NJ Transit GP-40PH-2 4213 leading an outbound Pascack Valley Line train at Main St. level crossing in Hackensack, N.J.
The Pascack Valley Line runs between Spring Valley, New York, and Hoboken Terminal. The line is 31 miles (50 km) long, of which the northernmost 6 miles (9.7 km) are in New York State. The entire line is owned by NJ Transit, but the Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley stations are leased to Metro-North Railroad. The line is single tracked, but sidings at points along the line, including the Meadowlands, Hackensack and Nanuet, permit bi-directional off-peak service. A siding in Oradell was also planned for increased service and reliability, but the project was halted due to local opposition.[3][4] Service on this line operates seven days a week.[5]
Passenger Timetable for the New York & New Jersey Railroad and Piermont Branch, effective 1931-09-27
On April 1, 1976 the Erie Lackawanna was merged with several other railroads to create Conrail.[7][8] In 1983, after several years under operation by Conrail, operations of the Pascack Valley Line were transferred to NJ Transit Rail Operations.
The line used to continue north of Spring Valley to Haverstraw, New York. This portion of the line has been abandoned and most of the right-of-way has been sold off. Part of the line (between Spring Valley and Nanuet) was once part of the main Erie Railroad line from Piermont, New York to Buffalo, New York.[9] Into the 1930s there had been Erie passenger service from Spring Valley at the end of the Pascack line to Suffern station on the newer Erie Main Line.[10] By 1941, this was reduced to a single weekday trip in each direction.[11]
In August 2020, amidst the financial repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that it would shut down service on the line in Rockland County if federal bailout money were not available.[12]
Route description
The Pascack Valley is largely a one-track line but the line starts from Hoboken Terminal as with the rest of the Hoboken Division lines, The line heads through the Bergen Tunnels and then heads down West End Interlocking as trains not only split off with the Morristown Line, Montclair-Boonton Line, and Gladstone Branch but the train heads into diesel-powered rail zones. After a few miles, the train arrives at its first station stop: Secaucus Junction which serves as a major transfer point between NJ-transit rail's Newark and Hoboken Divisions.
Just after Leaving Secaucus, the line follows the right of way as it splits off with the Main Line as it follows the Bergen County Line through the Meadowlands, the line not only passes the former Harmon Cove station but it also parallels the Hackensack River to its left and Meadowlands Parkway complexes to its right. The line uses the HX Draw to cross the Hackensack River and enters into Bergen County, the train heads through the Meadowlands, the line not only crosses under the New Jersey Turnpike but it also crosses under Route 3 at Berry's Creek. The Pascack Valley Line splits off with the Bergen County Line at Pascack Junction as the line heads through East Rutherford and the line passes sport Interlocking before it heads onto a 1 track line towards Spring Valley station.
The first stop for trains after leaving Secaucus Junction is Wood-Ridge station, from Wood-Ridge the line bypasses Hasbrouck Heights and as the line passes a siding, it arrives at its next station stop : Teterboro station.
After Teterboro, the line crosses under U.S. Route 46 and as the line inches closer to Hackensack, the line crosses under Interstate 80 before it enters Hackensack, the line has two station stops in Hackensack, first is the Essex Street station in Hackensack and from Essex Street, trains head through the streets of Hackensack and pass by Hackensack High School before arriving at its next station stop : Anderson Street station.
After Anderson Street, the line heads out of Hackensack and as the line crosses under Route 4 it arrives at its next station stop: New Bridge Landing station. After New Bridge Landing, the line heads up into the suburbs where it enters River Edge, New Jersey, which is where the line serves the namesake station. After River Edge, the line bypasses New Milford and heads into Oradell where the line enters its next station stop that serves the namesake town.
since the Pascack Valley line is a diesel powered line, the utilizes diesel locomotives and these include: the GP40PH-2, GP40FH-2, F40PH-3C, PL42AC, and ALP-45DP with most trains consisting of Comet V cars while oftentimes trains also use Multilevel coaches too.
On September 29, 2016, Pascack Valley Line Train 1614 crashed into Hoboken Terminal injuring 108 and killing one.[13] It was later determined that the engineer Thomas Gallagher had been suffering from sleep apnea and had failed to report it.
^ abcdJones, Wilson E. (1996). The Pascack Valley Line - A History of the New Jersey and New York Railroad. East Hanover, New Jersey: Railroadians of America. p. 44. ISBN0-941652-14-9.
