Metropark station

Metropark is an intermodal transportation hub on the Northeast Corridor in the Iselin section of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey that is located 24.6 miles southwest of New York Penn Station. It is owned and operated by NJ Transit and serves Amtrak and NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line. NJ Transit runs peak period 'loop' buses in coordination with train schedules.

Metropark
Metropark station from the parking deck, April 2015
Location	100 Middlesex-Essex Turnpike, Iselin, New Jersey United States
Coordinates	40.5681°N 74.3298°W / 40.5681; -74.3298
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Line(s)	Northeast Corridor
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	NJ Transit: 48, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805
Construction
Parking	3,615 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	MET (Amtrak)
Fare zone	10 (NJT)
History
Opened	November 14, 1971[1]
Rebuilt	2007–2010 (refurbishment)
Traffic
Passengers (2012)	7,447 (average weekday)[2] (NJT)
Passengers (2017)	369,088[3]  0.57% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Trenton toward Washington, D.C. Acela Express Newark Penn toward Boston South Vermonter weekends Newark Penn toward St. Albans New Brunswick toward Harrisburg Keystone Service Newark Airport toward New York New Brunswick toward Norfolk, Newport News or Roanoke Northeast Regional Newark Airport toward Boston South or Springfield New Brunswick toward Savannah Palmetto Newark Penn toward New York Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Metuchen toward Trenton Northeast Corridor Line Rahway toward New York Penn Station
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Trenton toward Washington, D.C. Metroliner Until 2005 Newark Penn toward New York

The station is near the interchange of New Jersey Route 27 and Garden State Parkway near exits 131 and 132.[4][5] and has a multi-story parking facility that is open at all times.[6][7]

The station, built by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and the United States Department of Transportation, opened on November 14, 1971 as Garden State Metropark. It was built as a suburban park-and-ride stop for the then-new high-speed rail Metroliners.

History

Amtrak train at Metropark, January 1976

Metropark was one of two park-and-ride infill stations proposed in the 1960s for use by the new Metroliners, the other being Capital Beltway in Lanham, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.. The two stations were originally named Capital Beltway Metropark and Garden State Metropark; these were shortened to Capital Beltway and Metropark. Both were conceived as public-private partnerships. Under a plan put forward in late 1968 by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) the state would contribute $648,000 toward the cost of the station, then estimated at $1.4 million.[8][9]

Amtrak service to Metropark began on November 14, 1971.[1] The station's cost had increased to $2.6 million, shared by NJDOT and the United States Department of Transportation. It had two 850-foot (260 m) high-level platforms and had 820 parking spaces. It was next to the Garden State Parkway to allow easy access by automobile and a large business park was built next to it. Commuter trains continued to use Iselin station, half a mile east,[10][11] until 1972 when Iselin station was closed (and, a few years later, Colonia).

The station was renamed Harrison A. Williams Metropark Station in 1979, in recognition of US Senator Williams' (D-NJ) support for its construction. However, the name was removed from the station after his 1980 conviction for bribery and conspiracy in the Abscam scandal.[12]

Renovation

Signage after renovation

In January 2007 NJ Transit announced a nearly $30 million renovation plan for the station, to be completed by 2010.[13] Reconstruction was completed in summer 2009, and cost $47 million. Climate-controlled shelters and LCD train information systems were installed, platforms were extended to accommodate 12-car trains, canopies were lengthened and the station building was enlarged as part of the project. New signage was also installed; all of the new signs refer to the station as "Metropark Station".[14][15]

Ridership

Since 2001, Metropark has been the busiest New Jersey Transit station apart from the city terminals. Many commuters from the South Shore of Staten Island utilize the station to commute to Manhattan.[16] Along with Princeton Junction in 2006, Metropark was the first non-terminal station to have over 7,000 weekday boardings.[16]

Layout and services

Train

An NJT train at Metropark

The station is served by NJ Transit Rail Operations Northeast Corridor Line. The station has two high-level side platforms flanking the four tracks of the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak's long-haul services and most Keystone Service trains that utilize the Northeast Corridor bypass the station via the inner tracks, as do some NJ Transit express trains. Until 2005, the eastbound Pennsylvanian also stopped at Metropark. Amtrak trains skip most other stations between Trenton and Newark Penn Station, but many trains stop at Metropark despite having to switch to the outside (local) tracks to do so. Pairs of 45-mph crossovers (interlockings MENLO and ISELIN) just east and west of the station were added about 1986 to make this easier.

Metropark Loop buses

These routes, which serve office parks and areas around the station, operate during peak hours only.[17]

Route	Serving	Terminal
801	Lincoln Highway Oak Tree Road	Edison JFK Medical Center
802	Green Street Gill Lane	Woodbridge Woodbridge Corporate Park
803	Gill Lane Woodbridge Center Drive	Woodbridge Woodbridge Center OR Woodbridge Station
804	Wood Avenue	Edison Wood Ave/Inman Ave.
805	Thornall Street Ford Avenue	Edison Menlo Park Mall OR Ford Ave/Main St.

References

1. "Train Service Starts Today at Metropark". The Asbury Park Press. November 14, 1971. p. 4. Retrieved October 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "QUARTERLY RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANALYSIS" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. December 27, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, State of New Jersey" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
4. "NJDOT Graphic Information System Maps Middlesex" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
5. Larry Higgs (March 13, 2015). "What exit? New Parkway exit opens today as numbers change on others next week". NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
6. "Metropark Parking". Metropark Parking. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
7. https://www.nexusparkingsystems.com/metropark-parking-facility.html
8. "Open Line" (PDF). Penn Central Post. February 1969. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2014.
9. "Commuter Rail Station in Jersey to Have Parking for 776 Cars". The New York Times. December 29, 1968. p. 54. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
10. "New 'Metropark' in Northern N.J. Timed With Metroliner Extension". Bridgeport Telegram. November 6, 1971. p. 29. Retrieved October 2, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Witkin, Richard (November 12, 1971). "A Park-and-Ride Rail Station Is Dedicated in Jersey". The New York Times. p. 49. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
12. Bachrach, Judy. "Facing Expulsion from the Senate He Loves, Harrison Williams Finds Some Unlikely Supporters", People (magazine), February 1, 1982. Accessed March 5, 2011. "One of them, who asks for anonymity, recalls 'going over to Pete and Nancy's house in Westfield, N.J. and having coffee together. Pete looked about 80 years old—horrible.'"
13. Chang, Kathy (January 4, 2007). "Metropark to Get $30 Million Makeover". Edison-Metuchen Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
14. Moss, Adam (June 11, 2014), Metropark Station, Wikimedia Commons, retrieved December 12, 2015
15. "CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON A NEW METROPARK STATION" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. April 23, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
16. "New Jersey Transit rail boarding numbers 2007-1999". Berkeley. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
17. "Transit Advisory Metropark Loop-Bus Route Nos. 801, 802, 803, 804 & 805" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. October 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2020.

External links

• Metropark – Amtrak

• Metropark (USA RailGuide – TrainWeb)
• Station from Google Maps Street View
• Metropark (Iselin), NJ (MET) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)