NJ Transit's Vast System

Firt of all I must congratulate you fellows on this excellent forum. I'm not that familiar with the technicalities of railfanning but growing up around the Lehigh Valley Line I've built a deep love for trains. Unfortunately through the years the piggybacks have ruined the Lehigh and nowadays I find the NJT's a lot more interesting. I was wondering is NJ Transit the biggest commuter system in the U.S.?

AFAIK the LIRR is the largest, both in route miles and passengers served. Also is the longest (in terms of time) and largest to operate under its own name. NJT encompasses most of the former lines of the Erie, DL&W, PRR, CNJ and PRSL at present.

From http://www.njtransit.com

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 752,600 daily trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 49 light rail stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.

Well, it is big enough for me- but I would like it to get bigger as it hopefully will in the future with MOM, West Trenton etc. I feel very lucky to live in this state and that I live right near the Gladstone Branch at home. And at college, I'm on one of the busiest rail lines in the world (and no, this is no coincidence.)

Irish Chieftain wrote:AFAIK the LIRR is the largest, both in route miles and passengers served. Also is the longest (in terms of time) and largest to operate under its own name. NJT encompasses most of the former lines of the Erie, DL&W, PRR, CNJ and PRSL at present.

This is very interesting, however the number of lines, number of stations and how frequent trains run should also be taken into consideration. Lats compare the rail maps of these two lines:

NJT has added 34 miles in the form of the River Line and another 13 or so in the form of HBLR. I still think the LIRR is larger, but NJT is closing the gap (if you include Light Rail).

TommyRails wrote:This is very interesting, however the number of lines, number of stations and how frequent trains run should also be taken into consideration

Once that's done, LIRR still comes out on top. AAMOF I think that the LIRR runs the most 12-car EMU sets out of all commuter lines in the country. (They also win for the most flat spots, I think...)

To my knowledge the LIRR is still the largest system in the USA, both in terms of route miles and passengers carried.

One key difference between the LIRR and NJT is that the LIRR does not have any branches without 7 day service. Hunterspoint Avenue and Long Island City stations are only used on weekdays, but all of the LIRR branches have service 365 days of the year.

Pascack Valley Line, Raritan to High Bridge, Dover to Hackettstown, and Montclair-Boonton Lines continue to only have weekday service.

It will be interesting to see this summer with gas prices heading to record levels if either the LIRR or NJT adjust their summer schedules for what could be a very busy summer season. BTW, the LIRR already has their schedules posted through June 25, and this shows the usual extra summer trains that start running next week on the Montauk Branch, and the one Friday extra on the Greenport Branch. I wonder if there will be any additions to this after 6/25, and what does NJT have planned for this summer??

Ken

I'm hoping for some extra Jersey Shore trains from Hoboken.

nick11a wrote:I'm hoping for some extra Jersey Shore trains from Hoboken.

This would be the right year for NJT to do this. For a few years in a row there was a summer only Friday only express trip from Hoboken to Bay Head that was an ACTUAL express, after Newark it stoped at Red Bank, Long Branch, Asbury Park, and then all stops to Bay Head. It departed Hoboken just before 7:00 PM (the other days of the week it ran as a through train Hoboken to Trenton). The timing may have been off for this train, if the current Newark to Bay Head Holiday Extra train, ran from Hoboken (leaving around 3:30), and followed the express schedule as noted above, and ran all Fridays, it would proove to be very popular.

Ken


BTW to continue the comparison of the LIRR vs NJT Rail.

LIRR stats: 700+ miles, 11 Branches (12 if you count Greenport seperate from Ronkonkoma), 274,000. daily riders, 730 daily revenue trains, 124 stations. source: www.lirr.org

one other stat: One train that continues to carry a name, The Cannonball,
that runs Fridays year round, and Thur/Fri in the summer from Hunterspoint Avenue to Montauk. Prior to the new Diesel Equipment, it still carried the Cannonball Drumhead on the lead engine.

Also, this year for the first time in many years, Perth Amboy will become an open beach. They might want to have trains stop here.