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47-615: The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal , also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal , was the Central Railroad of New Jersey 's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey . The terminal was built in 1889, replacing an earlier one that had been in use since 1864. It operated until April 30, 1967. It also serviced the Central Railroad of New Jersey-operated Reading Railroad ,

94-609: A conservation organization established in 1997, conducts public education, advocacy, river cleanups and conservation projects. Water quality in the Hackensack River improved somewhat by the late 2000s following the decline in manufacturing in the area, as well as from enforcement of Clean Water Act regulations and from the efforts of local conservancy groups. Urban runoff pollution, municipal sewage discharges from sanitary sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows, and runoff from hazardous waste sites continue to impair

141-495: A partial interest in the Mount Hope Mineral Railroad from Warren Foundry & Pipe Corporation. Following World War II , passenger traffic diminished, and was almost entirely commuter business, requiring great amounts of rolling stock for two short periods five days a week. Three-fourths of CNJ's freight traffic terminated on line; the railroad was essentially a terminal carrier, which meant little profit

188-468: A small carfloat terminal in The Bronx . It was the site of the first successful Class 1 railroad diesel operation. Over the years CNJ maintained an extensive marine operation on New York Bay , including a steamer line to Sandy Hook. On April 30, 1967, CNJ's last marine service, the ferry line between Manhattan and CNJ's rail terminal at Jersey City , made its last run, which was also the last day for

235-420: A trolley line to the terminal building and other points in the park from the light rail station to improve access. The terminal was badly damaged by flooding during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and was reopened in 2016. On Election Day 2020, an episode of the political program Fox & Friends was filmed in a portable studio placed outside the terminal. Promotional footage for the episode frequently features

282-420: Is designed in a Richardsonian Romanesque style. The intermodal facility contains more than a dozen platforms and several ferry slips. Arriving passengers would walk to the railhead concourse and could either pass through its main waiting room, by-pass it on either side, and take stairs to the upper level. The ferry slips have also been restored though the structure which housed them has been removed, as have

329-608: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , and the Lehigh Valley Railroad during various periods in its 78 years of operation. The terminal was one of five passenger railroad terminals that lined the Hudson Waterfront during the 19th and 20th centuries, the others being Weehawken , Hoboken , Pavonia and Exchange Place , with Hoboken being the only station that is still in use, as of 2024. The headhouse

376-479: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway proposed in 1965 sought to counter the impending PRR merger with New York Central Railroad merger was to have included CNJ, but the bankruptcy of Penn Central Transportation Company killed that prospect. CNJ drafted elaborate plans for reorganization; they came to naught as neighboring railroads collapsed. Conrail took over freight operations of

423-789: The Delaware River west of Bridgeton, New Jersey in 1871. The NJS came under control of the CNJ in 1879. CNJ's influence briefly extended across the Delaware River in the form of the Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad, from Bombay Hook, Delaware , east of Townsend , to Chestertown, Maryland . That line became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) family in 1901. CNJ's lines in Pennsylvania were built by

470-685: The Hudson Bergen Light Rail , one terminating at West Side Avenue and the other at 8th Street station in Bayonne . The Communipaw ferry constituted the main ferry route from the terminal and was operated by four ferries that crossed the North River to Liberty Street Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan . Additional service to 23rd Street was also operated until the CRNJ went bankrupt in 1945 and scrapped its ferry boats used on

517-498: The Jersey Shore . CNJ's long-distance service into Pennsylvania ran to Harrisburg , Scranton , and present-day Jim Thorpe , then known as Mauch Chunk. The Reading Company used the terminal for its Crusader and Wall Street trains. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), whose Royal Blue was a premier passenger train to Washington, D.C. , and offered train service to Chicago and St. Louis . In April 1967,

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564-582: The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company as the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (L&S). The main line was completed between Phillipsburg, New Jersey and Wilkes-Barre in 1866. A notable feature of the line was the Ashley Planes , a steep stretch of line (maximum grade was 14.65%) operated by cables driven by stationary engines, which remained in service until after World War II (WWII). CNJ leased

611-625: The Port of New York and New Jersey . It is estimated that around 10.5 million entered the country through the station. The area has long been known as Communipaw , which in the Lenape language means big landing place at the side of a river . The first stop west of the station was indeed called Communipaw, and was not far from the village that had been established there in 1634 as part of the New Netherland settlement of Pavonia . The land on which

658-534: The September 11 attacks , its parking lot was the staging area for dozens of ambulances that were mobilized to transport victims of the attacks. Ferries to the Statue of Liberty National Monument , Ellis Island , and Liberty Island depart daily. No public transport options exist between the terminal and Hudson Bergen Light Rail 's Liberty State Park Station . In 2009 Rutgers University students proposed building

705-753: The 23rd street route in 1947. In the early 1900s the B&;O Railroad requested the CRNJ operate ferries for its luxury Royal Blue service passengers to Whitehall Terminal and this was accomplished for several years until the City of New York purchased the Staten Island Ferry from the B&O's subsidiary, the Staten Island Railway , and ended the service in 1905. Until the opening of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge there

752-563: The CNJ on April 1, 1976; with passenger routes transferred to the New Jersey Department of Transportation including the present New Jersey Transit North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line . In 1961, the Lehigh and New England Railroad was abandoned, and CNJ acquired a few of its branches and organized them as the Lehigh and New England Railroad . In 1963, Lehigh Coal & Navigation sold its railroad properties to

799-579: The CNJ was leased to and operated by the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad , with which it formed a New York-Philadelphia route. CNJ resumed its own management after reorganization in 1887. The primary rolling stock repair shops were located in Elizabethport, New Jersey along Trumbull Avenue. In 1901 the original shops were razed and new, concrete shops took their place, capable of servicing 430 locomotives and 20,000 freight cars annually. With

846-959: The Erie Railroad Terminal in Pavonia, the Lackawanna Railroad Terminal in Hoboken, and the West Shore Railroad Terminal in Weehawken) that dominated the western waterfront of the New York Harbor from the mid 19th to the mid 20th century. Of the two still standing, the Hoboken Terminal (the former Lackwanna Railroad Terminal) is the only one still in use. Lines from the station headed to the southwest. Arriving at

893-627: The Hackensack include Mill Creek, Berrys Creek , and Overpeck Creek . The present Meadowlands consist of roughly 8,400 acres (34 km ) of open, undeveloped space in addition to developed areas that had been part of the natural wetlands which were heavily developed by H. Bert Mack and M. Bolero in the 1960s. The area includes portions of Kearny , Jersey City , North Arlington , Secaucus , Lyndhurst , Rutherford , East Rutherford , Carlstadt , North Bergen , Moonachie , Ridgefield , South Hackensack , Teaneck , and Little Ferry . The area

940-744: The L&;S in 1871. The line was extended to Scranton in 1888 by a subsidiary of the L&S, the Wilkes-Barre & Scranton; L&S leased the line upon completion and assigned the lease to the CNJ. The bulk of the traffic on the Pennsylvania lines was anthracite coal, much of it produced by subsidiaries of the railroad, until the Commodities Clause of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1920 forbade railroads to haul freight in which they had an interest. From 1883 to 1887,

987-598: The RDG, but the lease to the CNJ continued. In 1964, the state of New Jersey began subsidizing commuter service, and the tax situation changed in 1967. In 1965, CNJ and the Lehigh Valley Railroad consolidated their lines along the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania and portions of each railroad's line were abandoned; the commercial anthracite traffic that had supported both railroads had largely disappeared. CNJ operations in Pennsylvania ended March 31, 1972. CNJ maintained

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1034-486: The RDG. B&O also used CNJ tracks for the final approach to Jersey City. CNJ operated several named trains, most of which were interstate operations: Several non-CNJ trains operated over CNJ trackage north of Bound Brook, New Jersey to the Jersey City terminal: To celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2012, Norfolk Southern painted 20 new locomotives with predecessor schemes. NS #1071, an EMD SD70ACe locomotive,

1081-410: The area consisted of several diverse ecosystems based on freshwater , brackish water , and saltwater environments. Large areas were covered by forests. And the area was once inhabited with Mountain lions , Eastern elk , Eastern wolves , American marten , Fisher (animal) , & American black bears before being made extinct in the area due to hunting . Considered by residents of the area through

1128-535: The bay into Bayonne, and north to the Jersey City terminus. It had used a succession of bridges over the years, the last being Newark Bay Bridge , demolished in the 1980s. From Elizabethport, trains went to different corridors. One headed towards Elizabeth and Plainfield and points west and southwest. The second went south towards Perth Amboy and today's North Jersey Coast Line and different southern New Jersey destinations. CNJ operated several trains into Pennsylvania and other points west or south, in association with

1175-635: The center of the New York metropolitan area and its outgrowth into New Jersey makes conservation of the vast wetland a difficult proposition. In spite of this, the New Jersey Legislature , promoted by Richard W. DeKorte , created the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission in 1969 to attempt to address both economic and environmental issues concerning the wetland region. The commission

1222-544: The centuries as wastelands, the Meadowlands were systematically subject to various kinds of human intervention. The four major categories are: The Meadowlands Sports Complex , the site of multiple stadia and a racetrack, was built in the Meadowlands beginning in the 1960s. The race track was the first venue in the complex to open, on September 1, 1976. The location of the New Jersey Meadowlands near

1269-607: The closing of Baltimore & Ohio passenger service north of Baltimore in 1958 the Royal Blue was abandoned and the Capitol Limited , Metropolitan Special and National Limited were terminated east of Baltimore. Following the Aldene Connection 's opening in 1967, the terminal sat unused but maintained and guarded by the Central Railroad of New Jersey. When CNJ shops and engine facilities nearby closed in

1316-559: The early 1970s, the terminal sat abandoned. A portion of the 1968 movie Funny Girl was filmed at the terminal. Numerous fairs, concerts, and other sponsored events (among them the Central Jersey Heritage Festival and the All Points West Music & Arts Festival ) take place at the station and its grounds. It is a very popular place from which to view July 4 fireworks. In the aftermath of

1363-483: The extensive yards were built was reclaimed , or filled. The terminal itself is next to the Morris Canal Big Basin, which to some degree was made obsolete by the railroads which replaced it. The long cobbled road which ends at the terminal (once called Johnston Avenue for a president of CNJ) is named Audrey Zapp Drive, after the environmentalist active in the creation of the park. The main building

1410-608: The opening of the Aldene Connection led to the end of passenger service to the station and the diverting of all remaining passenger trains to Penn Station in Newark . Since then, Hoboken Terminal has served as the main commuter rail station for Jersey City , and straddles the Jersey City/ Hoboken line. The timetable of 27 September 1936 shows 132 weekday departures, including 25 to CNJ's Broad St. Newark station, 25 that ran south from Elizabethport, two to Chrome and

1457-608: The primary freight and passenger yards at Jersey City, New Jersey opposite Manhattan, a terminal and shop site was also needed in the Communipaw neighborhood. This facility was modernized in 1914 and included two roundhouses and light repair shops. In 1901, the Reading Company (RDG), successor to the Philadelphia & Reading, acquired control of the CNJ through purchase of a majority of its stock, and at about

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1504-787: The railroad was extended west, reaching Somerville at the beginning of 1842. The Somerville and Easton Railroad was incorporated in 1847 and began building westward. In 1849, it purchased the Elizabethtown & Somerville and adopted a new name: Central Railroad Company of New Jersey. The line reached Phillipsburg , on the east bank of the Delaware River , in 1852. It was extended east across Newark Bay to Jersey City in 1864, and it gradually acquired branches to Flemington , Newark , Perth Amboy , Chester , and Wharton . The New Jersey Southern (NJS) began construction in 1860 at Port Monmouth . The railroad worked its way southwest across lower New Jersey and reached Bayside, New Jersey, on

1551-471: The rest to the NY&;LB, and 19 Reading and B&O trains that turned southwest at Bound Brook Junction. Three trains ran to Mauch Chunk and two to Harrisburg via Allentown ; the other 58 trains terminated along the main line between West 8th St in Bayonne and Hampton . Until April 1958, several long-distance trains originated at the station, and trains to Philadelphia lasted until 1967. * With

1598-497: The river's water quality . In 2015 EPA awarded grants to conduct research on Meadowlands wetlands. The NJSEA owns or holds management rights to preserve wetlands in the Meadowlands district. As of 2016 over 3,900 acres of wetlands have been preserved by NJSEA and other property owners. The New Jersey Legislature established the Meadowlands Conservation Trust in 1999 to protect and manage land in

1645-487: The same time Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) acquired control of the RDG, gaining access to New York over RDG and CNJ rails. In 1929, CNJ inaugurated the Blue Comet , a deluxe coach train operating twice daily between Jersey City and Atlantic City . It was painted blue from the pilot of its 4-6-2 to the rear bulkhead of its observation car, and its refurbished cars offered a level of comfort much higher than

1692-656: The terminal itself; the next day CNJ passenger trains began originating and terminating at the PRR station in Newark via the Aldene Connection , where New York City passengers could transfer to either PRR or Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) trains. In 1979, CNJ emerged from bankruptcy as Central Jersey Industries, later renamed CJI Industries. In 1986, it merged with the packaging company Triangle Industries, owned by Nelson Peltz . CNJ had its northeastern terminus at Elizabethport, New Jersey. In 1864 CNJ extended its railroad across

1739-763: The terminal. Central Railroad of New Jersey The CNJ's main line had a major presence in New Jersey. Most of the main line is now used by the Raritan Valley Line passenger service. CNJ main line trackage in Phillipsburg, New Jersey became part of the Lehigh Line under Conrail. The earliest railroad ancestor of the CNJ was the Elizabethtown & Somerville Railroad, incorporated in 1831 and opened from Elizabethport to Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1836. Horses gave way to steam in 1839, and

1786-569: The tracks. The Bush-type trainsheds , the largest ever to be constructed and designed by A. Lincoln Bush , were not part of the original construction, but were built in 1914 and have not been restored. The abandoned shed covered 12 platforms and 20 tracks. The terminal, along with its docks and yards, was one of several massive terminal complexes (the other being the terminals of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Exchange Place,

1833-552: The usual day coach of the era. The train was the forerunner of the coach streamliners that blossomed nationwide in the late 1930s and the 1940s. It succumbed to automobile competition in 1941. Also in 1929 CNJ purchased a 30 percent interest in the Raritan River Railroad , a 12-mile (19 km) short line from South Amboy to New Brunswick. In 1931 it acquired total ownership of the Wharton & Northern Railroad and

1880-723: The waterfront from the points required overcoming significant natural obstacles including crossing the Hackensack River and Meadows and Hudson Palisades , and in the case of New Jersey Central, traversing the Newark Bay . For its mainline, the railroad constructed the Newark Bay Bridge to Elizabeth . Its Newark and New York Branch cut through Bergen Hill and crossed two bridges at Kearny Point . Both rights-of-way in Hudson County are now used by

1927-525: The west of New York City . During the 20th century, much of the Meadowlands area was urbanized , and it became known for being the site of large landfills and decades of environmental abuse. A variety of projects began in the late 20th century to restore and conserve the remaining ecological resources in the Meadowlands. The Meadowlands stretch mainly along the terminus of the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers as they flow into Newark Bay ; tributaries of

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1974-655: Was also service to Brooklyn and Staten Island Other boats, among them the SS ; Asbury Park and SS  Sandy Hook , which travelled to the Raritan Bayshore . In 1941, the CRRNJ ferryboat fleet made 374 one-way crossings of the North River each day. Jersey Central's Blue Comet offered elaborate service to Atlantic City . The railroad's suburban trains served passengers to west and south, including

2021-605: Was authorized to review and approve land development projects, manage landfill operations, and oversee environmental restoration and preservation projects. The commission oversaw the closure of most of the landfills in the Meadowlands district. The commission was subsequently renamed the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, and merged with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) in 2015. The Hackensack Riverkeeper,

2068-495: Was forested with Atlantic white cedars before the early Dutch settlers (17th century) cleared the forests and used dikes to drain the land. The Dutch farmers used the drained tidal lands to create "meadows" of salt hay ; hence, the area was referred to by locals as the Meadows. In more recent times, the Meadowlands became known for being the site of large landfills and decades of environmental abuse. Before European settlement,

2115-586: Was made, if any. In addition, heavy taxes levied by the state of New Jersey ate up much of CNJ's revenue. In 1946, the lines in Pennsylvania were organized as the Central Railroad of Pennsylvania (CRP) in an effort to escape taxation by the state of New Jersey. CNJ resumed its own operation of the Pennsylvania lines at the end of 1952. The CRP continued in existence as owner of the Easton & Western, four miles of track in Easton, Pennsylvania . The merger between

2162-606: Was painted with the CNJ orange and blue. In 2019, NJ Transit painted locomotive 4109 in a heritage scheme based on that of the CNJ GP40P. Hackensack Meadowlands New Jersey Meadowlands , also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it , is a general name for a large ecosystem of wetlands in northeastern New Jersey in the United States , a few miles to

2209-417: Was renovated and incorporated into Liberty State Park . The station has been listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places since September 12, 1975. It also has been named a New Jersey State Historic Site . The terminal is part of Liberty State Park , and along with nearby Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty recalls the era of massive immigration through

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