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22-459: The area is fast-growing, densely-populated and home to the fifth and eighth most populated municipalities in the state , Lakewood and Toms River , neither of which is served by passenger rail. Bus service is provided on NJ Transit bus routes 130-139 and from Lakewood Bus Terminal on the U.S. Route 9 corridor, which suffers from traffic congestion and safety issues. NJT completed a draft Major Investment Study distributed in 1996 identifying

44-740: A joint switching and terminal railroad created in order to serve the New York, Philadelphia and Detroit markets equally from both carriers. CSAO initially kept the entire line open. Since the early 2000s, there had not been a train east of the Prestone plant in Freehold. In 2022, Chesapeake and Delaware, LLC filed to take over rail service from CSAO on the Southern Secondary and Freehold Secondary, portions of which are owned by CSAO and NJ Transit. CSAO relinquished common carrier operations to

66-703: A rail trail reverted to railway usage. Monmouth Battlefield State Park is traversed by the ROW used by the PRR's Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad / Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad . List of municipalities in New Jersey New Jersey is a state located in the Northeastern United States . According to the 2020 United States Census , New Jersey is the 11th most populous state with 9,288,994 inhabitants but

88-801: A rail yard at Lakehurst Maxfield Field . From a junction in Farmingdale, three possible alignments are under consideration in Monmouth and Middlesex counties. One alternative would use an existing rail corridor that runs from to Lakehurst along the Jamesburg Branch, the Freehold Secondary, and the Southern Secondary (Southern Branch) and would join the Northeast Corridor Line at Monmouth Junction . Another would use an existing rail corridor from Lakehurst along

110-684: Is the most populous U.S. state with no cities ranked in the top 50 most populous United States cities , with the next most populous being South Carolina . As in most Northeastern states, all territories within New Jersey are incorporated. Freehold Secondary The Freehold Secondary (also called the Freehold Industrial Track ) is an active rail line in New Jersey , the tracks of which are owned by Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) and operated by

132-675: The Delaware and Raritan River Railroad (DRR), a subsidiary of Chesapeake and Delaware, LLC. The active portion operates between Jamesburg and Lakewood, New Jersey. The section between Freehold and the junction with the Southern Secondary in Farmingdale had been dormant since 1999; DRR began track rehabilitation on this section on January 16, 2023. On October 13, 2023, (following a last-spike-driven ceremony in Farmingdale)

154-456: The Delaware and Raritan River Railroad effective July 1, 2022. However, CSAO retains trackage rights along the line. On October 13th, 2023, the 5-mile stretch between Freehold & Farmingdale was returned to regular freight service. The rehabilitation project allowed the two stub-ended lines (the Southern Secondary & Freehold Secondary) to operate as a single track with direct service from Jamesburg to Lakewood . Supplemental work includes

176-753: The Pennsylvania Railroad , and both freight and passenger trains used the line up until the Pennsylvania cut its Trenton-Jamesburg-Sea Girt train on May 29, 1962. The line famously hosted dying President Garfield, and his private train as it traveled from Washington, DC, to where he died in Elberon, New Jersey. In 1939, the line hosted the King and Queen of the United Kingdom’s private train, en route to Red Bank, New Jersey. After dieselization,

198-945: The Route 9 BBS (bus bypass shoulder lanes) also remains under study. The line is included in the Regional Plan Association 's Fourth Regional Plan. The advancement of project beyond studies (commissioned by NJT or the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority ) has lagged due to lack of funding and political wherewithal. The line would travel north to provide diesel commuter rail service from Lakehurst / Manchester to Farmingdale passing through Toms River (Dover), Jackson , Lakewood , in Ocean and Howell in Monmouth. Stations would be located at Manchester-Lakehurst, Jackson, and Howell-Oak Glen Road. All alternatives include

220-447: The fifth smallest by land area , spanning 7,354.76 square miles (19,048.7 km ). As of 2024 , New Jersey is divided into 21 counties and contains 564 municipalities consisting of five types: 253 boroughs , 52 cities , 15 towns , 240 townships , and four villages . The largest municipality by population in New Jersey is Newark , with 311,549 residents, whereas the smallest is Walpack Township , with seven residents. New Jersey

242-636: The rights-of-way (ROW) of former branches of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), some originally developed by New Jersey Southern Railroad , including CNJ's Blue Comet route to Atlantic City . The ROWs of the Southern Secondary (CNJ), largely owned by New Jersey Transit (NJT), and the Freehold Secondary (PRR) are partially in use for freight service by Conrail 's (CRCX) North Jersey Shared Assets Operations (CSAO). The property for

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264-466: The 5–mile Farmingdale–Freehold segment was officially reactivated. In total, 25,000+ feet of rail, 12,500 ties (including 8,000 made of sustainable steel) and seven level crossings were replaced in a project that concluded nine months ahead of schedule and under budget. This project makes the operation more efficient, as one train can now serve on-line customers between Browns Yard in Old Bridge, where

286-803: The Southern Secondary and join the North Jersey Coast Line at Red Bank station . Another would use the abandoned Freehold Branch, Freehold Secondary, and the Southern Secondary from Matawan and join the North Jersey Coast at Aberdeen-Matawan station . Service would continue north to Newark Penn Station (with connecting or continuing service to Hoboken Terminal or New York Penn Station ). The following candidate stations were identified in 2005: North Jersey Coast Line at Aberdeen-Matawan station North Jersey Coast Line at Red Bank station Northeast Corridor Line at Monmouth Junction The project would make use of

308-635: The inland sections of the Henry Hudson Trail is currently railbanked by NJT, which leases the line for a rail trail to the Monmouth County Park System. The former CNJ ROW is leased through 2020 unlike most rail trails, was never officially abandoned. NJT reserves the right to reinstitute rail service. According to the Sierra Club , should NJT opt to restore service it would be the first instance in U.S history where

330-405: The late 2023 creation of a wye in Farmingdale by adding a southern leg to join the Freehold Secondary's northern curve connecting the Southern Secondary, and ongoing grade crossing upgrades. Conrail Local Freight WPSA-31 ( W ayfreight P hiladelphia division SA yreville - 31 ) runs from Browns Yard to Jamesburg to interchange with DRR. From Jamesburg, DRR local JB-01 runs to Freehold to serve

352-522: The line after the 1968 merger of the Pennsylvania and the New York Central Railroad . During consolidation of redundant lines, Conrail did not abandon the remaining portions of the Freehold Secondary, but a 1978 division map marks the section between Freehold and Jamesburg as a "light density line." In the 1999 breakup of Conrail between Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation , the line went to Conrail Shared Assets (CSAO),

374-552: The line's passenger trains were a favorite with railfans because of their use of Doodlebugs , a gas electric car. Freight service continued after the end of passenger service, but in 1964, the section between Sea Girt and Farmingdale was torn up, parts of which became the Edgar Felix Bikeway . In 1976, Conrail took over the operations of seven northeastern railroads, including the Penn Central , who operated

396-405: The need for new rail service for the counties and enhancement of U.S. Route 9 bus service. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) authorized the creation of a draft environmental impact statement in 2002, conducted by SYSTRA , which identified three build alternatives in scoping documents . A draft alternatives analysis report was released in 2010. The baseline (no-build) alternative to expand

418-643: The three companies were merged to form a new company also called the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad. In the Board of Directors Election held on June 24, 1879, Strickland Kneass was elected president (he had been named president on the merger documents in May, but had not been formally elected by the board until June). Since June 1, 1879, the company's trackage has been operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Operation continued and prospered under

440-563: The train originates, to the line's largest and southernmost customer (Woodhaven Lumber) in Lakewood. DRR intends to grow business with future plans to reactivate dormant track south of Lakewood. The Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad was incorporated in 1851 to connect Freehold with the Camden and Amboy Railroad in Jamesburg . The first section between the aforementioned towns

462-474: Was built by the Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad Company which was incorporated on April 3, 1867, and mandated to finish construction of their line by July 1, 1877. Its line was leased to the Freehold and Jamesburg in 1874. Also in 1874, the line between Jamesburg and Monmouth Junction (the connection with the Northeast Corridor ) was sold to the Camden and Amboy Railroad . On May 24, 1879,

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484-473: Was opened to traffic in 1853. In 1868, the line was extended to a connection with the Northeast Corridor (then Camden and Amboy Railroad 's main line). On the other end of the line, a firm known as the Squankum and Freehold Marl Company built track from Freehold to Farmingdale in 1868, and leased it to the Freehold and Jamesburg in the same year. The final link in the railroad, between Farmingdale and Sea Girt

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