Meadowlands (NJT station)
Encyclopedia
Meadowlands Sports Complex Station, or Meadowlands Station, is New Jersey Transit
train station
that is the western teminus for the Meadowlands Rail Line
located at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford
, New Jersey
.
The station is situated equidistant between Meadowlands Racetrack
, American Dream Meadowlands (a commercial and entertainment complex currently under construction), and MetLife Stadium (a new football stadium which opened April 10, 2010) to which there is a direct aerial connection. One island platform
and one side platform
are each approximately 950 feet in length.
NJ Transit operates the Meadowlands Rail Line to the Meadowlands Station for stadium events when 50,000 or more attendees are expected. The station is expected to operate daily once the American Dream Meadowlands complex is completed.
, New York Giants owner John Mara
, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, and players from the Giants and Jets rode out on a special train from Hoboken for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The station officially opened to the public on July 26, 2009 for the championship game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup
tournament between the United States
and Mexico. As many as 6,000 of the 80,000 attendees at the soccer game arrived at the complex using the station.
In August 2009, New Jersey assemblymen Frederick Scalera
and Gary Schaer
advocated using the train station as a park and ride
facility with weekday rush-hour service to help alleviate traffic congestion on the roadways leading to New York City
, but the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
indicated this could create conflicts on evenings when other events are scheduled, such as those at the Izod Center.
Although the new train service worked well for the first two regular season NFL games—when approximately 6,000-7,000 football fans arrived by rail—the first problems occurred on September 23, 2009, when 20,000 attendees at a U2
concert crammed onto trains. Some concertgoers had to wait up to two hours to board trains after the show, as the rail line can only accommodate a maximum capacity of 10,000 people per hour.
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...
train station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
that is the western teminus for the Meadowlands Rail Line
Meadowlands Rail Line
Meadowlands 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...
located at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, 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...
.
The station is situated equidistant between Meadowlands Racetrack
Meadowlands Racetrack
The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...
, American Dream Meadowlands (a commercial and entertainment complex currently under construction), and MetLife Stadium (a new football stadium which opened April 10, 2010) to which there is a direct aerial connection. One island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
and one side platform
Side platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
are each approximately 950 feet in length.
NJ Transit operates the Meadowlands Rail Line to the Meadowlands Station for stadium events when 50,000 or more attendees are expected. The station is expected to operate daily once the American Dream Meadowlands complex is completed.
Opening
The Meadowlands station opened on July 20, 2009 when a group of dignitaries including New Jersey Governor Jon CorzineJon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
, New York Giants owner John Mara
John Mara
John Kevin Mara is the president, CEO, and co-owner of the New York Giants.Mara was born in New York City and grew up in White Plains, New York. He is the oldest son of Ann and former Giants owner Wellington Mara. He attended Iona Preparatory School in nearby New Rochelle, graduating in 1972. He...
, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, and players from the Giants and Jets rode out on a special train from Hoboken for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The station officially opened to the public on July 26, 2009 for the championship game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested from 3 July to 26 July 2009 in the United States. This competition was the fourth tournament...
tournament between the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
and Mexico. As many as 6,000 of the 80,000 attendees at the soccer game arrived at the complex using the station.
In August 2009, New Jersey assemblymen Frederick Scalera
Frederick Scalera
Frederick Scalera is an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2003 to 2011, representing the 36th legislative district.-Biography:...
and Gary Schaer
Gary Schaer
Gary Schaer is an American Democratic Party politician who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly where he represents the 36th legislative district, having taken office on January 10, 2006, and on the Passaic, New Jersey City Council where he is the council president...
advocated using the train station as a park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
facility with weekday rush-hour service to help alleviate traffic congestion on the roadways leading to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is an independent authority established by the State of New Jersey in 1971 to oversee the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Originally consisting of Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack in 1976, Brendan Byrne Arena was added to the complex in...
indicated this could create conflicts on evenings when other events are scheduled, such as those at the Izod Center.
Although the new train service worked well for the first two regular season NFL games—when approximately 6,000-7,000 football fans arrived by rail—the first problems occurred on September 23, 2009, when 20,000 attendees at a U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
concert crammed onto trains. Some concertgoers had to wait up to two hours to board trains after the show, as the rail line can only accommodate a maximum capacity of 10,000 people per hour.
Nearby Attractions
- Izod Center
- Meadowlands RacetrackMeadowlands RacetrackThe Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...
- Giants StadiumGiants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
- Meadowlands XanaduMeadowlands XanaduAmerican Dream Meadowlands is a retail and entertainment complex being constructed in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, in the New York City Metropolitan Area. The first phase of the five-story complex is scheduled to open in Autumn 2013 and the...
- Redd's Restaurant