Newark CNJ Terminal To Be Torn Down

I’m not sure if the concourse will be considered part of the "hallway" and retained; a shame if not so, as it has the decorative interior brickwork, columns, etc.

I think the original plan was to eliminate it, but there have been some recent rumblings to "incorporate" the terminal area in the arena. Time will tell.

Has anybody seen a recent plan for the arena?

With the various new security regulations, I'm wondering how they would incorporate the Broad Street facade into the building. It would be tough to put truck bomb barriers in any kind of artistically pleasing design with a 20 fooot wide sidewalk and still have crowd flow.

The proposal covers a very large area. There will be other entrances, not just the ex-CNJ one on Broad; and the aborted mall building occupies the southwest corner of the property fronting on Broad and the side street. Part of the plan is to have a [moving?] walkway eastwards using the former CNJ bridge over Route 21 and NEC, with direct access to Penn Station platforms by escallator.

Ken is correct on the scope of the project. It runs fom Lafayette St north to the Old First Church, which is more than half a long city block, and from Broad to Mulberry. The section between Rt 21 and Mulberry that is now a surface lot (and was CNJ trackage) is also slated for use in the overall project. The project will include not just the building of the arena, but parking decks, a hotel and office and retail space as well.

There were three specific arena proposals on the table at one point. I don't know if one was selected. There were pictures in the Ledger some time back.

Does anyone have then and now pictures of the CNJ Station? I would love to see how it is. Was it only 4 tracks or were there more like what Hoboken has?

I've seen it fro mthe outside and it looks impressive but never the inside and I can't seem to find pictures of the interior.

"Jersey City Westbound" by John Henderson has several photos including waiting room and platforms. Photo caption on one states "track #2 is the only track used by the shuttles. track #3 was used only during rush hours. Tracks #1 and #4 were removed after the direct line was severed."

What effect, if any, is the NHL shutdown having on the arena plans?

What effect, if any, is the NHL shutdown having on the arena plans?

As of right now, none. The Devils are not slated to play in the new Arena until 2007 or 2008, I believe.

Lackawanna484 wrote:Has anybody seen a recent plan for the arena?

With the various new security regulations, I'm wondering how they would incorporate the Broad Street facade into the building. It would be tough to put truck bomb barriers in any kind of artistically pleasing design with a 20 fooot wide sidewalk and still have crowd flow.

That doesn't present much of a problem for the 7th Avenue entrance to MSG/NYP, so I don't see it being a problem for the Newark Arena, especially considering there will not be any train station there. Plus, the Newark Arena will likely have at least as many alternate entrances as MSG/NYP do.

JLo wrote:

What effect, if any, is the NHL shutdown having on the arena plans?

As of right now, none. The Devils are not slated to play in the new Arena until 2007 or 2008, I believe.

By the time the arena is ready, either the NHL lockout will have been taken care of, or some alternative form of hockey (replacement players? another pro league?) will have been created.

Plus, there's been rumors (at least) that Newark would try to attract an NBA team to "replace" the Nets once they move to Brooklyn, or perhaps even try for a franchise from one of the "minor league" basketball leagues (CBA, USBL, NBDL) or the WNBA.

some alternative form of hockey

How about hurling?

Which form, the kind with sticks or all the amateurs on St Paddy's Day doubled-over while waiting for their train at NYP?

Irish Chieftain wrote:

some alternative form of hockey

How about hurling?

Better still, curling. At least it's played on ice, eh?

Unfortunately, looks like the station will be nothing but a hollow shell, at best. As of 3/31, I noticed that the interior brick walls are being knocked out, leaving just the brickwork around the steel columns.

Crews are now removing the brickwork from the columns, exposing just bare steel. It looks like the terminal framework has only a few days left.