Martin Luther King Drive station

Martin Luther King Drive
Hudson–Bergen Light Rail station
The Martin Luther King Drive station in April 2015, facing the eponymous street.
Location Martin Luther King Drive and Virginia Avenue
Jersey City, NJ
Coordinates 40°42′44″N 74°04′38″W / 40.7121°N 74.0773°W / 40.7121; -74.0773Coordinates: 40°42′44″N 74°04′38″W / 40.7121°N 74.0773°W / 40.7121; -74.0773
Owned by New Jersey Transit
Line(s)
  West Side–Tonnelle
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Connections NJT Bus: 6, 81, 87[1][2][3]
Construction
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone 1
History
Opened April 22, 2000
Electrified 750 V (DC) overhead catenary
Services
Preceding station   Hudson–Bergen Light Rail   Following station
Terminus
West Side–Tonnelle

The Martin Luther King Drive station of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (West Side Branch) is located adjacent to the Hub in the Jackson Hill neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey. The station opened on April 22, 2000, with a memorial to slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. at its entrance.[4] and other related public art throughout the station.[5]

History

The original cut of the Newark and New York Railroad Branch of Central Railroad of New Jersey excavated through Bergen Hill in 1869 with service running until 1946. The unrenovated former CNJ train station was still standing as recently as the Autumn of 2011,[6][7] but has since been demolished. The new station was raised to a level crossing.

Station layout

Ground/platform level
Exit/entrance and buses
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Southbound ← West Side–Tonnelle toward West Side Avenue (Terminus)
Northbound West Side–Tonnelle toward Tonnelle Avenue (Garfield Avenue) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right

Vicinity

1915 view of Jackson Avenue station

Martin Luther King Drive was once called Jackson Avenue, and until 1947 Public Service Railway's # 7 Jackson streetcar line ran along it. A small block called Jackson still exists that was not included in a realignment.[8] It was later named in honor of the slain civil right leader Martin Luther King, Jr., who had twice spoken in the city.[9] The drive has been the heart of the African American community in Jersey City for decades, and has sometimes been called "The Hill",[10][11][12] though the area is not within the state designated Bergen Hill Historic District. The 100th affiliate of the National Urban League is located on MLK Drive.,[13][14] which is one of the city's shopping districts.[15] The Cunningham Branch of the Jersey City Public Library, the city's newest named for former mayor Glenn Dale Cunningham, is located on MLK Drive.[16] Lincoln High School and St. Patrick's Parish and Buildings, listed on National Register of Historic Places is nearby at Grand Street and Bramhall Avenue.

References

  1. ↑ NJT 6 schedule
  2. ↑ NJT 81 schedule
  3. ↑ NJT 87 schedule
  4. ↑ "Art: Memorializing Civil Rights Era", The New York Times, April 16, 2001, retrieved 2012-01-20
  5. ↑ "MLK Station photos". Subwaynut.com. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Jackson Avenue Station". Railfan.net. June 8, 2001. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Jackson Avenue Station". Railfan.net. June 8, 2001. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  8. ↑ Hudson County New Jersey Street Map. Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2008. ISBN 0-88097-763-9.
  9. ↑ "Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches in Jersey City". Cityofjerseycity.org. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  10. ↑ "JCRA The Hill". Thejcra.org. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  11. ↑ "MLK Drive". Thejcra.org. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  12. ↑ "The Hill". Thejcra.org. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  13. ↑ "National Urban League of Hudson County". Ulohc.org. September 19, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  14. ↑ "MLK Redevelopment Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  15. ↑ "JC Shoppring Districts". Jerseycityonline.com. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Glenn D. Cunningham Branch". Jersey City Free Public Library. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
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