Jump to content


Photo

First Day at Secaucus Transfer


  • Please log in to reply
1 reply to this topic

#1 EllisSimon

EllisSimon

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 350 posts

Posted 06 September 2003 - 05:09 PM

The brand new Sen. Frank Lautenberg Secaucus Transfer station, which allows passengers to transfer between New Jersey Transit’s (NJ Transit) Northeast Corridor route and the Bergen County, Main Line and Pascack Valley routes, opens up a whole world of travel possibilities for rail riders in the New York Metropolitan area. For example, a trip from Ridgewood to the New Jersey Shore, or from Princeton Jct. to Port Jervis, or from New York to Harriman to shop at the Woodbury Commons outlet center. Today, I was among the first to test them out, by using the facility for a quick trip to Suffern, NY, and back. I boarded the Long Island Rail Road at the Oceanside station at 7:26, catching a local bound for Penn Station that made all stops to Jamaica. While we had to wait for a late-arriving Brooklyn connection, we made up time en route to New York and arrived on Track 20 at Penn Station at 8:13 a.m., just one minute behind schedule. My connection to Secaucus would not depart for another 55 minutes, giving me plenty of time to do a little necessary shopping and purchase my ticket for the round trip to Suffern. The agent, not used to the new arrangement, had to look up the fare on a tariff card. Right now, passengers from New York pay the same fares as those traveling from Hoboken, making the price of my 60-mile round trip to Suffern just $9 versus the $12 fare I paid for a 45-mile round trip on the Long Island. The layover also allowed me to spend time in NJ Transit’s new East Side Concourse at Penn Station. This is a splendid facility with its own ticket counter, concourse, rest rooms, waiting room and customer service desk. It gives NJ Transit a place of its own instead of its riders having to be crammed into the Amtrak concourse. But, most important, it provides additional access to platform level, enabling passengers to get to and from their trains much quicker. My train to Secaucus was scheduled to depart at 9:08 a.m., and I boarded just before nine. The train was already filling up, and I was lucky to get an aisle seat in one of the middle cars, a Comet V class. This was one of NJ Transit’s newest pieces of rolling stock; the big difference being larger windows. Unfortunately, my ride was scheduled to last just nine minutes, and with half of it underground (or under water) there would be little advantage to this feature. We departed on time and moved swiftly through the tunnel under the Hudson River. However, once out of the tunnel we came to a stop and waited for a signal to allow us to switch from the eastbound to westbound track. Apparently, Amtrak is doing repair work in the other tunnel on weekends. Moving again, we rounded the curve and pulled into the new Secaucus station on the mezzanine level. The mezzanine level consists of four tracks and three platforms, two outer platforms for local trains and an island platform for expresses and non-stop trains. We arrived on the middle platform, where customer service agents directed passengers to a stairwell leading up to the concourse level. I headed down this corridor until I reached main waiting area, an octagonal-shaped room with high ceilings and skylights. There, NJ Transit personnel and caterers were preparing for an inaugural ceremony with New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreavey and other dignitaries later in the mornings. Not wanting to hang around for the politicos, I walked quickly around the room and met up with two old timers from Prodigy, Jim Guthrie and his son, Albert, who arrived on the same train and were traveling to Port Jervis for the day. Since we would be riding the same as far as Suffern, we headed to the mezzanine level to wait. While we were taking pictures of the trackwork and street level platforms we saw a train heading in our direction went to the platform to catch it. It turned to be a local bound for Waldwick rather than our Port Jervis express. A customer service agent on the platform told us we would have to go to the other platform. An explanation of the track arrangement at street level is in order here. There are four tracks and two platforms. The north platform and two northernmost tracks (Tracks G and H) are reserved for Bergen County and Pascack Valley time trains. On weekends, this is the exclusive purview of Waldwick locals since the Pascack Valley line is a weekday-only operation. The south platform and its track (Tracks E and F) are used by Main Line trains, which today included the expressed to Port Jervis. Our northbound train, which was scheduled to leave at 9:34 a.m., left a little late on account of stragglers who had to get over from the wrong platform. If there is a black mark at Secaucus station, it was the inadequate signage. NJ Transit’s “Secaucus Transfer User Guide” brochure claims there are “140 dynamic signs, which will convey information on train departures.” Yet, the only signs we saw displayed a “Welcome to Lautenberg station message.” Another black mark to the trip was the deplorable condition of the cars on both Port Jervis trains I rode today. Are the window washers and car cleaners in Port Jervis? Hello, Metro North? Is anybody paying attention? Our four-car train was quite busy, and finding a three-seater together would be challenging, especially since some selfish passengers chose to hog an entire bench for themselves, spreading out as if it were their own private roomette. Nevertheless, we founded suitable space and were on our way. After crossing the Hackensack Bridge, the train came to a stop, and then crawled until just passed the station at Kingsland. From there, we cruised at track speed to Suffern, where we arrived five minutes behind schedule. Along the way, Jim and I conversed on all manner of rail-related subjects; everything from why the Erie’s HX drawbridge was actually built and owned by the Susquehanna Railroad (to save on interest payments) to how Jim used to sell parlor car space for the Long Island Rail Road when he worked at the station in Southampton (the operator in Montauk would send a telegram letting other agents know if there were unsold seats available). After saying good-bye to Jim and Albert at Suffern, I crossed under the tracks to wait for an eastbound train that would take me to Waldwick, where I would connect with a Bergen County line local that I would take to Hoboken. On the platform, I met up with another railfan, Alan Feinstein, who had come up from Princeton Jct. Alan decided to join me for the trip to Hoboken. Our train, which was due to arrive at 10:16 a.m., came in eight minutes late on account of having to wait in a siding for the tardy westbound we had just gotten off. Although there were six cars in the consist; only two were open to passengers, and this made it crowded. Upon department, the conductor asked if any passengers would be transferring to the Bergen County train. Alan and I let him know that we were. It turns out we were the only ones, meaning that everyone else was inconvenienced for our benefit. (My apologies to everyone in Glen Rock, Radburn and points east.) As soon as the train from Port Jervis, which would follow the Main Line, department, the Bergen County train pulled out of the yard just north of the Waldwick station. We boarded and the train took off, gathering passengers along with way. At Rutherford station, colorful banners were hung and an NJ Transit representative to mark the opening of the new Secaucus facility. We continued our journey through the Meadlowlands, seeing Giants Stadium off on our left, and crossed HX Drawbridge, now property of NJ Transit. After crossing the bridge, we veered right onto new trackage, and passed the now-closed station at Harmon Curve. To connect the Bergen County with the Secaucus Transfer station, NJ Transit built a double-track concrete trestle featuring sharp curves at either end. This was done, obviously, to avoid harming the environmentally sensitive wetlands along the Hackensack River. But it raised a question that I hope someone who reads this can answer. With the original Bergen County line trackage out, how will freight trains from Croxton Yard access these lines? Just west of Secaucus Transfer station we joined up with the Main Line and proceeded to the platforms, which begin under the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs parallel to the Northeast Corridor at this point. As we were sitting in the station, the dignitaries upstairs were busy making speeches, eating and schmoozing, which was fine by us. On to Hoboken, over the original tracks of the Erie RR and through the Bergen tunnels, which once was part of the Lackawanna RR. Right after exiting the last tunnel, we crossed over newly laid track of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line’s northern extension, which follows the former West Shore right-of-way through Hoboken and Weehawken. Arrival in Hoboken was at 11:30 a.m. on account of the earlier delay. I headed to the Railhead bar for one of their famous hotdogs and a soda. Alan, not wanting to risk the side effects of those tasty delights, said good-bye and headed to the PATH station to catch a train to Penn Station Newark. I stayed at Hoboken a little long to take more pictures and finish off my role of film. Then I went down to the PATH station to board the noon train to 33rd Street in Manhattan and walk over the Penn Station to catch the Long Island back home.

#2 jacorbett70

jacorbett70

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 979 posts

Posted 07 September 2003 - 10:28 PM

I too visited the new Secaucus station on Saturday. I wasn't the morning guy though. I started in the afternoon visiting your branch of the LIRR to Long Beach to check out the surf. Then I took the express to NYP arriving at 5:30. I took the 6:08 NJCL to Secaucus Junction. I was only going to Rutherford and back. A smooth 10 minute ride (only a couple of minute wait for a train in the opposite direction) left me with about 13 minutes to explore the station. I saw the same things you did. It was almost empty when I was there. I saw the (6:11 from NYP) Midtown Direct train arrive, then went upstairs to the station building. There are machines to run your tickets through for admission that are not being used yet. Someone approached me and asked if I needed help as I arrived at the Main/Bergen line area and he pointed me to the escalators to the platform where the local Bergen County Line train would arrive. I saw a Metro-North express leave as I arrived. I saw the huge sign on the side of the building naming the station for Senator Lautenberg. The train arrived on time at 6:31. It appeared only two cars were open and I got into one, a hot car! I moved into the only cool car and there were very few people there. A quick trip past the Meadowlands got me to Rutherford on time. After stopping for a sandwich I made it back to the station in time for the 7:13 trip back to Secaucus. There were plenty of available seats and I was the only one getting off at Secaucus to go to New York. There was a spectacular sunset that night. The assistant conductor gave me a seat check and my cancelled ticket in case I was questioned on the second train. I had plenty of time to catch my 7:36 connecting train to New York. Not seeing the makeshift signs right away, I guessed the island platform as to where to go for my final trip to New York. As a result, I missed the 7:27 that could have gotten me back a bit earlier. Instead I had a chance to see the brilliant dusk sky and see an Amtrak train cruise through. A NJ Transit employee asked me if I was going to NY; I was and by the lack of further probing on his part I assumed I was on the right platform now. The train arrived about five minutes late and was crammed like a NYC subway during rush hour. I thought about waiting for the 7:44 train but then boarded at the assistant conductor's invitation. He wanted to see my ticket just to see how it looked like. He knew of the procedure to get a seat check from the first train. I reached New York at 7:55 and was glad to be in the front of the line to the escalator; I figured that line would get long! John

Edited by jacorbett70, 07 September 2003 - 10:29 PM.





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users