Lehigh Line Connection

The Lehigh Line Connection connects Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (NEC) with the Conrail Lehigh Line 2 miles (3.2 km) south of downtown Newark, New Jersey. It leaves the NEC at Hunter Interlocking, and the line is sometimes called the Hunter Connection. Used by New Jersey Transit (NJT) Raritan Valley Line trains since 1997 when it replaced an older connection,[1] it splits from the NEC just north of the former connector, with wider radius curves with a maximum speed of 45 mph, compared to the 15 mph of the original alignment.

For other uses, see Lehigh Line.

The pre-1997 connection is at bottom left of photo looking east; the new connection was built just to the north.
Newark/Hoboken Division approaches
Northeast Corridor
to Boston
&
LIRR Main Line
to Greenport
Sunnyside Yard
East River Tunnels under East River
 New York Penn Station
North River Tunnels under Hudson River
NY
NJ
 Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Yard
Bergen Tunnels under Bergen Hill
 Secaucus Junction│
MAIN BCL PVL
Boonton Line to Hackettstown
Portal Bridge│Lower Hack Lift
over Hackensack River
Kearny
Connection
│
 
Sawtooth
Kearny
Connection
│
Bridges
Sawtooth
│
Waterfront
Connection
Newark Drawbridge│Dock Bridge
over Passaic River
 Newark Broad Street
Newark Penn Station
GLAD MOBO M&E
Hunter Connection
CNJ to Communipaw Terminal
 Elizabeth
(NJT)
 Elizabeth
(CNJ)
RVL to High Bridge│Aldene Connection
Elizabeth River
Rahway River Bridge
UNION interlocking│NJCL to Bay Head
Northeast Corridor & NEC
to Trenton
Newark Division
Hoboken Division

The old connection had a single track with older overhead wire and Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) signaling. Until 1961 Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV) passenger trains bound to/from New York Penn Station, such as the Black Diamond, used the connection to reach their own railroad from the PRR main line. At the top of the hill at NK interlocking, LV diesels exchanged the train(s) with PRR electric locomotives. Despite the lack of electrification on the line past the connection, the new trackage is also equipped with catenary wire.

Amtrak and NJT have proposed constructing the Hunter Flyover, which would carry Newark-bound Raritan Valley Line trains up and over the six-track NEC main line. Currently, Raritan Valley trains heading toward Newark have to cross three or four tracks at grade to access the eastbound tracks at Newark. This flyover would remove many directional conflicts between trains and reduce delays on the NEC. The project would cost $250 million and is currently undergoing environmental analysis.[2][3][4]

References
  1. Newman, Andy (June 9, 1997). "Farewell to a Railroad Tower". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  2. "NEC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS OF RELEVANCE TO NEW JERSEY" (PDF). ARP. January 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  3. "Importance of the Renewal of Transportation Trust Fund to RVRC - Raritan Valley Rail Coalition". Raritan Valley Rail Coalition. July 30, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  4. "Hunter Flyover". www.nec-commission.com. Retrieved December 21, 2017.


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