Newark CNJ Terminal To Be Torn Down

Well, it looks like it is official, so get your last pictures while you can. Newark's ex-CNJ Terminal on Broad St. (at least the facade, as the rest has been gutted) is coming down in the next few weeks:

Grant promised to transform the old Central Rail Road terminal into an indoor mall and attach it to a new, Italian marble-covered building, which is scheduled next week for demolition. There would be 40 shops, a parking garage and a piano bar. Next would be Grant USA 1, a 30-story office tower, and then Grant USA Tower, the 121-story tower. They would all rise in the area bounded by McCarter Highway and Broad, Lafayette and Market streets, where today Newark plans to build the arena complex.

Here is the full article link:

http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index ... 168851.xml
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Not to worry (unless the contractor screws up); this was in the Ledger article on 12/14:

"Further complicating the demolition job is the need to preserve the facade of the old Central Railroad Station, which is attached to the never-completed mall, downtown Newark's most notorious eyesore and a symbol of failed urban redevelopment deals.

The rail station is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places, and the state's Historic Sites Council meets Thursday to consider Newark's application to demolish the rear of the building and incorporate the facade into the arena complex."

Thanks, Ken for the reference. I had seen the original plan for the Arena and it was included in one of the designs, but you never know how these things play out.

Does anyone have any pictures or links to pictures of the station?

Here's an interior one of the tracks I found. Looks like it was taken when only the two center tracks (of the origninal 4 passenger tracks) were left:

Thanks.

very similar in design to the Jersey City terminal... Looks nice.

Any way you can legally get close to it for shots now a days?

The front of the building is right on Broad Street. There is not anything left of the platforms, and likely just stripped bare interior walls of the waiting room. You can see a bit, but not get inside.

I went in there acouple of times in '80's.There were small trees growimg in between the platforms.Severing this line was a big mistake.

does anyone have any interiror shot of the station? Was there a nice marble waiting room with ticket conter and is there a way to get back the interiro and some how merge it into the development. It would be nice if the can brign back the lobby and the waitign room and make it the enterance way into the office/retail space. They can do something like what the developers did for the much popular redesign of the old Hanes & co Dept Store also in Newark. Can anyone post pictures of what the place looks liek today. I saw it not long ago passign from a cab by the Renisance Mall and it looked like a demoliton project stalled.

It's too bad the tracks were cutoff otherwise the light rail would've be able to come there and rail service would be able to return and revitalize that area. Can the light rail come there and utlize that office/retail area as a stop (would be great for property values) if not then how close to the stucture can a lightrail station be built.

That is a great pic of the platform area, that must have been taken just after the terminal was closed on "Aldene Plan Day" 4/30/67.

Tracks 1 & 4 were removed shortly after the last through train to Newark ended on 10/30/66. This train was a daily rush hour trip on the Atlantic Highlands Branch, all passenger service on this line was cut 10/30/66 as well.

The remaining tracks; 2 & 3 handled the frequent E-Port Shuttles (made up of 2 RDC Cars, and the 4 Round Trips to South Kearny (2 in the morning and 2 in the late afternoon), these trips were also 2 RDC Scoots.

I remember in these last months of the station being opened the waiting room was usually closed, most passengers waited in the concourse (if they had to), but since the Budd cars normally were open well before departures most people simply got on and waited in the warmth of the coaches. Despite the impending closure of the terminal, it was well maintained up to the end, very similar to how the JC terminal was also kept up.

and as mentioned the CNJ Newark Branch would have made a great light rail line.

Ken

While it is questionable that there was enough passenger service Newark to sustain three train stations, plus PATH and the Newark Subway, post 1967, light rail is planned to serve the Arena in the future. In fact, the Newark-Elizabeth rail line is supposed to run along Mulberry behind the old terminal, then up Lafayette St to Broad St, about a half-block south of the terminal facade, with a station for the Arena itself.

The CNJ right of way in Newark from the station's NEC bridge to Brills Jct is almost entirely gone. The 20 foot high right of way has been removed for most of the way, and houses built on the stretch. I think there are a few bridge abutments still up.

If you're flying out of Newark airport, taking off to the north, it's very obvious where the r-o-w was.

When was the shuttle to E-Port discontinued?