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Posted by
GojiMet86
on Mon Jul 6 22:19:50 2020, in response to New Jersey Transit Hudson-Bergen Light Rail questions, posted by GojiMet86 on Mon Jul 6 01:11:21 2020.
Never mind, found a response from widecab's flickr account:
This album includes images of NJ Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line from Hoboken Terminal to 8th Street in Bayonne. HBLR consists of a 2-track light rail line that is operated as three routes. Two of these originate at Tonnelle Ave. in North Bergen and pass through the former New York Central “Weehawken Tunnel,” then follow the ex-Conrail River Line southward to Hoboken. One of these routes (operated only on weekdays) continues into a terminus at the Hoboken Terminal of NJ Transit’s commuter rail system. The other continues south and by-passes Hoboken, proceeding south and west through Jersey City to terminate at West Side Avenue. The third HBLR route originates at Hoboken and is also operated southward through Jersey City and Bayonne to a terminus at 8th Street.
The line’s initial operating segments were opened on April 22, 2000 south and west from Exchange Place, with alternating service to West Side Avenue and 34th Street. At that time, cars were turned back at crossovers aligned with 1st Street east of Greene, just north of the future Harborside Financial Center station. On November 18, 2000 service from West Side Ave. was extended from Exchange Place to Newport (Mall) station via the future northbound track in both directions, while Bayonne cars also continued to operate between Exchange Place (1st Street) and 34th Street. Two-track operation of both routes was initiated through Newport (Mall) station beginning on April 1, 2001, with all service being relayed in the middle pocket track at 14th Street near Hoboken. Both routes then finally began operating to the NJ Transit terminal at Hoboken on September 29, 2002. Expansion was subsequently implemented on the original HBLR system in stages. First and last was the extension of service in Bayonne, from 34th Street to 22nd Street on November 15, 2003 and from 22nd Street to 8th Street on January 31, 2011. On September 7, 2004 the line’s northerly portion was placed in service from Hoboken to Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken. On weekdays a third line was thus established between these points, while cars serving West Side Avenue were diverted through the Hoboken “wye” and also ended their trips at Lincoln Harbor, by-passing the NJ Transit commuter rail terminal entirely. Service on this portion was subsequently extended from Lincoln Harbor to Port Imperial in Weehawken on October 29, 2005 and then from Port Imperial through the Palisades Tunnel to Tonnelle Ave. in North Bergen on February 25, 2006.
Various proposals to expand HBLR operations have been discussed, but in 2016 remain unfunded. These include extensions from Bayonne, New Jersey to Staten Island, New York and via the former “New York & Northern” (ex-Erie RR) corridor from Tonnelle Ave. in North Bergen to Englewood Hospital via the Bergen County communities of Ridgefield, Palisades Park and Leonia. The HBLR alignment which terminates at West Side Avenue occupies the former Newark & New York Railroad (Central Railroad of New Jersey Newark Branch), with a short extension to Route 440/Bayfront currently planned within Jersey City. This line could also support a future extension to Newark and ultimately a union with the Newark LRT system (former City Subway). Possible in-fill stations are also currently projected at 17th & Clinton in Hoboken (between Lincoln Harbor and 9th Street) and at 18th Street in Jersey City, to be situated on the existing viaduct immediately south of the Hoboken “wye.”
HBLR is operated with 52 two-section, “70%” low-floor LRV’s, all built by Kinki-Sharyo of Osaka, Japan (with assembly performed in Jersey City, NJ) that are identical to those used on the Newark LRT. The only discernible difference between the two types is wheel tread profile. All LRV’s are based at HBLR’s maintenance facility, located off of Caven Point Ave. in Jersey City (adjacent to the West Side Avenue Branch). They were delivered in several groups: cars 2001-2019 in 1999 and 2000; 2020-2029 in 2001; and 2030-2054 in 2003-04. Subesequent to their initial entry into HBLR service, cars 2001 and 2019 were modified and reassigned to the Newark LRT in 2001 as cars 117 and 118, respectively. Originally part of the most recent order for HBLR, cars 2055, 2056 and 2057 were instead delivered to the Newark LRT as cars 119, 120 and 121 in 2004. On July 3, 2013 HBLR 2054 was placed in service with a pilot center section inserted, creating a 3-section car with higher capacity. Starting in late 2016, 24 more of the 52 LRV’s assigned to the HBLR are having a center section added to create 25 extended cars overall. These extended cars are also receiving a "5000" series renumbering, with the last two digits derived from the original identification (i.e. 2054 becomes 5054).
Images herein are derived from an extensive mix of original digital images and scanned 35mm slides, taken between April 2000 and December 2014 (with a pair of “construction” views in Jersey City taken in March of 1999). All are arranged in geographic order from Hoboken Terminal to 8th Street in Bayonne and West Side Ave. in Jersey City.
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