Corridor speeds". Trains.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
26. Machalaba, Daniel (August 2, 2001). "Much-Hyped as Super-Fast Train, Acela Creeps Along Certain Routes". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 3, 2023.

External links

• Broad Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Grand Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• HAER