The Union Transportation Trail is a multi-use trail in Monmouth County, New Jersey

Monmouth County, New Jersey

Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...

 running from the Homerstown section of southern Upper Freehold towards Imlaystown. The current developed length is 4 miles (6.4 km) with a final length of 8.6 miles (13.8 km) terminating in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. The anticipated completion date for the Monmouth County segment is 2012.

The Union Transportation Trail occupies trackage of the former short line Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad

Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad

The Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. state of New Jersey.-History:The Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad was chartered in 1864 and completed in 1868; it linked the towns of Pemberton and Hightstown, a total of . Most of the stock was purchased by the Camden and Amboy...

, which was established in 1864. The railroad provided dairies and farms access to larger railroads at rail junctions in Pemberton

Pemberton, New Jersey

Pemberton, formerly New Mills, is a Borough in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 1,210....

 and Hightstown

Hightstown, New Jersey

Hightstown is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,494.Hightstown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1853, within portions of East Windsor Township. The borough became...

. The right-of-way was later acquired by Jersey Central Power & Light and subsequently leased for trail use in 1998 by the Monmouth County Park system.

The trail officially opened with a 2.2 miles (3.5 km) section with a gravel surface on September 25, 2010. The trail currently has two terminating trail heads with parking at Millstream Road and Jonathan Holms Road in Upper Freehold. The origin of the Union Transportation Trail name is adopted from the Union Transportation Company, which leased the line in 1888.

In 2011 the trail was extended 2 miles (3.2 km) north to Davis Station Rd.