North Jersey Coast Line


The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail line running from Rahway, to Bay Head, New Jersey. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electrified as far south as Long Branch. On rail system maps it is colored light blue, and its symbol is a sailboat. It is based on what was once the New York & Long Branch Railroad which was co-owned by the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Most trains operate between New York Penn Station and Long Branch with frequent rush-hour service and hourly local off-peak service. Diesel shuttle trains between Long Branch and Bay Head meet these electric trains. Hourly New York to Long Branch service operates on weekends, with bi-hourly diesel shuttle service between Long Branch and Bay Head. Full hourly service operates during the peak summer season.
Since 1991, five weekday round trip diesel trains have run from Bay Head to Hoboken Terminal using the Waterfront Connection. Passengers can reach New York via the Northeast Corridor Line at Newark, or PATH at Newark or Hoboken.
On May 18, 2015, NJ Transit expanded service to include 3 inbound and 3 outbound weekday trains running from Bay Head directly to New York Penn Station and back. These trains are pulled by ALP-45DP locomotives since electrification ends at Long Branch.
Some electric trains terminate at South Amboy or Aberdeen-Matawan and make all stops from New York Penn Station, providing local service for the Northeast Corridor stops of Rahway, Linden, Elizabeth, and North Elizabeth during rush hours.

Service

The line is double track except for the bridge over the Manasquan River at Brielle. The 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. 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 Southern 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 track where entire trains can reverse direction without backing up or uncoupling the locomotive, and 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 bypassed by using the other track, as the new station has a single island platform.
On May 18, 2015 six new trains were created providing direct service between Bay Head and New York during peak hours.
Weekdays:
Weekends/major holidays:
Conrail Shared Assets also operates over the North Jersey Coast Line to reach customers south of Red Bank.

Movable bridges

The North Jersey Coast Line has five movable bridges of the twelve used by the NJT rail network, the most on any one line.
All these bridges were originally 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 is electrified north of Long Branch.
Electrified operation between Rahway and South Amboy began about 1936; the catenary poles from the junction in Rahway to South Amboy are the Pennsylvania Railroad design used on their 1930s projects.
Electrification was extended to Matawan in 1982, with catenary installed in the early 1980s. This was originally 11 kV, increased to 12 kV in 1978 along with Amtrak's New York-Washington electrification, with insulators capable of supporting 25 kV.
Electrification at 12.5 kV 60 Hz was extended to Long Branch in 1988, with catenary installed in 1986–88. As on the 1982 extension the insulators can handle 25 kV. The catenary is self-adjusting with ambient temperature.
In 2002 the voltage from Matawan to Long Branch was changed from 12.5 kV to 25 kV. 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 line remains electrified at 12 kV 25 Hz AC north of Matawan. Three phase breaks segregate the different power sources, at the Morgan Creek Drawbridge, Laurel, and east of Bergen Place in Red Bank.
NameLocationComments
South Amboy SubstationPRR Sub Number 48; supplied from Amtrak 138 kV 25 Hz network
Morgan Drawbridge
Matawan Substation
Matawan Phase BreakBoundary between 12 kV, 25 Hz and 25 kV, 60 Hz
Laurel Avenue Phase Break
Red Bank Substation
Bergen Place Phase Break
Long Branch Substation

Physical characteristics

Directions

Direction of travel for a given train is noted in railroad direction, not compass direction.
On the North Jersey Coast Line, a train heading North to Long Branch or NY Penn Station would be considered an Eastbound train. A train heading South to Bay Head would be considered a Westbound train.

Operating segments

The North Jersey Coast Line is broken down into 4 operating segments or sections, based on interlocking locations.

Section A: New York – Hudson

NameLocationSpeed RestrictionsDirection of TravelComments
JO Interlocking15 mphEast
C Interlocking15 mphEast
A Interlocking15 mphWest
Bergen75 mphEast / West
Allied75 mphEast / West
Erie75 mphWest
North End of Secaucus Junction
Lack75 mphEast
South End of Secaucus Junction
Portal60 mphEast / WestPortal Swing Bridge – Hackensack River
Swift90/60 mphEast / WestMorris & Essex Line Diverges
Hudson60/45 mphEast / WestWaterfront Connection to Hoboken
NJ Transit Hudson Yard
Rea45 mphEast / WestNJ Transit Hudson Yard
Harrison PATH station
Dock45/35 mphEast / WestDock Lift Bridge – Passaic River
North End of Newark Penn Station
Cliff35/70 mphEast / WestSouth End of Newark Penn Station
Milepost 10 Hunter Interlocking
Hunter70/110 mph NEC
30 mph RVL		East / WestRaritan Valley Line Diverges
Haynes70/110 mphEast / WestSouth End of Newark Liberty International Airport Station
Lane70/110 mph NEC
30 mph Conrail		East / WestConrail Waverly Yard
Conrail Passaic & Harsimus Line Diverges
Elmora Curve55 mphEast / WestS-Curve
South End of Elizabeth Station
Elmora80/125 mphEast / WestTracks A & B merge / expand
ROW changes from 6 tracks to 4 tracks
Union30 mph NJCL
110/125 mph NEC		East / WestNorth Jersey Coast Line Diverges
South End of Rahway Station
Graw Interlocking
Flyover – NJCL Tracks 1 & 2 duck under NEC
Graw30/75 mphEast / WestMcGraw Yard
Eastbound Single Track Ramp merges with NEC
ROW expands to 3 tracks
Wood75/60 mphEast / WestConrail Chemical Coast Secondary Line Diverges
River60/35 mphEast / WestRaritan River Swing Bridge
Essay35/30 mphEast / WestEssay Running Track
Conrail Amboy Secondary Line Diverges
Church35/30 mphEast / WestChurch Running Track
Conrail Amboy Secondary Line Diverges
Flyover – crosses over NJCL
Rare30/60 mphEast / WestMOW Storage Tracks / South Amboy Local Layover Yard
Morgan45 mph bridge span
60/70 mph		East / WestMorgan Drawbridge – Cheesequake Creek
East Matawan60/45 mphEast / WestCrossovers
Natco45 mphEast / WestNatco Yard – 2 Tracks
Matawan Local Layover Yard
Lloyd70/80 mphEast / WestCrossovers
Beers St.
Milepost 8
Bank50 mph bridge span
80/60 mph		East / WestCrossovers
Navesink River Rd.
Bank30 mph Conrail
80/60 mph		East / WestConrail Southern Secondary Line Diverges
Conrail Southern Yard
Red Bank MOW Yard
South End of Red Bank Station
Chestnut St.
Oceanport35 mph bridge span
35/80 mph		East / WestSwing Bridge – Shrewsbury River
Branchport80/25 mphEast / WestCrossovers – Milepost 22 – Cheslsea Ave.
Broadway
North End of Long Branch Station
Long Branch25 mphEast / WestLong Branch Yard
Interlocked Layover Tracks 10 – 5 & Tracks 3 – 1
Bath25/60 mphEast / WestCrossovers – Bath Ave.
West End25/60 mphEast / WestWest End Ave.
End of Electrification
Catenary Ends / Begins
Shark40/60 mphEast / WestDrawbridge – Shark River
Brielle20 mph bridge span
60/40 mph		East / WestDrawbridge – Manasquan River
Single Track Span
ROW shrinks / expands from 1 to 2 tracks
NJ 3540/10 mphEast / WestNJ Route 35
Osbourne –
Milepost 38		10/5 mphEast / WestHand Crossover
Osbourne Ave.
Bay Head Station
Bay Head5 mphEast / WestBay Head Yard
Bay Head Running Track - Loop
Tracks 1–11

History

Commuter Clubs

The line was 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. It used half of a Comet IIM car - car 5459. In 2004, the Comet II Club Car went through a custom overhaul by Alstom and was furnished, with the Club's funding, to include reclining lounge chairs, spacious seating, at-seat fold down tables, and private conference tables. The Club also hosted various onboard activities to preserve its heritage. Club members enjoyed guaranteed and spacious seating as part of their annual membership fee that the Club remitted to New Jersey Transit as part of its lease agreement. Membership was "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 was furnished similar to Amtrak's Amfleet and Horizon fleet of cars. The Club Car seats were actually former Amfleet Metroliner seats that the Club had re-conditioned. The Club Car only ran during peak rush hour periods with one weekday round trip per day and was always run with the club end coupled to the locomotive when used. Due to damage sustained to the Club Car in Hurricane Sandy, the commuter club was disbanded in August 2013. Per posts on the Club's Facebook page, the Club Car took its last trip on the line in October 2012, just prior to the hurricane.

Summer Shore Express

As a line paralleling the New Jersey coastline, the North Jersey Coast Line received exceptionally severe damage from Hurricane Sandy on October 29–30, 2012. Track was washed out in several places from Perth Amboy southward, most notably between South Amboy and Aberdeen-Matawan stations, where the line runs closest to the Atlantic Ocean. The Raritan Bay and Morgan Creek drawbridges were struck by boats, storage containers and other floating debris, knocking the bridges' tracks out of alignment. Trees also fell over parts of the line. Service remained suspended for three weeks; a resumption of service only as far as Woodbridge on November 4 was halted after only one day due to severe overcrowding. The Christie administration announced that most North Jersey Coast Line trains would return to service on Monday, November 19, with slightly longer trip times and omission of trains to Hoboken Terminal.

Rolling stock

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