Pennsylvania Station (Newark)

Newark Penn Station
Penn Station main entrance at dusk
Location	Raymond Plaza West and Market Street Newark, NJ 07102
Owned by	NJ Transit
Line(s)	Northeast Corridor   NWK–WTC
Platforms	1 side platform (upper level) 3 island platforms and 2 side platforms (main level)
Tracks	6 (Northeast Corridor), 2 (PATH)
Connections	NJT Bus: 1, 5, 11, 21, 25, 28, 29, 30, 34, 39, 40, 41, 59, 62, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 78, 79, 95, 108, 308, 319, 361, 375, 378 ONE Bus: 31, 44 Greyhound Lines Peter Pan Bus Lines Fullington Trailways
Construction
Parking	Available in immediate area
Bicycle facilities	No
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	NWK (Amtrak) ZRP (IATA)
Fare zone	1 (NJT only)
History
Opened	March 24, 1935
Rebuilt	2007
Electrified	12 kV 25 Hz AC overhead lines (Northeast Corridor) 600 V DC third rail (PATH) 750 V DC overhead lines (NLR)
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	27,695 (average weekday)[1][2] (NJT)
Passengers (2017)	682,020[3]  3.13% (Amtrak)
Passengers (2017)	8,918,157[4]  5.4% (PATH)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Metropark toward Washington, D.C. Acela Express New York toward Boston South Trenton toward Chicago Cardinal Suspended New York Terminus Trenton toward Charlotte Carolinian Trenton toward New Orleans Crescent Newark Liberty Int'l Airport toward Harrisburg Keystone Service Metropark toward Savannah Palmetto Trenton toward Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian Trenton toward Miami Silver Meteor Silver Star Newark Liberty Int'l Airport toward Norfolk, Newport News, or Roanoke Northeast Regional New York toward Boston South or Springfield Metropark weekends toward Washington, D.C. Vermonter New York toward St. Albans Trenton weekdays toward Washington, D.C. NJ Transit Rail Newark Liberty Int'l Airport toward Trenton Northeast Corridor Line Secaucus Junction toward New York Penn Station Union toward High Bridge Raritan Valley Line Secaucus Junction (Limited service) toward New York Penn Station Hoboken (Limited service) Terminus Newark Liberty Int'l Airport toward Bay Head North Jersey Coast Line Secaucus Junction toward New York Penn Station Hoboken (Limited service) Terminus Newark Light Rail Military Park toward Grove Street Grove Street – Newark Penn Terminus Terminus Broad Street – Newark Penn NJPAC/Center Street toward Broad Street Station PATH Terminus NWK–WTC Harrison toward World Trade Center
Former services Preceding station   NJ Transit Rail   Following station Atlantic City Terminus Atlantic City Express Service New York Penn Station Terminus SEPTA Bound Brook toward Reading Terminal West Trenton Line Terminus Pennsylvania Railroad South Street toward Chicago Main Line Harrison toward New York City or Exchange Place Manhattan Transfer Until 1937 toward New York City or Exchange Place
Pennsylvania Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Newark Penn Station
Location	Raymond Plaza West, Newark, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°44′5″N 74°9′51″W / 40.73472°N 74.16417°W / 40.73472; -74.16417Coordinates: 40°44′5″N 74°9′51″W / 40.73472°N 74.16417°W / 40.73472; -74.16417
Area	5 acres (2 ha)
Built	1935
Architect	McKim, Mead & White
Architectural style	Classical Revival, Art Deco
NRHP reference #	78001760[5]
Added to NRHP	December 20, 1978

Pennsylvania Station (also known as Newark Penn Station) is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey.^[6] Located at Raymond Plaza, between Market Street and Raymond Boulevard, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, making it one of the major transportation hubs for the New York metropolitan area. It is served by Newark Light Rail,^[7] three NJ Transit commuter rail lines, the PATH rapid transit system, and all 11 of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor services (including the Acela Express). The station is also served by intercity bus carriers Greyhound, Peter Pan, and Trailways, as well as 33 local and regional bus lines operated by NJ Transit Bus Operations and ONE Bus (Orange-Newark-Elizabeth).

History

1935 photo of Market Street bridge

The old Newark Penn station ca. 1911

Designed by the renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the station contains a mixture of Art Deco and Neo-Classical features. The interior of the main waiting room has medallions illustrating the history of transportation, from wagons to steamships to cars and airplanes, the eventual doom of the railroad age. The current building was dedicated on March 23, 1935; the first regular train to use it was a New York–Philadelphia express at 10:17 on March 24.^[8][9] The new station was built alongside (northwest of) the old station, which was then demolished and replaced by the southeast half of the present station, completed in 1937. Except for the separate, underground Newark Light Rail station (formerly the Newark City Subway), tracks are elevated above street level.

It was built to be one of the centerpieces of the former Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR's) train network, and to become a transfer point to the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (now PATH), which was partially funded by the PRR, for travel to lower Manhattan. At the time, PRR operated 232 weekday trains (total of both directions) between Newark and New York Penn Station; after 1937, the 10-mile trip took an average of 16 minutes.

A CNJ train at Penn Station on July 4, 1969

The station, the adjacent 230-foot Dock Bridge over the Passaic River (the longest three-track railway lift span in existence at the time), the Newark City Subway extension and the realignment of the H&M cost $42 million, borne almost evenly by the PRR and the City of Newark. Both systems were extended or realigned to the station on June 20, 1937, and the nearby Manhattan Transfer station was closed.^[10]

The Port of New York Authority (now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) bought the bankrupt H&M Railroad and reorganized it as Port Authority Trans-Hudson in 1962. New Jersey Department of Transportation's Aldene Plan redirected Central Railroad of New Jersey and Reading Railroad trains from Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City to Newark Penn Station in 1967. The Pennsylvania Railroad merged with longtime rival New York Central Railroad in 1968 to form Penn Central Railroad, but Newark kept the name "Penn Station." Amtrak took over inter-city service in 1971, but Penn Central continued to operate commuter service, despite suffering from major bankruptcy. In 1976, the New Jersey Department of Transportation acquired Penn Central, Reading and Jersey Central passenger service, which included lines from as far away as Philadelphia's SEPTA diesel service along the West Trenton Line, with Conrail operating service under contract. New Jersey Transit acquired the rail line north of West Trenton in 1982, and established their rail operations division in 1983, acquiring almost all commuter rail service from Conrail within the state.

Newark Penn Station was extensively renovated in 2007, with restoration of the facade and historic interior materials (e.g., plaster ceilings, marble and limestone, windows, lighting fixtures), as well as train platform and equipment improvements.^[11]

Current operations

Despite being 10 mi (16 km) from New York Penn, the busiest train station in North America, Newark Penn is a major station in its own right. In 2014 it was the 14th busiest station in the Amtrak system. It is served by all 11 services running along the Northeast Corridor.

Three New Jersey Transit commuter rail lines converge here: the Northeast Corridor Line which continues into New York, the North Jersey Coast Line which continues to New York or Hoboken, and the Raritan Valley Line, which generally terminates here, with the exception of select trains that continue on and terminate at New York Penn Station, and one morning train continuing to Hoboken.

It is the western terminus of the Newark–World Trade Center line of the PATH train, operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Trains terminate on the upper level and return to service on the lower level.

On the lower level is the south end of the Newark Light Rail. Passengers on this light rail system from Newark and its nearby suburbs can transfer to Amtrak or PATH trains, or travel to Newark Broad Street or downtown Newark.

Newark Penn Station carries the IATA airport code of ZRP.^[12]

Tracks and platforms

Tracks at Newark Penn Station

Newark Penn has eight tracks (not including Newark Light Rail). Seven are on one level, but PATH trains arrive on an upper-level track with a platform on the west side, from which passengers can quickly reach platforms for their onward trains.^[13]

• Track A is less used and has a side platform, usually for Raritan Valley Line arrivals. Trains relay and lay-up at Hudson Yard in Harrison before returning on Track 5 for the reverse trip. Occasionally used by Amtrak trains to New York Penn Station.
• Track 1 is normally used by New Jersey Transit trains to New York Penn Station and is served by an island platform shared with Track M.
• Track M is the track for departing PATH trains to World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.^[13]
• Track 2 is typically used by northbound Amtrak and New Jersey Transit express trains, but is also used during the PM rush for westbound North Jersey Coast Line express trains. This track has an island platform that is shared with track M.
• Track 3 is usually used by southbound Amtrak trains, though westbound New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor Line express trains will often use this track in the evening rush hours. This platform has an island platform shared with track 4.
• Track 4 is normally used by westbound New Jersey Transit trains traveling via Rahway.
• Track 5 is usually used by westbound Raritan Valley Line trains and weekend eastbound Raritan Valley Line trains terminating. This track has a side platform.
• Track H is for discharging PATH trains. This upper-level track, which did not have turnstiles until SmartLink ones were installed in 2005, has stairs to Track 2, along with ramps to Tracks 3 and 4, and a separate stairway to Track 5. Trains relay and lay-up south of the station before returning on Track M for the trip to World Trade Center. There are two pairs of crossover switches south of the station for that purpose, as well as a center express track from which trains can be reversed quickly.^[13]

As part of the 10 year capital improvement program, Platform H will undergo an expensive renovation which includes the modification of the existing platforms, stairwells to track 2 and renovation of the 1935 original tan brick walls. Construction is expected to begin in late March 2018.

Platform layout

Note: Shows platform layouts only, not the actual station layout.

2F Upper platform	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Track H	← PATH Newark–World Trade Center Line termination track
1F Main platforms	Side platform
	Track 5	← NJT Raritan Valley Line toward Raritan or High Bridge (Union) → NJT Raritan Valley Line peak termination track →
	Track 4	← NJT Northeast Corridor Line toward Rahway, Jersey Avenue or Trenton (Newark Airport) ← NJT North Jersey Coast Line toward South Amboy, Long Branch or Bay Head (Newark Airport)
	Island platform
	Track 3	← NJT Northeast Corridor Express toward Trenton (Rahway, Metropark, New Brunswick, or Princeton Junction) ← Amtrak Northeast Corridor services towards Philadelphia and points south (Newark Airport)
	Track 2	← NJT North Jersey Coast Express toward Long Branch or Bay Head (Woodbridge or Aberdeen – Matawan) ← Amtrak Northeast Corridor services toward New York and points north (New York) → ← NJT Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Lines toward New York (Secaucus Junction) →
	Island platform
	Track M	→ PATH Newark–World Trade Center Line toward World Trade Center (Harrison) →
	Island platform
	Track 1	→ NJT Raritan Valley Line off-peak toward New York (Secaucus Junction) → ← NJT Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Lines toward New York (Secaucus Junction) →
	Track A	→ NJT Raritan Valley Line peak termination track → → NJT North Jersey Coast Line toward Hoboken via Waterfront (Terminus) →
	Side platform

Gallery

• 
  Main entrance at night
• 
  Interior of main waiting room, featuring an information booth
• 
  Light rail platform
• 
  PATH PA-5 train arriving on upper level
• 
  PATH platform
• 
  Pedestrian ramp

Surrounding area

• Federal Bureau of Investigation New Jersey Regional Headquarters
• Former Newark and New York Railroad Lafayette Street terminal
• Ironbound
• Military Park
• Newark Municipal Court
• New Jersey Performing Arts Center
• Site of Park Place (H&M station)
• Prudential Center
• Riverbank Park
• Seton Hall University School of Law

In popular culture

• The station was featured in several scenes of the 1980 film Gloria.
• The station is represented in the 2010 Fringe episode "Entrada" by a visually similar transportation hub in Vancouver, British Columbia. In the alternate universe depicted in the series it is named Springsteen Station after locally born musician Bruce Springsteen. The station is represented a second time in 2012 in the Season 5 episode "The Bullet That Saved the World" where the 2036 version of the station serves as a military checkpoint into an occupied Manhattan for high-speed rail traffic.
• The station is also mentioned in Glenn Miller's iconic hit, "Chattanooga Choo Choo."

Sources and notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newark Penn Station.

Google Maps Street View

Market Street entrance

Raymond Plaza East entrance

Station building

PATH arrival platform from

• NJT rail station information page for Pennsylvania Station (Newark)
• DepartureVision real time train information for Pennsylvania Station (Newark)
• NJT Newark Light Rail station information page for Pennsylvania Station (Newark)

• Amtrak – Stations – Newark, NJ
• Newark Pennsylvania Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
• PATH - Newark Station
• Newark, NJ (NWK) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)