8th Street station (Hudson–Bergen Light Rail)

8th Street is a station on the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) in the city of Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey. The southernmost stop in Bayonne, 8th Street station serves as the southern terminus of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail. Located on an elevated track next to Route 440, the station is accessible at the intersection of Avenue C and West 8th Street. The station, unlike the rest of the line, has a full station depot that doubles as accessibility to tracks per the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The depot, two stories high, contains elevators and the platform, which is an island platform with two tracks. East of the station, the tracks merge into one to reach 22nd Street station. The station serves tracks for the local service to Hoboken Terminal along with an express train known as the Bayonne Flyer. The station opened on January 31, 2011 as an extension of service from 22nd Street.[2]

8th Street
Hudson–Bergen Light Rail station
Location	40 West 8th Street Bayonne, New Jersey 07002
Coordinates	40.654°N 74.127°W / 40.654; -74.127
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	NJT Bus: 81, 120 Broadway Bus (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 NJ Transit Following station Terminus 8th Street–Hoboken 22nd Street toward Hoboken Bayonne Flyer
Former services Preceding station Central Railroad of New Jersey Following station Elizabeth toward Somerville Somerville – Jersey City Local East 22nd Street toward Jersey City Elizabethport toward Somerville

The design of the 8th Street station depot is a similar design to the former West 8th Street station on the Central Railroad of New Jersey that served Bayonne from August 1, 1864–August 6, 1978, when Conrail discontinued service.[3][4]

History

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

The Bayonne Bridge viewed from the 8th Street platform

The station is located in the Bergen Point neighborhood of Bayonne. It 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.[5] The headhouse is reminiscent of the earlier station.[6] Baltimore and Ohio passenger trains passed through until its passenger operations northeast of Baltimore ceased operation in 1958.[7]

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.[8] This contract paid for foundations, viaducts, tracks and a new station building.[9] 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.[6] Ground was broken for the station on October 15, 2008.[10] Originally scheduled to open in late 2010, the new station opened January 31, 2011.[1]

Nearby attractions

• The nearby Bayonne Community Museum at 9th street and Broadway is currently under construction.[11]
• Bergen Point and Kill Van Kull Park

Staten Island connection

An extension of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail from 8th Street to the south would likely continue to Staten Island (with connection to the Staten Island light rail over the Bayonne Bridge. The raising of the bridge does not exclude a future light rail.[12]

Since 2015 studies have been underway to connect the station to Staten Island via an aerial tramway or gondola lift.[13]

Station layout

G	Ground level	Exit/entrance, park and ride, buses
P Platform level
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Northbound	8th Street–Hoboken toward Hoboken (22nd Street) →      Bayonne Flyer toward Hoboken (rush hours) (22nd Street) →
	Northbound	8th Street–Hoboken toward Hoboken (22nd Street) →      Bayonne Flyer toward Hoboken (rush hours) (22nd Street) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right

References

1. "Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Timetables" (PDF). Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. January 31, 2011. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 3, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
2. Frassinelli, Mike (January 31, 2011). "NJ Transit opens Bayonne 8th Street Station, extending Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service". The Star-Ledger. New Jersey Advanced Media. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
3. Historical Society of Hudson County 1908, p. 18–19.
4. "DOT Gives Farewell Toots to Underused 'Bayonne Scoots'". The Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. August 7, 1978. p. 13. Retrieved November 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Thorpe. "CONRAIL/NJ D.O.T. Draws the Curtain on the Bayonne Shuttle". www.thorpefamily.us. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
6. Bassett, Penny; Stessel, Dan (October 15, 2008). "Construction Begins on New Hudson-Bergen Light Rail 8th Street Station in Bayonne" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
7. 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).
8. "Funds to stretch light rail to 8th St. in Bayonne", Jersey Journal, May 4, 2006. Archived August 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
9. NJ Transit Press Release April 17, 2008
10. Bayonne Ground-Breaking Ceremony Held for 8th Street Light Rail Extension, October 17, 2008, retrieved May 15, 2011
11. "Bayonne museum eyes opening". NJ.com. October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
12. 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 July 29, 2011.
13. https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/04/commuter-gondola-plan-gets-off-ground-but-bayonne-says-its-being-left-out-of-the-loop.html

Bibliography

• Papers Read Before the Historical Society of Hudson County. Jersey City, New Jersey: Historical Society of Hudson County. 1908. Retrieved October 31, 2019.

External links