Railroad service through northern part Newark began on January 1, 1873 with the introduction of the Montclair Railway between Jersey City and Monks Castle in West Milford. The station was 7 miles (11 km) west of Jersey City, servicing fifteen trains.[2][6] Operation of the railroad changed hands multiple times, but in 1889, the Erie Railroad, which operated the line, built a depot on the platform. This new station was a combination passenger facility and residential dwelling.[5] The station depot at North Newark burned in June 1970, but the firefighters rescued the canopy of the depot, which the railroad repurposed into the main facilities.[5] NJ Transit continued operation of the station until April 26, 1986 when it was closed. There was also a station at Forest Hill near Manchester Place and Verona Avenue, which was west of North Newark station.
Railroad service through the Woodside section of Newark began to come together with the incorporation of the Montclair Railway on March 18, 1867 to build a railway from the Hudson River waterfront at Jersey City to the municipality of Montclair in Essex County.[7] The railway opened on January 1, 1873, when the 43 miles (69 km) railroad opened service from Jersey City to Monks Castle in West Milford.[8] Two stations were established in the city of Newark, one at North Newark and one then known as Montgomery.[9]
The railroad demolished the 1873-built station depot at North Newark in August 1889 for the construction of a new station depot on the site.[4] The new station was a three-story wooden depot on the eastbound platform. This depot would include the waiting room and ticket office, along with a residential dwelling.[5]
On November 29, 1962, it was announced that the Greenwood Lake Division and the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Boonton Branch would be merged, operating service between Hoboken Terminal and Dover. Dwight R.G. Palmer, the Commissioner of the New Jersey State Highway Department, noted that North Newark station would benefit from the merge, opening access to those who commuted to jobs in Newark.[11] On March 6, 1963, Palmer announced that new train schedules had been approved for the merged service.[12] The new service began on October 27, 1963.[13]
The 1889-built North Newark station depot caught fire in June 1970. The majority of the station was lost, save for the canopy overhanging the platform. The Erie Lackawanna Railroad repainted and repurposed the canopy for railroad service. The site of the depot would also be repurposed, but for a railroad transmission tower.[5]
On March 17, 1986, NJ Transit announced that they would discontinue service at the North Newark station on April 26 due to low ridership along with the Grant Avenue station in Plainfield, Union County.[3]
Passenger service on the railroad ended on September 20, 2002 when NJ Transit prepared to open the Montclair Connection, which would tie the Boonton Line and the Montclair Branch together at Bay Street station. As a result, the three active stations were closed.[14] After being used as a freight line, the state of New Jersey acquired an 8.6 miles (13.8 km) stretch of the former Boonton Line at the cost of $65 million on August 19, 2022 for conversion to a state park, the Essex–Hudson Greenway.[15] The station site at North Newark, which used to have the two remaining platforms and overgrown tracks, has become openly replaced by expansion of a local junkyard.[16]
^The State, Mayor and Alderman of Jersey City, Prosecutors v. The Montclair Railway Company, 35 N.J.L., 328 (New Jersey Supreme Court February 1872) ("The railway company was incorporated March 18th, 1867, with power to build a railway from Montclair, in the county of Essex, to the Hudson river at the Pavonia ferry, or at the Hoboken ferry, or between the said ferries.").
Commons Italics denote closed stations, stations under construction, and unused line segments. Stations north of Montvale are operated by Metro-North Railroad
