Main Line (NJ Transit)

The Main and Bergen County Lines

The Main Line (or Erie Main Line) is a rail line owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the United States that runs from Suffern, New York to Hoboken, New Jersey. It runs daily commuter service and was once the former north-south main line of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Some trains continue as far as Port Jervis in partnership with Metro-North Railroad (see Port Jervis Line). The Bergen County Line splits off the Main Line just west of the Secaucus Junction transfer station and rejoins it at Ridgewood. Service is diesel-powered. Peak trains arrive in Hoboken on weekdays between 7:21 am and 8:48 am and leave Hoboken on weekdays between 4:17 pm and 6:50 pm. [1]

Route guide

Port Jervis Line to Port Jervis 30.6 mi 49.2 km Suffern Yard Piermont Branch 30.5 mi 49.1 km Suffern NY NJ border 29.1 mi 46.8 km Mahwah (limited service for MNRR) Route 17 27.9 mi 44.9 km Ramsey Route 17 26.5 mi 42.6 km Ramsey 24.6 mi 39.6 km Allendale 23.5 mi 37.8 km Waldwick Yard 23.2 mi 37.3 km Waldwick 22.1 mi 35.6 km Ho-Ho-Kus 20.9 mi 33.6 km Ridgewood 20.2 mi 32.5 km Ridgewood Junction BCL via Fair Lawn 19.4 mi 31.2 km Glen Rock–Main Line Route 208 17.7 mi 28.5 km Hawthorne New York, Susquehanna & Western RR Passaic River River Street 15.6 mi 25.1 km Paterson I-80 Erie Main Line South Paterson Boonton Branch G.S. Parkway Newark Branch US 46 12.2 mi 19.6 km Clifton 10.6 mi 17.1 km Passaic 9.3 mi 15 km Delawanna Route 3 Route 21 Lyndhurst Draw (Passaic River) 8.2 mi 13.2 km Lyndhurst Route 17 7.6 mi 12.2 km Kingsland Harrison Cut-off Kingsland Tunnel I-95 / N.J. Turnpike Western Spur Upper Hack Lift (Hackensack River) BCL via Fair Lawn I-95 / N.J. Turnpike Eastern Spur Northeast Corridor 3.5 mi 5.6 km Secaucus Junction former alignment New York & Greenwood Lake Boonton Line Morris & Essex Lines/M&E via Hackettstown Bergen Tunnels 0.0 mi 0 km Hoboken Terminal Hudson River

Main Line railroad station in downtown Glen Rock

Interior of the Main Line train with the conductor showing in the background.

Departing the historic (1907) Hoboken terminal, the yards for the coaches are to your left. Trains pass over several city avenues before entering the Bergen Tunnels under the New Jersey Palisades. Midway through the tunnel there are air shafts allowing light through and venting out the diesel fumes. Exiting the tunnel, the train curves right onto the Main Line at West End interlocking in Jersey City. About a mile ahead is the former connection with the Bergen line (removed in 2003 during the Secaucus Junction transfer station construction). This is where two trains collided head-on in 1996, killing two engineers and a passenger. New Jersey Turnpike Interchange 15X now is located on this site.

Shortly thereafter is the Secaucus Transfer Station, with trains stopping for passengers to change to and from Northeast Corridor Line trains on the upper level.

After the transfer station, the Main Line runs through an industrial section of Secaucus. Shortly afterwards the Bergen Line separates off on the new routing. The Main Line then crosses over the Hackensack River on the single-track Upper Hack Lift bridge, built in 1958.

The one track continues for a brief distance until it once again becomes two, under the New Jersey Turnpike's western spur. The train continues through the Meadowlands and passes the first grade crossing at Valley Brook Avenue in Lyndhurst. The line curves slightly and passes under the 1903 Kingsland tunnel. Kingsland station is shortly after the tunnel and is in an open cut. Just beyond Kingsland station is Lyndhurst station, located on an embankment.

After leaving Lyndhurst, the train crosses over the Passaic River on a swing bridge. The train passes under Route 3 and approaches Delawanna station.

Next stop is Passaic, which is located on an embankment. After Passaic, the Main Line has a stretch through some industrial areas before the Clifton station, which is also located on an embankment.

The Main Line passes under U.S. Route 46 and the Garden State Parkway before it crosses under and over several streets in south Paterson. This portion of the line was single-tracked, then double-tracked in a rehabilitation project in 2002. The line passes under Interstate 80 and heads into downtown Paterson. Paterson station is elevated, with a center platform.

Continuing north, the Main Line is on an elevated grade through Paterson, passing over streets. After several grade crossings in an industrial area, the tracks crosses over the Passaic River on a truss bridge. Hawthorne is the next stop, at grade level. After a long stretch, the train reaches Glen Rock station, at grade level at a crossing.

After Glen Rock station, Ridgewood Junction is reached. This is where Main Line will merge with the Bergen County Line. The line widens to three tracks. Ridgewood station is next, with Spanish-style design on the station building and platforms.

Next is Ho-Ho-Kus, also at grade. Waldwick follows with an abandoned station building on the northbound side and a footbridge connecting the two platforms. Waldwick Yard is just north of the station, and just following Waldwick Yard is a grade crossing. North of the grade crossing (which has 3 tracks) the line becomes two tracks.

Allendale and Ramsey follow, both as grade-level stations. Ramsey-Route 17 station (opened August 22, 2004) is next. It is a park-and-ride facility located off of Route 17 South in Ramsey.

Mahwah follows and is the last station in New Jersey. Crossing over the New York state line, the train arrives at Suffern, the last stop. Some trains continue past to Port Jervis. The yards are located just to the north, under the New York State Thruway overpass.

Rolling stock

All trains on the Main/Bergen/Port Jervis lines are diesels, typically using GP40PH-2 or PL42AC (with occasional GP40FH-2s) locomotives with Comet I and Comet I-B (ex-Arrow I) cars. Metro-North service to/from Port Jervis usually features Metro-North's own Comet V cars by Alstom, although Metro-North cars can also appear on local runs within New Jersey as well.

Station listing

New Jersey

• Hoboken Terminal
• Secaucus Junction
• Kingsland
• Lyndhurst
• Delawanna
• Passaic
• Clifton
• Paterson
• Hawthorne
• Glen Rock (Main Line)
• Ridgewood
• Ho-Ho-Kus
• Waldwick
• Allendale
• Ramsey
• Ramsey Route 17
• Mahwah

New York

• Suffern
• Sloatsburg
• Tuxedo
• Harriman
• Salisbury Mills-Cornwall
• Campbell Hall
• Middletown-Town of Wallkill
• Otisville
• Port Jervis