North Brunswick station

North Brunswick is a proposed railroad station along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in North Brunswick, New Jersey, that will be built by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations (NJT) to serve its Northeast Corridor Line. Approved in 2013, it was planned to open in 2018[1][2] and projected to cost $30 million.[3] It is one of several projects along the "New Jersey Speedway" section of the NEC.

North Brunswick
General information
LocationNorth Brunswick, NJ
Coordinates40°26′17″N 74°29′53″W / 40.438°N 74.498°W / 40.438; -74.498
Owned byNew Jersey Transit
Line(s)Northeast Corridor
Platforms1 island (initial)
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Other information
Fare zone14
History
OpenedTBA
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station
Princeton Junction
toward Trenton
Northeast Corridor Line Jersey Avenue
Location
Map

The station was proposed for the former Johnson & Johnson[4] facility on Route 1 and Aaron Road by the new owners of the 212-acre (86 ha) site,[5] and is part of a transit-oriented development known as Main Street North Brunswick,[2][6] New Jersey Transit's Fiscal 2015 capital budget allocated funding for the station.[7][8] which has been designated a transit-oriented development, or 'transit village'.[9]

As of mid-2017, construction of the project had not begun.[10] In October 2017, it was announced the project had received $50 million from the Transportation Trust Fund.[11] In October 2019, NJT and Middlesex County had committed $70 million to start work on the station.[12][13] In 2021 the County Improvement Authority hired WSP USA to design the station.[14] Initial designs were released in March 2023. Construction is slated to begin 2025.[15][16]

Although station construction has yet to begin (as of 2024), the Main Street North Brunswick transit village has continued to develop, with Costco and Target opening in 2014, Panera Bread opening in 2017, Courtyard by Marriott opening in 2019, Shake Shack opening in 2024, and 100 townhomes fully occupied.[9]

Mid-Line Loop and County Yard

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NJT plans to build a flying junction and balloon loop called the Mid-Line Loop between MP 36 and MP 37 on the NEC south of the new station, allowing trains to turn around and enter and leave service without crossing over tracks,[2] and function as a staging area for a mid-line terminus. NJT originates trains to Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station during peak hours from the Jersey Avenue station, to the north in New Brunswick.

NJT is creating a "train haven" at County Yard where equipment could be stored during serious storms. The work involves reconfiguring and expanding the yard into the adjacent Mile Run Yard, which is not in service.[17][18][19]

As of 2019, construction plans for the new station did not include construction of the mid-line loop.[20]

High-speed corridor

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In August 2011, the United States Department of Transportation obligated $450 million to a six-year project to improve 24 miles (39 km) of the Northeast Corridor for a high-speed corridor between New Brunswick and Trenton along what is called the "New Jersey Speedway".[21] The Next Generation High-Speed project is to upgrade electrical power, signals, and overhead catenary wires to improve reliability and increase speed to 160 mph (260 km/h), and with new trains to 186 mph (299 km/h).[22][23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Chang, Kathy (January 17, 2013). "NJ Transit announces approval of train station: Northeast Corridor line will run through MainStreetNB project, to be built along Route 1 north". The Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Frassinelli, Mike (January 8, 2013). "New NJ Transit station planned for Northeast Corridor rail line". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  3. ^ Chang, Kathy (February 20, 2014). "Settlement adds affordable housing to transit village". North South Brunswick Sentinel. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  4. ^ "In North Brunswick, train is finally pulling into station". NJBIZ. April 22, 2013.
  5. ^ History, Our Town Center. Accessed November 25, 2012.
  6. ^ Kalet, Hank (January 28, 2015). "NEC to get new NJT stop". NewsWorks. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015.
  7. ^ "NJ TRANSIT ADOPTS FISCAL YEAR 2015 OPERATING, CAPITAL BUDGETS". New Jersey Transit. July 9, 2014. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  8. ^ Chang, Kathy (July 31, 2014). "Costco opens as first part of transit village". East Brunswick Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "North Brunswick Transit Village".
  10. ^ Corasaniti, Nick (March 2, 2017). "New Jersey Area Rising Around Transit Hub Lacks One Thing: Its Hub". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  11. ^ Amato, Jennifer (October 31, 2017). "North Brunswick is riding high on train station announcement". www.centraljersey.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  12. ^ Higgs, Larry (October 30, 2019). "Central Jersey is getting a new train station, but we don't know how much it'll cost". nj. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  13. ^ Flanagan, Brenda (October 31, 2019). "NJ Transit Enlists Ally for Long Delayed North Brunswick Train Station". NJ Spotlight. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  14. ^ Loyer, Susan (April 16, 2021). "North Brunswick train station project takes another major step". MyCentralJersey.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  15. ^ "North Brunswick Train Station". Middlesex County, NJ.
  16. ^ Fry, Chris (March 6, 2023). "Plans Revealed for NJ Transit's North Brunswick Train Station". Jersey Digs.
  17. ^ Rouse, Karen (January 9, 2014). "NJ Transit hires firm to design train haven". The Record. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  18. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (January 8, 2014). "Scarred by Sandy, NJ Transit to get permanent home to store trains". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  19. ^ "Final Agenda NJT Regularly Scheduled Board of Directors' Meeting" (PDF) (Press release). New Jersey Transit. January 8, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  20. ^ "NJ Transit's first new station in years risks adding congestion". Crain's New York Business. Bloomberg. November 26, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  21. ^ Vantuono, William C. (June 11, 2013). "Amtrak sprints toward a higher speed future". Railway Age. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  22. ^ Schned, Dan (August 24, 2011). "U.S. DOT Obligates $745 Million to Northeast Corridor Rail Projects". America 2050. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  23. ^ Urciuoli, Brielle (August 7, 2014). "Federal, local officials tour N.J.'s high-speed rail project site in Trenton". NJ.com. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
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