From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Montclair Connection is a short section of double-track New Jersey Transit rail connecting the former end of the Montclair Branch at Bay Street Station to the old Boonton Line southeast of Walnut Street Station. When it opened on Monday, September 30, 2002, at a cost of 60,000,000$. At the same time Bay Street Station was rebuilt and Montclair State University station was built. the Montclair and Boonton lines were combined into the Montclair-Boonton Line, and passenger service was ended on the old Boonton Line east of the connection; it is now only used by Norfolk Southern for freight. Stations that no longer see service because of the connection are:
- Benson Street Station
- Rowe Street Station
- Arlington Station
The connection was built to give passengers on the Boonton Line direct access to New York Penn Station; prior to the change, Boonton Line trains could only go to Hoboken Terminal.
The new track built, viewed from Bay Street Station
The new track to Bay street is on the right, to the left is the old route.
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To Hackettstown |
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Walnut Street |
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Walnut Street |
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Grove Street |
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Claremont Avenue |
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Pine Street |
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old route diverges |
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Connecting track |
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Bay Street |
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Glenridge avenue, end of new track |
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Bay Street |
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Benson Street |
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Rowe Street |
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Arlington |
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[edit] Problems with the Connection
Several problems accompanied the opening of the Connection. One obvious problem is that passengers at the three former Boonton Line stations had to go further to catch the train.
Another less-obvious problem is that the town of Montclair disapproved of diesel trains through Montclair, and the track is not electrified all the way to the west end. Thus passengers from west of Montclair must transfer to an electric train at Montclair University Station (originally at Montclair Heights Station) if on a Midtown Direct train to New York.
The 28 families living in 30 homes on the path of the connection were displaced, and two streets were removed. It also takes more time to get to Hoboken Terminal than with the old service, both because the new route is longer, and because many trains on the line no longer go to Hoboken.
Montclair also disapproved of weekend service, so passengers (including those east and west on the line) must pay to use the private DeCamp Bus commuter service, or in order to have their monthly passes honored take local NJ Transit buses to Newark Broad Street or Newark Penn Station and transfer to NJ transit commuter trains.
[edit] External links
