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Meadowlands Rail Line

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The Meadowlands Rail Line, branded as the BetMGM Meadowlands Rail Line as part of a naming rights agreement, is a rail line in New Jersey, United States, operated by NJ Transit Rail Operations (NJT). Trains run between the Meadowlands Sports Complex and Secaucus Junction, some with continuing service to Hoboken Terminal. There is limited service on the line, with trains only operating in conjunction with major events.[1]

Meadowlands Rail Line
Station (foreground) at MetLife Stadium
Overview
OwnerNJ Transit
LocaleNorth Jersey
Termini
Stations3
Service
TypeEvent shuttle
SystemNew Jersey Transit Rail Operations
History
OpenedJuly 20, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-07-20)
Technical
Line length9.9 mi (15.9 km)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map
Map
Legend
9.9 mi
15.9 km
 Meadowlands
PVL to Spring Valley
7.6 mi
12.2 km
BCL to Suffern via Fair Lawn
5.6 mi
9 km
HX Draw (Hackensack River)
MAIN to Suffern via Paterson
I-95.svgNew Jersey Turnpike Shield.svg I-95 / N.J. Turnpike
3.5 mi
5.6 km
 Secaucus Junction
(NEC)
M&E to Summit
Bergen Tunnels
0.0 mi
0 km
 Hoboken Terminal
Hudson–Bergen Light Rail Port Authority Trans-Hudson NY Waterway
Hudson River
This diagram:

The rail line was built at a cost of $185 million. Upon opening on July 20, 2009, it became the newest NJ Transit rail route. It is represented on NJT maps with the color gold, and uses the BetMGM logo.[2]

Meadowlands station was built as a part of the rail network expansion and is next to MetLife Stadium, equidistant from Meadowlands Racetrack, Meadowlands Arena and American Dream.[3]

Service

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NJ Transit runs trains along the line for events where 50,000 or more attendees are expected, including New York Jets and New York Giants games. Trains begin running 31⁄2 hours before an event and stop up to two hours after its conclusion. Travel time between Meadowlands Station and Secaucus Junction is 10 to 13 minutes; a trip to or from Hoboken Terminal takes about 23 minutes.[4] The agency considers full capacity to be 10,000 passengers per hour.[5]

In anticipation of increased ridership for Super Bowl XLVIII in February 2014 NJT extended platforms at Secaucus Junction by 120 ft (37 m) to accommodate multi-level 10-car train sets which can handle about 1,400 to 1,800 passengers per trip, moving about 14,000 or 15,000 people an hour.[6] Secaucus Junction is a major interchange station for NJ Transit where all but one of its commuter lines stop. Connections are available to the Northeast Corridor Line and the North Jersey Coast Line to New York Penn Station and Newark Penn Station and points south; the Morris and Essex Lines Midtown Direct and limited service on the Raritan Valley Line to New York Penn Station and points west; the Main Line, the Bergen County Line, and the Pascack Valley Line to points north. At its eastern terminus Hoboken Terminal connections to PATH trains, Hudson Bergen Light Rail, New York Waterway ferries and local buses are available.[7][8]

The Train to the Game was an excursion train operated jointly by Metro-North Railroad and NJ Transit, for Sunday football games starting at 1 pm. Trains running as part of this service originate at New Haven. They travel through southwestern Connecticut and Westchester County, Hell Gate Bridge, cross Manhattan via New York Penn (thus avoiding the normally required transfer from Grand Central Terminal,) and continue through the North River Tunnels as regular NJT trains to Secaucus Junction.[9] When the service first began, three trains operated in each direction.[10] However, this was reduced to one train in each direction starting with the 2010 football season.[11]

New Jersey Transit began introducing online ticketing service by offering round-trip tickets from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium during the 2012 NFL season.[12]

Despite officials indicating the line would begin daily service when the American Dream complex opened, which occurred in 2019, the Meadowlands Rail Line does not currently operate daily, with NJ Transit delaying the expansion of service until "the rail system is resilient enough that doing so won’t adversely affect NJ Transit commuters".[13][14][15]

History

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The rail line provides service to Secaucus Junction and Hoboken Terminal

The Meadowlands Sports Complex, which opened in 1976, was until 2009 accessible only via automobile or bus. The decision to build a rail line along the chosen route was a source of controversy. A portion of the line is a 2.3-mile-long (3.7 km) spur line connected via a new wye connection to the existing network. The line as built is a spur off the Pascack Valley Line, which travels further than if it had branched directly off the Bergen County Line. The decision to spend $6.2 million to acquire a right-of-way that travels through a federal Superfund site was also contentious.[16]

The opening ceremonies for the line took place on July 20, 2009. New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, New York Giants owner John Mara, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, and players from the Giants and Jets rode a special train from Hoboken to the new station for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.[17] The station opened to the public on July 26, 2009, for the championship game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament between the United States and Mexico. It is estimated that 6,000 arrived via the new rail line.[18]

Ridership to National Football League games increased by 50 percent in the rail line's second year of operation. In 2010, about 10,500 attendees at New York Jets games and 8,000 attendees at New York Giants games arrived by train.[1]

In an operation dubbed the Mass Transit Super Bowl for Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014, record numbers of riders took the shuttle to Meadowlands before the game, and were faced with waits of up to 90 minutes, due to security delays.[19] After the game ended, there were more delays as demand exceeded the Meadowlands station's regular operating capacity. At one point, fans were asked to remain inside the stadium until more trains were dispatched to load passengers from the station.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] In total 28,301 riders arrived at the stadium and 35,264 (nearly three times as many riders as NJ Transit predicted) left via train.[30]

WrestleMania 35 in April 2019 was attended by 82,265 people, many of whom took the train. Due to scheduling delays, passengers had long waits before first trains departed after the event, leading to claims of incompetence against NJ Transit,[31] which had not adhered to its own schedule.[32] NJ Transit officials claimed the 12:30 a.m. event ending caused the problem since some train engineers had reached the end of the federal limit on work hours.[33]

In anticipation of overflow crowds attending BTS performances in May 2019, NJ Transit advised departing concert-goers to find alternative transportation and planned additional bus service, saying that the line's capacity of 8,000 person per hour would be exceeded.[34]

On September 14, 2022, NJ Transit entered into a naming rights agreement with BetMGM, a sports betting company owned by MGM Resorts International, to rename the line for $3 million over the next 3 years.[35][36]

Stations

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Station[37] Miles (km) Date opened Connections / notes[37]
Hoboken Terminal  
(limited service) 		0.0 (0.0) 1903 NJ Transit Rail: Bergen County, Gladstone, Main, Montclair-Boonton, Morristown, North Jersey Coast, Pascack Valley, Raritan Valley lines
Metro-North Railroad: Port Jervis Line
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail: Hoboken-8th Street, Hoboken-Tonnelle
PATH: HOB-WTC, HOB-33, JSQ-33 (via HOB)
NJ Transit Bus: 22, 22X, 23, 68, 85, 87, 89, 126
New York Waterway
Secaucus Junction   3.5 (5.6) 2003 NJ Transit Rail: Bergen County, Gladstone, Main, Montclair-Boonton, Morristown, North Jersey Coast, Northeast Corridor, Pascack Valley, Raritan Valley lines
Metro-North Railroad: Port Jervis Line
NJ Transit Bus: 2, 78, 129, 329, 353
Meadowlands Sports Complex   9.9 (15.9) 2009 NJ Transit Bus: 351, 353, 703, 772

Alternative transit

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In 2021, NJ Transit authorized studies for alternative options between the Meadowlands Sports Complex and Secaucus Junction including a bus "transitway".[38][39][40] An initial version designed by HNTB and largely using existing infrastructure (mainly the New Jersey Turnpike) is planned to go into service for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[41][42][43]

In January 2022, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced the replacement of the eastbound Route 3 Bridge over the Hackensack River, which would incorporate provisions for a potential future expansion of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, ostensibly from Secaucus Junction.[44][45]

References

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  1. ^ a b Brennan, John (November 9, 2010). "Train ridership for football up 50%, but Meadowlands rail use still sparse". The Record. Bergen County. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  2. ^ "NJTransit Rail System Map" (PDF). August 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  3. ^ "Meadowlands Rail Station". New Jersey Transit. January 2008. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  4. ^ "Take the New Meadowlands Rail Line to the Gold Cup" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. July 22, 2009. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  5. ^ "Meadowlands rails prove all the rage". The Star-Ledger. September 25, 2009. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  6. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (March 10, 2013). "To make it Super, Meadowlands train needs longer platform, says NJ Transit". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  7. ^ "Take the New Meadowlands Rail Line to the Gold Cup" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. July 22, 2009. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  8. ^ "Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Map showing Meadowlands Rail Line" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. July 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  9. ^ "Train to the Game". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  10. ^ "Take The Train to the Game" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  11. ^ "Take The Train to the Game" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 21, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  12. ^ "NJ Transit Pilots Online Ticketing for Special Events at MetLife Stadium" (Press release). NJ Transit. August 13, 2012. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  13. ^ "N.J. officials launch rail service to Meadowlands". NJ.com. Associated Press. July 20, 2009. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  14. ^ Alexander, Dan (September 3, 2019). "NJ Transit bus service to American Dream mega mall at Meadowlands". New Jersey 101.5. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  15. ^ Higgs, Larry (August 29, 2019). "One month late, NJ Transit announces how it will move the masses to American Dream". nj.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  16. ^ "Sports authority paid $6.2M for contaminated land for Meadowlands rail spur, report says". The Star-Ledger. February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  17. ^ Brennan, John (July 20, 2009). "Meadowlands rail service rolls out". The Record. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  18. ^ Clunn, Nick (July 26, 2009). "Thousands hop on board new Meadowlands rail service". The Record. Archived from the original on July 29, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  19. ^ "Transit woes mark New Jersey-New York Super Bowl". Fox News. February 3, 2014. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  20. ^ Flegenheimer, Matt (February 2, 2014). "'Mass-Transit Super Bowl' Hits Some Rough Patches in Moving Fans". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  21. ^ Rosenberg, Amy S. (February 3, 2014). "Mass transit meltdown on the way to the Super Bowl". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  22. ^ Vilensky, Mike (February 3, 2014). "Security, Crowds Delay Fans' Trip to Super Bowl". The Wall Street Journal. Online.wsj.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  23. ^ Sapone, Patti (February 2, 2014). "Angry Super Bowl train passengers curse NJ over delays, overcrowding". NJ.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  24. ^ McManus, Jane (February 2, 2014). "Reports: Epic transit delays in New Jersey". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  25. ^ Rothman, Carly (February 2, 2014). "Super Bowl 2014: NJ Transit riders complain of heat, overcrowding". NJ.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  26. ^ Heyboer, Kelly (February 3, 2014). "Super Bowl: More train problems as announcer asks fans to stay in MetLife Stadium". NJ.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  27. ^ Rothman, Carly (February 3, 2014). "Super Bowl 2014: Transit woes plague ride home (photos/videos)". NJ.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  28. ^ Young, Elise (January 31, 2014). "Super Bowl's mass-transit vision at risk after commuter mayhem". Chicago Tribune. Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  29. ^ "Mass Transit Strains Under Super Bowl Crowds". NBC New York. February 2, 2014. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  30. ^ Wang, Christopher (August 8, 2014). "Study faults late changes for monster Super Bowl snarl, goes easy on NJ Transit". The Record. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  31. ^ Higgs, Larry (April 8, 2019). "WWE says Wrestlemania schedule isn't why fans had to wait in the rain for NJ Transit trains". nj.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  32. ^ "New Jersey Transit". www.njtransit.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  33. ^ Higgs, Larry (April 8, 2019). "NJ Transit blames WWE after thousands of WrestleMania fans stranded in the rain". NJ.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  34. ^ Higgs, Larry (May 17, 2019). "Don't even bother taking NJ Transit, stadium warns BTS fans. Just drive". NJ.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  35. ^ "NJ TRANSIT Partners With BetMGM On Naming Rights For Meadowlands Rail Line" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. September 14, 2022. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  36. ^ Higgs, Larry (September 14, 2022). "BetMGM signs $3M deal to sponsor NJ Transit's MetLife Stadium rail line". NJ.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  37. ^ a b "Meadowlands Sports Complex". New York, New York: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. 2014. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  38. ^ Higgs, Larry (August 26, 2021). "Amid questions, NJ Transit takes first steps to new Transitway to American Dream, MetLife stadium". NJ Advance Media for nj.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  39. ^ Wilson, Colleen; Katzban, Nicolas (August 25, 2021). "New Jersey Transit Board approves $3.5 million contract for new bus line to Meadowlands". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  40. ^ "PROJECT SHEET SECAUCUS TO MEADOWLANDS (BOONTON) TRANSITWAY" (PDF). NJ Transit. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  41. ^ Higgs, Larry (July 20, 2023). "NJ Transit racing to build Transitway in time for World Cup 2026". NJ.com. NJ Advance Media. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  42. ^ Wilson, Colleen (July 20, 2023). "How to get fans to MetLife for World Cup? NJ Transit will spend $35M to design bus lane". NorthJersey.com. North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  43. ^ "NJ TRANSIT Advances Secaucus to Meadowlands Transitway Project to Increase Capacity to Meadowlands Complex" (Press release). NJ TRANSIT. July 19, 2023. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  44. ^ Wilson, Colleen (January 25, 2022). "Route 3 Bridge, one of the most dilapidated in NJ, will get $143M replacement". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  45. ^ Maher, Jake (January 25, 2022). "Pols announce $143 million Route 3 bridge over Hackensack River and talk of light rail, too". The Jersey Journal. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
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