NCS to Broad Street Station ("Newark Light Rail")

[Electrify the RVL!]

Thanks again, Ryanov, for the great pics. Those LRV's are bigger than I imagined.

And as for the first accident, I have higher hopes. This isn't Houston, after all! It's Newark! New Jersey drivers are much more careful... uh... wait, let me re-think that...

[bonaire]

I also took a look at progress on Monday, May 8, and share some photos with you.

Broad Street Station view from University Avenue:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur01.jpg

Inbound view from Broad Street Station:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur02.jpg

Broad Street Station platform:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur03.jpg

Beyond the station:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur04.jpg

End of the line:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur05.jpg

Inbound view from Broad Street Station:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur06.jpg

Inbound view of switchover between University and Broad:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur07.jpg

Broad Street:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur09.jpg

Washington Park Station:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur11.jpg

Atlantic Street Station:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur12.jpg

Outbound view showing split before Atlantic Street Station:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur13.jpg

Inbound view, McCarter Hwy into portal:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur14.jpg

Portal to Penn Station:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur15.jpg

Into the Portal:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur18.jpg

Outbound view from above portal:
www.thecanteen.com/newspur17.jpg

Hope you enjoy these. Stopped to chat with workers here and there. My question "When will it be finished? was always met with a shrug of the shoulders.

John F. Crowley

[quadrock]

Was walking to Broad Street station down University Ave around 8pm today (5/8) when I stopped to watch a light rail vehicle cross University Ave and pass through the station until it reached the bumper block. About 5 minutes later, another vehicle arrived. Seems like the track after the station is just long enough to fit two vehicles back-to-back. Soon after, the first vehicle reversed direction, went through the station (but on the same track...the one closest to the rail station) and stopped on the curve to Broad Street. I'm not sure if they're crossing Broad Street yet on the other track and don't know what the 2nd vehicle did, as in the meantime my train arrived and I left.

[ryanov]

They are running what looks like 10-30 minute headways lately. They are indeed coming in and going out on the whole spur. If you check the photos I've posted, there are pictures of them crossing Broad at both places.

I hear a lot of horns in my apartment now.

The portal looks really neat at night, BTW. Not sure why it's lit so nicely inside, but it's neat. I also wonder why so much of it is paved. Bustitution?

[Ken W2KB]

They are running what looks like 10-30 minute headways lately. They are indeed coming in and going out on the whole spur. If you check the photos I've posted, there are pictures of them crossing Broad at both places.

I hear a lot of horns in my apartment now.

The portal looks really neat at night, BTW. Not sure why it's lit so nicely inside, but it's neat. I also wonder why so much of it is paved. Bustitution?

I took a walk around 1 p.m. yesterday hoping to see it running, bit it wasn't. Much of the trackage had construction vehicle and equipment parked on it as the workers continued the final placement of pavers, etc.

Paving avoids the necessity of vegetation management.

[gravelyfan]

I took a walk around 1 p.m. yesterday hoping to see it running, bit it wasn't. Much of the trackage had construction vehicle and equipment parked on it as the workers continued the final placement of pavers, etc.

Paving avoids the necessity of vegetation management.

Ken, I've been told that the Operator Training begins after 3 pm, this to give the construction crews the daylight hours to continue working. I didn't see any cars on the line as of 430 pm today.

[gravelyfan]

Today (Friday) around 430 a double headed set came out of the tunnel and proceeded up to the Bears stadium, where it stopped and sat for some time. I think it was cars 103 & 114 coupled. Not sure what was going on at that point.

[ryanov]

Those cars sat there for a good long time. Testing has been less regular yesterday and today, but the cars no longer say OUT OF SERVICE, and instead read BROAD ST STATION (didn't see any inbound cars, but I bet they said Penn Station).

Hold onto those 306 and Broad-Penn connection timetables. Gonna be collectors items soon!

[necrails]

Saw a show at NJPAC last night and at 730 there were 3 consecutive outbound cars within minutes of each other. Never did get to see them come back but it looks like they are testing in ernest. The line will be nice addition to the area, now if only they continue down Broad street and hang a right to pick up that old freight ROW that continues on to Clifton.

[themallard]

Newark's light-rail city subway extension is almost ready to roll.

With equipment testing and crew training under way, the first passengers should be riding along the one-mile light-rail line from Newark Penn Station to NJ Transit's Broad Street Station by early summer, said Dan Stessel, a spokesman for NJ Transit, which will operate the line. He could not pinpoint the start of service any more precisely...

...Initially, commuters who wish to ride both the new line and the existing city subway will have to change trains at Penn Station, though the system is designed to allow a train to continue through both lines.

"That's something we'll look at depending on what the usage pat terns are," he said...

..There also are long-range plans for another light-rail line from Penn Station to Newark Liberty International Airport...

The Star-Ledger

[ryanov]

Not much of a through train, though... it still goes quite a bit out of the way to do so. Does that mean passengers riding the loop? That could be interesting.

[orangeline]

I'm curious about how the "main line" and the Broad St extension will physically connect. It seems obvious that soon after leaving Penn Station a Broad St car will diverge onto the new route on a single level. But what about inbound cars? Will the inbound track connect with the main route at level or will it go under the main route before connecting?

[Ken W2KB]

Near the connection, the tunnels used to connect the new branch with the mainline are the original tunnels that were built as part of the Subway in the 1930's to connect into the basement of the PSCNJ Terminal Building where there were platforms for passengers. The terminal at the basement level had two tracks exiting to the west under Cedar Street to connect to surface lines, and after that buses used it as well with the tracks to the subway walled off. The tunnels became irreveresibly stub ended when the present PSE&G building was constructed in the late 1970s to replace the Terminal Building. The original inbound branch tunnel goes under the mainline so there is no conflict with outbound cars. Beyond the old tunnels, that is for most of the way under Mulberry Street, new tunnels were built for the project using cut and cover methodology.

Here's a photo I took of the construction a couple of years ago.

[Idiot Railfan]

I saw a single car crossing Broad Street under its own power Tuesday evening

[ryanov]

Yup, they've been running this way for almost a month now. I think the end is near. Though, I haven't been by the NJPAC station recently. Last time I was there, it was NOT anywhere near completion.