North Jersey Coast Line
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North Jersey Coast Line
ALP-46 #4626 pulls train #3270, an eight-car multilevel train, into the Middletown station.
Info
Type	Commuter rail line
System	New Jersey Transit
Locale	New Jersey
Termini	New York Penn Station (some peak service from Hoboken Terminal) Bay Head
No. of stations	28
Daily ridership	17,8621
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 Arrow III Comet IIM/Comet III/Comet IV/Comet V Bombardier BiLevel Coach
Technical
Track length	104.6 km (65.0 miles)
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Electrification	11kV 25Hz AC 25kV 60Hz AC
Route map Sunnyside Yard East River Penn Station New York Amtrak Hudson R., N.Y./N.J. border Hoboken Terminal Secaucus Junction Bergen Tunnels Hackensack River Waterfront Connection Kearny Connection New Jersey Turnpike PATH Passaic River Newark Penn Station Amtrak Raritan Valley Line Interstate 78 Newark Airport Amtrak AirTrain Newark North Elizabeth Broad St. Elizabeth Linden North Rahway Rahway Northeast Corridor Line Avenel weekdays only Woodbridge New Jersey Turnpike Route 440 Perth Amboy Raritan River South Amboy Garden State Parkway Aberdeen-Matawan Garden State Parkway Hazlet Middletown Shrewsbury River Red Bank Monmouth Secondary Little Silver Monmouth Park seasonal service Long Branch Long Branch Yard end of electrification Elberon Allenhurst Wanamassa Asbury Park Bradley Beach Shark River Avon Belmar Spring Lake Sea Girt Manasquan Point Pleasant Beach Bay Head

The North Jersey Coast Line is a New Jersey Transit commuter rail line which provides service between New York Penn Station/Hoboken Terminal and Long Branch/Bay Head.

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 hourly diesel shuttle service (with some gaps) between Long Branch and Bay Head.

During weekdays, 7 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. Connections can be made at Newark Penn Station for service to New York Penn Station.

Some electric service terminates at either South Amboy or Aberdeen-Matawan. These trains run local and make all stops between their respective terminus and New York Penn Station. They provide the primary local service for the Northeast Corridor stops of Rahway, Linden, Elizabeth, and North Elizabeth during rush hours.

Electrification

The line is only electrified north (railroad east) of Long Branch. Electrified operation began between Rahway and South Amboy on March 11, 1936. Electrification was extended to Matawan in 1983 and to Long Branch in 1988. There are future plans to extend the electrification to as far as Asbury Park, and further south as well.

• As an evidence, the Catenary Poles that run from the Union Junction in Rahway to South Amboy are the original Pennsylvania Railroad poles. The Poles from South Amboy to Matawan were constructed in 1983 when Electrification was extended to Matawan. The poles from Matawan to Long Branch were constructed during the late 1980's.

• As of today, the line is electrified at 11 kV 25 Hz AC North of Matawan. In 2002, the electrification from Matawan to Long Branch was changed to 25 kV 60 Hz AC. As a result the Arrow IIIs no longer run between those two points since those trains are not compatible to run on two different voltages. The only time Arrow III run on the Coast Line are only the trains that discharge in either South Amboy or Matawan. The power grid of the line features three phase gaps to segregate different power sources.

Diesel trains of a line

Some diesel trains operate through to Hoboken (via the Waterfront Connection) or Newark. There are also Bay Head-Long Branch shuttles which connect to Long Branch-New York Penn Station electric trains.

Peak trains

Peak trains arrive in New York or Hoboken on weekdays between 7 am and 9:30 am, and leave New York or Hoboken on weekdays between 4 pm and 7 pm [1]. Peak trains currently arrive in New York-Penn between 7:15 am and 9:03 am, and they arrive in Hoboken between 7:05 am and 9:16 am; peak trains leave New York between 4:17 pm and 6:52 pm and Hoboken between 4:20 pm and 6:19 pm. [2]

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 serve 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/ALP-46 locomotives, Comet/Multi-level cars, and Arrow III cars on South Amboy and Matawan locals.

All service south of Long Branch is diesel.

Station listing

See Northeast Corridor Line for stations between New York/Hoboken and Perth Amboy Junction.

See also

New York and Long Branch Railroad

External links

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

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