8th Street (HBLR station)

8th Street
New Jersey Transit light rail station
Station as of December 2010
Location	40 West 8th Street Bayonne, NJ
Coordinates	40°39′14″N 74°07′37″W / 40.654°N 74.127°WCoordinates: 40°39′14″N 74°07′37″W / 40.654°N 74.127°W
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Line(s)	8th Street–Hoboken
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	NJT Bus: 81, 120 Broadway Bus (one block west on Broadway)
Construction
Platform levels	1
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	January 31, 2011[1]
Electrified	750 V (DC) overhead catenary
Services
Preceding station   Hudson–Bergen Light Rail   Following station Terminus 8th Street–Hoboken 22nd Street toward Hoboken

8th Street is a station on the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) located at Avenue C and West 8th Street in Bayonne, New Jersey. It is the southern terminus for the route traveling northbound towards Hoboken Terminal, where it terminates.

History

The station location was once served by a stop on the Central Railroad of New Jersey's main line, as trains made their way from the main CNJ terminal in Jersey City to points in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This ended in 1967 when CNJ passenger service was diverted to Newark Penn Station as part of the Aldene Plan. Shuttle service from 8th Street ran south across the CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge and continued until August 6, 1978.^[2] The headhouse is reminiscent of the earlier station.^[3] Baltimore and Ohio passenger trains passed through until its passenger operations northeast of Baltimore ceased operation in 1958.^[4]

On April 18, 2008, NJ Transit awarded a $58.4 million contracts to George Harms Company to begin the process of extending the line to 8th Street from 34th Street.^[5] This contract paid for foundations, viaducts, tracks and a new station building.^[6] The extension follows the Conrail right of way along Avenue E; a viaduct was constructed to take the trains above local streets to a station served by an elevator and stairs.^[7] Ground was broken for the station on October 15, 2008.^[8] Originally scheduled to open in the fall of 2010, the new station opened January 31, 2011.^[1]

A single track viaduct was constructed to connect the station to the ROW

Extension

Any further extensions to Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to the south would likely continue to Staten Island over the Bayonne Bridge. The raising of the bridge does not exclude a future light rail.^[9]

Vicinity

The station is located in the Bergen Point Section of Bayonne. The nearby Bayonne Community Museum at 9th street and Broadway is currently under construction.

References

1. "Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Timetables" (PDF). Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. January 31, 2011. p. 1. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
2. Thorpe. "CONRAIL/NJ D.O.T. Draws the Curtain on the Bayonne Shuttle". www.thorpefamily.us. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
3. "Construction Begins on New Hudson-Bergen Light Rail 8th Street Station in Bayonne" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. October 15, 2008. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
4. Stephen J. Salamon, David P. Oroszi, and David P. Ori, Baltimore and Ohio — Reflections of the Capitol Dome. Silver Spring, Maryland: Old Line Graphics, 1993 (ISBN 1-879314-08-8).
5. "Funds to stretch light rail to 8th St. in Bayonne", Jersey Journal, May 4, 2006. Archived August 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
6. NJ Transit Press Release April 17, 2008
7. NJ Transit Press Release, October 15, 2008
8. Bayonne Ground-Breaking Ceremony Held for 8th Street Light Rail Extension, October 17, 2008, retrieved 2011-05-15
9. Hack, Charles (January 13, 2011). "Extending Light Rail across Bayonne Bridge to Staten Island is on minds of officials on both sides of Kill Van Kull". The Jersey Journal (Hoboken). Retrieved 2011-07-29.

External links

• NJT Hudson–Bergen Light Rail station information page for 8th Street
• Hudson–Bergen Light Rail schedule