North Jersey Coast Line

North Jersey Coast Line
ALP-46 #4626 pulls train #3270, an eight-car multilevel train, into the Middletown station.
Overview
Type	Commuter rail line
System	New Jersey Transit
Locale	New Jersey
Termini	New York Penn Station (some peak service from Hoboken Terminal) Bay Head
Stations	28
Daily ridership	17,862[1]
Operation
Owner	Amtrak (New York to Rahway Junction) New Jersey Transit (all other trackage)
Operator(s)	New Jersey Transit
Rolling stock	ALP-44 locomotives ALP-46 locomotives F40PH-2CAT locomotives GP40FH-2/GP40PH-2B locomotives Alstom PL42AC Arrow III Comet series Bombardier Multilevel coaches
Technical
Track length	104.6 km (65 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	11kV 25Hz AC 25 kV 60 Hz AC
Route map Legend Northeast Corridor/LIRR Sunnyside Yard East River Tunnels East River Penn Station New York Amtrak Hudson R., N.Y./N.J. border North River Tunnels Hoboken Terminal Hoboken Yard Bergen Tunnels Secaucus Junction Meadows Maintenance Complex Hackensack River Waterfront Connection Kearny Connection New Jersey Turnpike PATH Harrison Passaic River Newark Penn Station Amtrak Newark South Street Raritan Valley Line diverges Lehigh Line Interstate 78 Newark Airport Amtrak AirTrain Newark North Elizabeth Broad St. Elizabeth South Elizabeth Staten Island Railway Linden CSAO Linden Industrial Track North Rahway Rahway Diverging from Northeast Corridor Avenel weekdays only CSAO Port Reading Line Woodbridge New Jersey Turnpike Chemical Coast Line NJ 440 Perth Amboy Running Track Perth Amboy Raritan River Perth Amboy Secondary South Amboy NJ 35 Laurence Harbor (proposed/canceled) Garden State Parkway Matawan Creek Aberdeen-Matawan Garden State Parkway Hazlet Middletown NWS Earle Track Navesink River Red Bank Monmouth Secondary NJ 35 Little Silver Parkers Creek Oceanport Creek Monmouth Park seasonal service Branchport Creek NJ 36 Long Branch Long Branch Yard end of electrification Elberon NJ 71 Allenhurst Deal Lake North Asbury Park Asbury Park NJ 33 Bradley Beach Avon Shark River Belmar Spring Lake Sea Girt Manasquan Manasquan River Point Pleasant Beach NJ 35 Bay Head Bay Head Yard This route map: view · talk · edit

The 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. On rail system maps the North Jersey Coast Line is colored light blue, and its symbol is a sailboat.

Most trains operate between Long Branch and New York Penn Station with frequent rush-hour service and hourly local service during off-peak times. Diesel shuttle trains operate between Long Branch and Bay Head and are timed to meet the electric trains for through service. Hourly New York to Long Branch service operates on weekends, with bi-hourly diesel shuttle service (with some extra trains) between Long Branch and Bay Head. Full hourly service operates during the peak summer season.

During weekdays, 5 round trip diesel trains run directly from Bay Head to Hoboken Terminal using the Waterfront Connection since September 9, 1991. This allows riders on the non-electrified part of the line to access Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal on a one-seat ride. Passengers can reach New York via the Northeast Corridor Line at Newark or PATH at Newark or Hoboken.

Some electric trains terminate at South Amboy or Aberdeen-Matawan; these trains make all stops from New York Penn Station. They provide local service for the Northeast Corridor stops of Rahway, Linden, Elizabeth, and North Elizabeth during rush hours.

Physical characteristics

The line is double track except for the bridge over the Manasquan River at Brielle which currently carries just one track. The entire line has cab signals and wayside block signals; the line from Rahway to Long Branch is signaled for operation in either direction on both tracks (NORAC Rule 261). A total of twelve interlockings facilitate flexibility in operation between the two tracks; these and other interlockings control movements to or from freight lines such as the Chemical Coast Secondary, the Perth Amboy Secondary, and the Monmouth Secondary, as well as Long Branch Yard.

Passenger yards are at Long Branch and Bay Head. Long Branch Yard is fully electrified, and mostly interlocked. Bay Head contains a large balloon (circular looping) track over which entire trains were able to reverse direction without backing up or uncoupling the locomotive, also obviating the need for a turntable. It remains in service, even though push-pull operation has eliminated the need for turning of trains. Bay Head Yard has no interlocking; all switches are hand-operated. A yard and sidings formerly existed at South Amboy, dating back to when electrification ended there, but have been removed; trains terminating at South Amboy can be simply bypassed by using the other track, as the new station has a single island platform.

Movable bridges

The North Jersey Coast Line has five movable bridges, the most on any NJ Transit line (seven if drawbridges over the Passaic and the Hackensack Rivers are counted, for through trains to or from Hoboken). Draw spans cross Raritan Bay (swing), Cheesequake Creek ("Morgan", bascule), Oceanport over the Shrewsbury River (swing, with non-movable catenary), Shark River (bascule) and Manasquan River (bascule). All of these bridges are double-track spans, but the Manasquan bridge has been single-tracked since the mid-1970s. The line also crosses over several other waterways on fixed bridges, the longest of which is over the Navesink River at Red Bank.

Electrification

The North Jersey Coast Line line is electrified north (railroad east) of Long Branch.

Electrified operation between Rahway and South Amboy began on March 11, 1936. The catenary poles that run from the Union Junction in Rahway to South Amboy are the original Pennsylvania Railroad design catenary system common to all their 1930s era projects.

Electrification was extended to Matawan in 1983. All the catenary poles between South Amboy and Matawan were constructed in the early 1980s. This extension was originally electrified at 11 kV, but with insulators capable of supporting 25 kV.

Electrification was extended to Long Branch in 1988. Catenary between Matawan and Long Branch was constructed in 1986-88, and was electrified at 12.5 kV 60 Hz, though as on the 1983 extension the insulators can handle 25 kV. This section of catenary is self-adjusting (constant tensioning) with ambient temperature.

In 2002 the electrification from Matawan to Long Branch was changed from 12.5 kV 60 Hz to 25 kV 60 Hz. As a result the Arrow III passenger cars can no longer run between those two points, since those trains can not run on two different voltages on one trip (the transformer voltage taps must be manually changed from alongside the MU).

Today, the line remains electrified at 11 kV 25 Hz AC north of Matawan. Three phase breaks segregate the different power sources along the line.^[2] As of January 2010, NJ Transit Customer Service claims there are no future plans to extend the electrification south of Long Branch.

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NJCL Traction Infrastructure

Name	Location	Comments
South Amboy Substation	40°29′25″N 74°17′15″W / 40.49028°N 74.2875°W / 40.49028; -74.2875 (South Amboy Substation 48)	PRR Sub Number 48; supplied from Amtrak 138 kV 25 Hz network
Morgan (Cheesequake Creek) Drawbridge	40°27′42″N 74°15′35″W / 40.461611°N 74.2598°W / 40.461611; -74.2598 (Morgan Draw Bridge Phase Break)
Matawan Substation	40°25′09″N 74°12′55″W / 40.4192°N 74.2154°W / 40.4192; -74.2154 (Matawan Substation)
Matawan Phase Break	40°25′05″N 74°12′36″W / 40.418°N 74.2100°W / 40.418; -74.2100 (Matawan Phase Break)	Boundary between 12 kV, 25 Hz and 25 kV, 60 Hz
Laurel Avenue Phase Break	40°24′17″N 74°08′33″W / 40.4047°N 74.1425°W / 40.4047; -74.1425 (Laurel Avenue Phase Break)
Red Bank Substation	40°20′41″N 74°04′16″W / 40.3446°N 74.0712°W / 40.3446; -74.0712 (Red Bank Substation)
Bergen Place Phase Break	40°20′26″N 74°04′00″W / 40.3405°N 74.0667°W / 40.3405; -74.0667 (Bergen Place Phase Break)
Long Branch Substation	40°17′37″N 73°59′20″W / 40.2936°N 73.9888°W / 40.2936; -73.9888 (Long Branch Substation)

Commuter Clubs

The line is also home to the last remaining private commuter passenger Club in the United States. The Jersey Shore Commuters Club was established in 1933 under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Currently it has use of half of a Comet IIM car - car #5459. In 2004, the Club Car went through a custom overhaul and was furnished, with the Club's own money, to include reclining lounge chairs, spacious seating, at-seat fold down tables, and private conference tables. The Club also hosts various onboard activities to preserve its heritage. Club members enjoy guaranteed and spacious seating as part of their annual membership fee that the Club remits to New Jersey Transit as part of its lease agreement. Membership is "open" and on a "first come first served basis" to those willing to pay the membership fee and abide by the Club's bylaws. The Club end of the car is furnished similar to Amtrak's Amfleet and Horizon fleet of cars. The Club Car seats are actually former Amfleet Metroliner seats that the Club recently re-conditioned. The Club Car only runs during peak rush hour periods and is always run with the club end coupled to the locomotive when used.

Rolling stock

The Coast Line has among the most diverse selection of fleet in the NJT system.

• Long Branch trains to and from New York use ALP-44 or ALP-46 locomotives with Comet series or Multi-Level coaches.

• Arrow III EMUs are sometimes seen on South Amboy and Aberdeen-Matawan locals. Arrow III EMUs can not be used for service south of Aberdeen-Matawan since they are unable to change operating voltages automatically; a manual transformer tap-changer must be adjusted from alongside the MU.

• All service south of Long Branch is diesel, generally utilizing Alstom PL42AC, F40PH-2CAT, or GP40PH-2B locomotives.

Station listing

See Northeast Corridor Line for stations between New York/Hoboken and Rahway.

Milepost	City	Station	Connections
20	Rahway	Rahway	NJT Northeast Corridor Line splits, NJT Bus: 62
21	Woodbridge Township	Avenel
22.5		Woodbridge	NJT Bus: 62, 116, 803
21	Perth Amboy	Perth Amboy	NJT Bus: 62, 116, 813, 815, 817
1.5	South Amboy	South Amboy	NJT Bus: 815, 817
6.5	Aberdeen	Aberdeen-Matawan	NJT Bus: 135
8.5	Hazlet	Hazlet
12.5	Middletown	Middletown
16.5	Red Bank	Red Bank	Academy Bus Shore Points line NJT Bus: 831, 832, 833, 834, 835
19	Little Silver	Little Silver
20	Oceanport	Monmouth Park
22.5	Long Branch	Long Branch	Academy Bus: Route 36 line NJT Bus: 831, 837
24.5		Elberon
26.5	Allenhurst	Allenhurst	NJT Bus: 837
28	Asbury Park	Asbury Park	Academy Bus: Shore Points line NJT Bus: 317, 830, 832, 836, 837
29	Bradley Beach	Bradley Beach	Academy Bus: Shore Points line NJT Bus: 317, 830
31	Belmar	Belmar	Academy Bus NJT Bus: 317, 830
33	Spring Lake	Spring Lake	Academy Bus: Shore Points line NJT Bus: 317, 830
35	Manasquan	Manasquan	Academy Bus NJT Bus: 317, 830
37	Point Pleasant Beach	Point Pleasant Beach	Academy Bus: Shore Points line NJT Bus: 317, 830
38	Bay Head	Bay Head

Mileage for Rahway, Avenel and Woodbridge is measured from Milepost 1 at Exchange Place, the former PRR terminal in Jersey City, while the mileage for Perth Amboy is measured from the former CNJ Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City. The NJCL mileage resets to 0 at the north end of the Raritan Bay bridge at Perth Amboy; the total distance from where the Coast Line splits off the Northeast Corridor to the Raritan bridge is 6.7 miles.

See also

New York and Long Branch Railroad

References

1. ^ New Jersey Transit rail boarding numbers 2007-1999 Berkeley Retrieved 2008-06-28
2. ^ These phase breaks are located at the Morgan Creek Drawbridge, Laurel(Hazlet/Holmdel), and east of Bergen Place in Red Bank.

External links

• Videos of the passing trains of the North Jersey Coast Line, by Eric K.