Hoboken Terminal
Encyclopedia
Hoboken Terminal is one of the New York Metropolitan area
's major transportation hubs. The commuter-oriented intermodal facility
, is located on the Hudson River
in Hoboken
, New Jersey
. It is served by nine New Jersey Transit
(NJT) commuter rail lines
, one Metro-North Railroad
line, various NJT buses
and private bus lines, the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail, the Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) rapid transit system and NY Waterway
-operated ferries. More than 50,000 people use the terminal daily.
Access to other New Jersey Transit rail lines is available at Newark Penn Station (which also serves Amtrak
), Secaucus Junction
, or Newark Broad Street.
, Greenville
and Bayonne
to 8th Street
. The northern route travels through Hoboken and North Hudson
to Tonnelle Avenue
in North Bergen
. Travel from the West Side Branch
requires passengers to transfer at stations between Pavonia-Newport
and Liberty State Park
.
at the World Financial Center
and Pier 11-Wall Street
and the East River
in Lower Manhattan
.
are the 22, 64, 68, 85, 87, 89 to destinations within Hudson County and 126, with continuing service to Port Authority Bus Terminal
. The local Hoboken Downtown and Uptown bus includes the terminal in their loop routes.
and ferry
terminal buildings
were constructed in 1907 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
. The terminal building is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places
and the National Register of Historic Places
(added in 1973 as #73001102 as the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad and Ferry Terminal). It has been undergoing extensive renovations which are projected for completion in 2011.
The large main waiting room
, with its floral and Greek Revival motifs in tiled stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany
set atop bands of pale cement, is generally considered one of the finest in the U.S. aesthetically. The terminal exterior extends to over four stories and has a distinguished copper-clad façade with ornate detailing. Its single-story base is constructed of rusticated Indiana limestone. A grand double stair with decorative cast-iron railings within the main waiting room provides an entrance to the upper-level ferry concourse.
A 225 feet (68.6 m) clock tower was originally built with the terminal over a century ago, but was dismantled in the early 1950s due to structural damage and deterioration from weather damage. A new clock tower, replicating the original, was constructed during the terminal's centennial year of 2007 and was fully erect that November. The replica tower has 4 feet (1.2 m) copper letters spelling out "LACKAWANNA", which are lit at night.
The terminal is considered a milestone in American transportation development, combining rail, ferry, streetcar (later, bus; even later, bus on one side and light-rail on the other), and pedestrian facilities in one of the most innovatively designed and engineered structures in the nation. Hoboken Terminal was also one of the first stations in the world to employ the Bush-type train shed
, designed by and named for Lincoln Bush of the DL&W, which quickly became ubiquitous in station design.
The station is unusual for a New York City area commuter railroad terminal in that it still makes use of low-level platforms, which require passengers to make use of stairs on the train to board and disembark.
from most of the continental USA required a transfer to a ferry at the Hudson River
, at the time often called the North River. The site of the terminal has been used as a landing since the colonial era, accessible via turnpike roads, and later plank road
s (namely the Hackensack
, the Paterson
and a spur of the Newark Plank Road
). John Stevens
, founder of Hoboken and inventor, launched steamboat service in 1811. During the next 100 years cuts
or tunnel
s were constructed through Bergen Hill
to terminals on the west bank of the river and the Upper New York Bay
. One of the Bergen Hill Tunnels under Jersey City Heights were opened in 1876 by the Morris and Essex Railroad
. Another parallel tunnel was added in 1908 by Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad (DL&W). Both were used by the Erie Lackawanna Railway
, as does New Jersey Transit today.
Hoboken Terminal was one of several train stations with ferry slips, each belonging to a competing railroad company. It is one of two still standing (the other being the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Communipaw Terminal
) and the only one still in use. Numerous streetcar lines (eventually owned and operated by the Public Service Railway
), including the Hoboken Inclined Cable Railway, originated/terminated at the station until bustitution
was completed on August 7, 1949. The Phoebe Snow was a premiere passenger train that departed daily from the station. In 1956, four years before its merger with the DL&W, the Erie Railroad
began the relocation of its operations to the terminal. Long distance trains to Chicago
and Buffalo
were permanently discontinued on January 5, 1970.
Hoboken Terminal, like Hoboken itself, is a place of "firsts". One year before his death, Thomas Edison
was at the controls for the first departure, in 1930, of a regular-service electrified train
from Hoboken Terminal to Montclair, New Jersey
. The first installation of central air-conditioning in a public space was at Hoboken Terminal, as was the first non-experimental use of mobile phone
s.
The station has been used for film shoots, including Funny Girl
, Three Days of the Condor
, Once Upon a Time in America
, The Station Agent
, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
, Julie & Julia
, Rod Stewart
's Downtown Train
video (1990) and Eric Clapton
's video for his 1996 single "Change the World
". Also the terminal was parodied in Grand Theft Auto IV
as the "Liberty Ferry Terminal", although the waiting room and the train Terminal are non-existent.
city line, which cuts across the rail yard
at a northwest diagonal from the river to the intersection of Grove Street
and Newark Street
. It is at this corner that Observer Highway begins running parallel to the tracks and creating a de facto
border for Hoboken. The Long Slip (created with the landfilling of Harsimus Cove
) creates the southern perimeter of the station, separating it from Newport, Jersey City
.
Motor vehicle access to the station is extremely limited. At the eastern end of Observer Highway buses are permitted to enter their terminal. Other vehicles are required to do a dog-leg turn onto Hudson Place
. This 0.05 mile long street (designated CR 736) is the only one with motor vehicle traffic adjacent to the station and acts as a pick-up/drop off point, and hosts a dedicated taxi stand
. Egress from the terminal requires travelling north (for at least one block) on River Street. Hudson Place ends at Warringtron Plaza. On this square one finds the main entrance to the waiting room and the vehicle entrances to the currently unused original ferry slips. A statue of Sam Sloan
, president of the DL&W, moved during renovations faces the loading docks of the nearby post office. The plaza was named in honor of George Warrington
, influential in the creation of New Jersey Transit, and as its executive director enabled the purchase and preservation of the station.
In 2009, pedestrian access to the terminal from the south was made possible with the opening of a new segment of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
. The closing of this gap along the promenade nearly completes the stretch from the Morris Canal
to Weehawken Cove, with signage along the concourse at the rail head inside the terminal indicating that it is officially part of the walkway.
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
's major transportation hubs. The commuter-oriented intermodal facility
Intermodal passenger transport
Intermodal passenger transport involves more than one mode of transport of passengers. Some modes of transportation have always been intermodal; for example, most major airports have extensive facilities for automobile parking and have good rail or bus connections to the cities nearby. Urban bus...
, is located on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
in Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. It is served by nine New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
(NJT) commuter rail lines
New Jersey Transit rail operations
New Jersey Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of New Jersey Transit. It provides regional rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered around transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark...
, one Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
line, various NJT buses
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations is the bus division of New Jersey Transit, providing bus service throughout New Jersey along with service along one light rail line, with many routes going to New York City and Philadelphia.-History:...
and private bus lines, the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail, the Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) rapid transit system and NY Waterway
NY Waterway
NY Waterway, or New York Waterway, is a private transportation company running ferry and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley...
-operated ferries. More than 50,000 people use the terminal daily.
Commuter rail
- Main LineMain Line (NJ Transit)The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by New Jersey Transit running from Suffern, New York to Hoboken, New Jersey. It runs daily commuter service and was once the north-south main line of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad...
- Bergen County LineBergen County LineThe Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either direction along the Main Line...
- Pascack Valley LinePascack Valley LineThe Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit. The line runs north from Hoboken, New Jersey through Bergen County and into Rockland County, New York, terminating at Spring Valley. Service within New York is operated under contract with...
- Morristown LineMorristown LineThe Morristown Line is one of New Jersey Transit's commuter lines and is one of two branches that run along the Morris and Essex Lines. Out of 60 inbound and 58 outbound daily weekday trains, 28 inbound and 26 outbound trains use the Kearny Connection to Secaucus Junction and New York Penn...
and Gladstone BranchGladstone BranchThe Gladstone Branch is a branch of New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex Lines. The Gladstone Branch primarily serves commuter trains; freight service is no longer operated...
of the Morris and Essex Lines - Montclair-Boonton LineMontclair-Boonton LineThe Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's Montclair Branch, which ran from Hoboken Terminal to Bay Street,...
- North Jersey Coast LineNorth Jersey Coast LineThe North Jersey Coast Line is a New Jersey Transit commuter rail service operating between New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal and Bay Head, New Jersey...
(limited service) - Meadowlands Rail LineMeadowlands Rail LineMeadowlands Rail Line is a rail line in New Jersey, United States, operated by New Jersey Transit . Trains run between the MetLife Sports Complex and Secaucus Junction, some with continuing service to Hoboken Terminal...
(event service) - Port Jervis Line
- Raritan Valley LineRaritan Valley LineThe Raritan Valley Line is a diesel-engine-powered commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit , originating out of Pennsylvania Station, located in Newark, New Jersey, with most trains terminating at the Raritan station, located in Raritan, New Jersey.Some weekday trains continue further...
(one inbound morning weekday train only)
Access to other New Jersey Transit rail lines is available at Newark Penn Station (which also serves Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
), Secaucus Junction
Secaucus Junction
The Frank R. Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station is a major commuter rail hub in Secaucus, New Jersey...
, or Newark Broad Street.
Rapid transit rail
PATH trains provide 24 hour service on three routes from a three track underground station located north of the platforms below the street level Hudson Place bus station which is accessible from the concourse or street entrances. Travel to Newark Penn Station always requires a transfer, as does weekday service to Journal Square Transportation Center.- Hoboken-33rd StreetHoboken-33rd Street (PATH service)Hoboken–33rd Street is a rapid transit service operated by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson . It is colored blue on the PATH service map and trains on this service display blue marker lights. This service operates from the Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey by way of the Uptown Hudson Tubes to...
- Hoboken-World Trade CenterHoboken-World Trade Center (PATH service)The Hoboken–World Trade Center is a rapid transit service operated by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson . It is colored green on the PATH service map and trains on this service display green marker lights. This service operates from the Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey, by way of the Downtown...
- Journal Square-33rd Street (via Hoboken)Journal Square-33rd Street (via Hoboken) (PATH service)Journal Square–33rd Street via Hoboken is a rapid transit service operated by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson . It is colored yellow and blue on the PATH service map and trains on this service display both yellow and blue marker lights...
(late night & weekend service)
Light rail
Hoboken Terminal is the terminus for two of the three Hudson-Bergen Light Rail routes, platforms for which are located south of Track 18 and are numbered H1, H2, and H4. The southern route (including the express Bayonne Flyer) travels through Downtown Jersey CityDowntown Jersey City
Downtown is an area of Jersey City, New Jersey that includes the Historic Downtown and the Waterfront. Historic Downtown can be further broken down into the neighborhoods of Harsimus Cove, The Village, Van Vorst Park, Grove Street, Hamilton Park and Boyle Plaza...
, Greenville
Greenville, Jersey City
Greenville is the southernmost section of Jersey City, New Jersey.In its broadest definition Greenville encompasses the area south of the West Side Branch of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and north of the city line with Bayonne, between the Upper New York Bay and the Newark Bay, and corresponds to the...
and Bayonne
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
to 8th Street
8th Street (HBLR station)
8th Street is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail located at Avenue C and East 8th Street in Bayonne, New Jersey. It is the southern terminus for the route traveling northbound towards Hoboken Terminal.-History:...
. The northern route travels through Hoboken and North Hudson
North Hudson, New Jersey
North Hudson is the collective name of the municipalities of Weehawken , Union City , West New York , Guttenberg and North Bergen in Hudson County, New Jersey...
to Tonnelle Avenue
Tonnelle Avenue (HBLR station)
Tonnelle Avenue is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail located at 51st Street in North Bergen, New Jersey. The station opened for service on February 25, 2006....
in North Bergen
North Bergen, New Jersey
North Bergen is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 60,773. Originally founded in 1843, the town was much diminished in territory by a series of secessions. Situated on the Hudson Palisades, it is one...
. Travel from the West Side Branch
West Side Avenue (HBLR station)
-External links:*...
requires passengers to transfer at stations between Pavonia-Newport
Pavonia-Newport (HBLR station)
Pavonia-Newport is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail located at Mall Drive East in Jersey City, New Jersey.The station opened on November 18, 2000. Northbound service from the station is available to Hoboken Terminal and Tonnelle Avenue, in North Bergen. Southbound service is available to...
and Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park (HBLR station)
Liberty State Park is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail located between Communipaw and Johnston Avenues in Jersey City, New Jersey. The station opened on April 15, 2000....
.
Ferry
Weekday ferry service is operated by NY Waterway to the Battery Park City Ferry TerminalBattery Park City Ferry Terminal
The Battery Park City Ferry Terminal provides slips to ferries, water taxis, and sightseeing boats in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The floating dock is located on the Hudson River and moored at the foot of Vesey Street in Hudson River Park in Battery Park City, Manhattan...
at the World Financial Center
World Financial Center
The World Financial Center is a complex of buildings across West Street from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan in New York City, overlooking the Hudson River. This complex is home to offices of companies including Merrill Lynch, RBC Capital Markets, Nomura Group, the Wall Street...
and Pier 11-Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
and the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
.
Bus
New Jersey Transit bus routes from the adjacent Hudson Place bus terminalHudson Place (Hoboken)
Hudson Place, designated Hudson County Route 736, is a 0.05 mile long street in Hoboken, New Jersey that runs along the north side of Hoboken Terminal, providing the only automobile access to the major transportation hub...
are the 22, 64, 68, 85, 87, 89 to destinations within Hudson County and 126, with continuing service to Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...
. The local Hoboken Downtown and Uptown bus includes the terminal in their loop routes.
Design, designation, and restoration
Designed by architect Kenneth M. Murchison in the Beaux-Arts style, the railRail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
and ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
terminal buildings
Station building
A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger train station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers.A station building is not to be confused with the station itself...
were constructed in 1907 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
. The terminal building is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the Historic Preservation Office of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.The register was...
and the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(added in 1973 as #73001102 as the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad and Ferry Terminal). It has been undergoing extensive renovations which are projected for completion in 2011.
The large main waiting room
Waiting room
A waiting room is a building, or more commonly a part of a building where people sit or stand until the event they are waiting for occurs.There are generally two types of waiting room. One is where individuals leave one at a time, for instance at a doctor's office or a hospital, or outside a school...
, with its floral and Greek Revival motifs in tiled stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
set atop bands of pale cement, is generally considered one of the finest in the U.S. aesthetically. The terminal exterior extends to over four stories and has a distinguished copper-clad façade with ornate detailing. Its single-story base is constructed of rusticated Indiana limestone. A grand double stair with decorative cast-iron railings within the main waiting room provides an entrance to the upper-level ferry concourse.
A 225 feet (68.6 m) clock tower was originally built with the terminal over a century ago, but was dismantled in the early 1950s due to structural damage and deterioration from weather damage. A new clock tower, replicating the original, was constructed during the terminal's centennial year of 2007 and was fully erect that November. The replica tower has 4 feet (1.2 m) copper letters spelling out "LACKAWANNA", which are lit at night.
The terminal is considered a milestone in American transportation development, combining rail, ferry, streetcar (later, bus; even later, bus on one side and light-rail on the other), and pedestrian facilities in one of the most innovatively designed and engineered structures in the nation. Hoboken Terminal was also one of the first stations in the world to employ the Bush-type train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
, designed by and named for Lincoln Bush of the DL&W, which quickly became ubiquitous in station design.
The station is unusual for a New York City area commuter railroad terminal in that it still makes use of low-level platforms, which require passengers to make use of stairs on the train to board and disembark.
History
Prior to the opening of the North River Tunnels and the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad tubes in the early 1900s, overland travel to ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
from most of the continental USA required a transfer to a ferry at the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
, at the time often called the North River. The site of the terminal has been used as a landing since the colonial era, accessible via turnpike roads, and later plank road
Plank road
A plank road or puncheon is a dirt path or road covered with a series of planks, similar to the wooden sidewalks one would see in a Western movie. Plank roads were very popular in Ontario, the U.S. Northeast and U.S. Midwest in the first half of the 19th century...
s (namely the Hackensack
Hackensack Plank Road
The Hackensack Plank Road was a major artery which connected the cities of Hoboken and Hackensack, New Jersey Like its cousin routes, the Newark Plank Road and Paterson Plank Road, it travelled over Bergen Hill and across the Hackensack Meadows from the Hudson River waterfront to the city for...
, the Paterson
Paterson Plank Road
Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey originally lain in the colonial era. The route, connecting the city Paterson and the Hudson River waterfront, still exists...
and a spur of the Newark Plank Road
Newark Plank Road
The Newark Plank Road was a major 19th century artery between New Jersey's Hudson Waterfront and the burgeoning city of Newark, further inland across the New Jersey Meadows. As its name suggests, a plank road was constructed of wooden planks laid side-to-side on a roadbed. A charter to construct...
). John Stevens
John Stevens (inventor)
Col. John Stevens, III was an American lawyer, engineer and an inventor.-Life and career:Born the son of John Stevens , a prominent New Jersey politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of New York lawyer and statesman James Alexander. His...
, founder of Hoboken and inventor, launched steamboat service in 1811. During the next 100 years cuts
Cut (earthmoving)
In civil engineering, a cut or cutting is where soil or rock material from a hill or mountain is cut out to make way for a canal, road or railway line....
or tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s were constructed through Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
to terminals on the west bank of the river and the Upper New York Bay
Upper New York Bay
Upper New York Bay, or Upper Bay, is the traditional heart of the Port of New York and New Jersey, and often called New York Harbor. It is enclosed by the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island and the Hudson County, New Jersey municipalities of Jersey City and Bayonne.It...
. One of the Bergen Hill Tunnels under Jersey City Heights were opened in 1876 by the Morris and Essex Railroad
Morris and Essex Railroad
The Morris and Essex Railroad was a railroad across northern New Jersey, later part of the main line of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.-History:...
. Another parallel tunnel was added in 1908 by Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad (DL&W). Both were used by the Erie Lackawanna Railway
Erie Lackawanna Railway
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie–Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad...
, as does New Jersey Transit today.
Hoboken Terminal was one of several train stations with ferry slips, each belonging to a competing railroad company. It is one of two still standing (the other being the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
Communipaw Terminal
Communipaw Terminal
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, sometimes known as Communipaw Terminal was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal at the mouth of the Hudson River at the Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey.-Designation:...
) and the only one still in use. Numerous streetcar lines (eventually owned and operated by the Public Service Railway
Public Service Railway
The Public Service Railway, owned by the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey, operated most of the streetcar lines in New Jersey by the early 20th century. Public Service lines stretched from northeast New Jersey to Trenton, and then south to Camden and its suburbs...
), including the Hoboken Inclined Cable Railway, originated/terminated at the station until bustitution
Bustitution
The word bustitution is a neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing a passenger train service with a bus service either on a temporary or permanent basis. The word is a portmanteau of the words "bus" and "substitution"...
was completed on August 7, 1949. The Phoebe Snow was a premiere passenger train that departed daily from the station. In 1956, four years before its merger with the DL&W, the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
began the relocation of its operations to the terminal. Long distance trains to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
were permanently discontinued on January 5, 1970.
Hoboken Terminal, like Hoboken itself, is a place of "firsts". One year before his death, Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
was at the controls for the first departure, in 1930, of a regular-service electrified train
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
from Hoboken Terminal to Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. The first installation of central air-conditioning in a public space was at Hoboken Terminal, as was the first non-experimental use of mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s.
The station has been used for film shoots, including Funny Girl
Funny Girl (film)
Funny Girl is a 1968 romantic musical film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Isobel Lennart was adapted from her book for the stage musical of the same title...
, Three Days of the Condor
Three Days of the Condor
Three Days of the Condor is a 1975 American action thriller film produced by Stanley Schneider and directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay, by Lorenzo Semple Jr...
, Once Upon a Time in America
Once Upon a Time in America
Once Upon a Time in America is a 1984 Italian epic crime film co-written and directed by Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The story chronicles the lives of Jewish ghetto youths who rise to prominence in New York City's world of organized crime...
, The Station Agent
The Station Agent
The Station Agent is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Thomas McCarthy. McCarthy's script about a man who seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in Newfoundland, New Jersey won him the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.-Plot:Finbar McBride, a quiet,...
, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is a 2001 American film written, directed by, and starring Woody Allen. The cast also features Dan Aykroyd, Elizabeth Berkley, Helen Hunt, John Schuck, Wallace Shawn, David Ogden Stiers, and Charlize Theron. The plot concerns an insurance investigator and an...
, Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
's Downtown Train
Downtown Train
"Downtown Train" is a song by Tom Waits released on his album Rain Dogs in 1985.The promo video for the song was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and features the boxer Jake LaMotta....
video (1990) and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's video for his 1996 single "Change the World
Change the World
"Change the World" is a song written by Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy and Wayne Kirkpatrick which was recorded by Eric Clapton with backing by Babyface for the soundtrack of the 1996 film Phenomenon. The song won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year , as well as Best Male Pop Vocal...
". Also the terminal was parodied in Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
as the "Liberty Ferry Terminal", although the waiting room and the train Terminal are non-existent.
Environs and access
Though the passenger facilities are located within Hoboken, a large part of the infrastructure that supports them are located over the Jersey CityJersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
city line, which cuts across the rail yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
at a northwest diagonal from the river to the intersection of Grove Street
Grove Street (Hudson County)
County Route 635 in Hudson County, New Jersey is a long street called Grove Street at its northern and southern ends and a newer name, Manila Avenue, in its middle section.- Grove Street :...
and Newark Street
Newark Plank Road
The Newark Plank Road was a major 19th century artery between New Jersey's Hudson Waterfront and the burgeoning city of Newark, further inland across the New Jersey Meadows. As its name suggests, a plank road was constructed of wooden planks laid side-to-side on a roadbed. A charter to construct...
. It is at this corner that Observer Highway begins running parallel to the tracks and creating a de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
border for Hoboken. The Long Slip (created with the landfilling of Harsimus Cove
Harsimus
Harsimus is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment in the north to Christopher Columbus Drive in the south between Coles Street and Grove Street or more broadly, to Marin Boulevard...
) creates the southern perimeter of the station, separating it from Newport, Jersey City
Newport, Jersey City
Newport is a master-planned mixed use community in Jersey City, New Jersey, consisting of retail, residential, office, and entertainment facilities. Located on Jersey City's Hudson River waterfront, the new development is located opposite the World Financial Center in lower Manhattan. ...
.
Motor vehicle access to the station is extremely limited. At the eastern end of Observer Highway buses are permitted to enter their terminal. Other vehicles are required to do a dog-leg turn onto Hudson Place
Hudson Place (Hoboken)
Hudson Place, designated Hudson County Route 736, is a 0.05 mile long street in Hoboken, New Jersey that runs along the north side of Hoboken Terminal, providing the only automobile access to the major transportation hub...
. This 0.05 mile long street (designated CR 736) is the only one with motor vehicle traffic adjacent to the station and acts as a pick-up/drop off point, and hosts a dedicated taxi stand
Taxi stand
A taxicab stand is a queue area on a street or on private property where taxicabs line up to wait for passengers.-How stands work:...
. Egress from the terminal requires travelling north (for at least one block) on River Street. Hudson Place ends at Warringtron Plaza. On this square one finds the main entrance to the waiting room and the vehicle entrances to the currently unused original ferry slips. A statue of Sam Sloan
Samuel Sloan (railroad executive)
Samuel Sloan was an American politician, businessman and executive. He is most known for his tenure as the president of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad for 32 years....
, president of the DL&W, moved during renovations faces the loading docks of the nearby post office. The plaza was named in honor of George Warrington
George Warrington
George David Warrington was an American transportation official, who served New Jersey Transit for 28 years, latterly in the post of executive director...
, influential in the creation of New Jersey Transit, and as its executive director enabled the purchase and preservation of the station.
In 2009, pedestrian access to the terminal from the south was made possible with the opening of a new segment of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is an ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and the Hudson River, implemented as part of a New Jersey state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities...
. The closing of this gap along the promenade nearly completes the stretch from the Morris Canal
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal was an anthracite-carrying canal that incorporated a series of water-driven inclined planes in its course across northern New Jersey in the United States. It was in use for about a century — from the late 1820s to the 1920s....
to Weehawken Cove, with signage along the concourse at the rail head inside the terminal indicating that it is officially part of the walkway.
External links
- PATH station details
- Hoboken Terminal Website
- Subway Nut station info and photos
- Redevelopment Study of Hoboken Terminal & Yard for the of the City Hoboken
- NJT: Hoboken Terminal Turns 100
- Hudson Place and River Street entrance to PATH from Google Maps Street View
- NJ Transit tracks from Google Maps Street View