Richard Street station

Richard Street is a station on the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) located in the Greenville section of Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. Located at the end of Richard Street next to the northeast end of Bayside Park, the station services local trains of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail between 8th Street station in Bayonne and Hoboken Terminal. The station contains a single island platform and two tracks. The station is accessible for handicapped persons as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, with elevators and platform level matching with trains. The station opened on April 17, 2000 as part of the original operating segment of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail.[1]

Richard Street
Hudson–Bergen Light Rail station
The signage for the former Morris Canal with the station for Richard Street in March 2015.
Location	Richard Street & Garfield Avenue Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey 07035
Coordinates	40.6991°N 74.0787°W
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	April 17, 2000[1]
Electrified	750 V (DC) overhead catenary
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Danforth Avenue toward 8th Street 8th Street–Hoboken Liberty State Park toward Hoboken
Former services Preceding station Central Railroad of New Jersey Following station Greenville toward Somerville Somerville – Jersey City Local Van Nostrand Place Claremont toward Jersey City

History

Jersey Central station

Richard Street station was built north of the site of a former Central Railroad of New Jersey station in the same area. Located at what is now the south end of Bayside Park, Van Nostrand Place station was a stop on the Main Line in Jersey City. Opened in 1887,[2] later than most stations on the line, Van Nostrand Place had a smaller station compared to others, only at 15 by 27 feet (4.6 m × 8.2 m), and only a single story.[2][3] The station agent at Van Nostrand Place was eliminated in 1952 and in 1958, they razed the single story depot, replacing it with two shelters (one in each direction).[2] Passenger service to Van Nostrand Place ended on April 30, 1967, when the Aldene Plan went into effect, moving CNJ commuter services through Newark Penn Station via the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Service through Bayonne and Jersey City was truncated from Communipaw Terminal to East 33rd Street.[4][5]

HBLR station

The station opened on April 17, 2000.[1] It is located along the former Central Railroad of New Jersey right of way, which terminated at Communipaw Terminal. During excavations for its construction, workers came across what appear to be the petrified remains of luggage, which were also found at nearby Danforth Avenue stop.[6][7]

On August 1, 2010, gunfire erupted at the station, sending a group of people running for cover as they were chased by a gunman on the platform. Police arrived at 10:32pm (EST). The gunman and the group were gone, but police recovered three spent bullet casings at the scene, and one bullet projectile at the base of the steps leading to the platform. One of the railings of the steps was struck by one of the bullets. A witness who had been walking about 50 feet behind the group on the platform stated he saw another man run past him and fire three or four shots into the group. No one was shot or injured. The gunman, was described as being in his late teens, 5-foot-8, wearing blue jeans and a black T-shirt.[8]

Station layout

Ground/platform level Exit/entrance
	Southbound	←      8th Street–Hoboken toward 8th Street (Danforth Avenue) ←      Bayonne Flyer does not stop here
	Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
	Northbound	8th Street–Hoboken toward Hoboken (Liberty State Park) →      Bayonne Flyer does not stop here →

Bibliography

• New Jersey State Board of Taxes and Assessment (1918). Third Annual Report of the New Jersey State Board of Taxes and Assessment. Somerville, New Jersey: The Unionist-Gazette Association State Printers. Retrieved October 31, 2019.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Bernhart, Benjamin L. (2004). Historic Journeys By Rail: Central Railroad of New Jersey Stations, Structures & Marine Equipment. Outer Station Project. ISBN 1891402072.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

References

1. Dunleavy, Brian (April 18, 2000). "Day One is Smooth for New Light Rail". The Bergen Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. 3. Retrieved October 31, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Bernhart 2004, p. 41.
3. New Jersey State Board of Taxes and Assessment 1918, p. 187.
4. "18 Stations on Railroad Cutback List". The Asbury Park Press. March 1, 1967. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved October 31, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Shore Commuters Gripe About Standing". The Daily Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. May 1, 1967. p. 13. Retrieved October 31, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Richard Street station photos
7. From a plaque located at the Danforth Avenue (HBLR station):
   Immigrant Remnants Found Remains Appear Petrified, Luggage Among Items Unearthed. During excavations for the construction of stations along the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System, workers this morning came across what appear to be the petrified remains of luggage and other items buried under many feet of earth. Digging was immediately suspended at two sites after it was noticed that some of the exposed rock looked like old pieces of luggage. As a gathering crows looked on bewildered workers carefully pulled familiar shapes from the ground. By noon a trunk, a violin case, a hat box, a suitcase and some parcels had been counted among the unearthed items. Construction managers at the two affected stations, the Richard Street station and the Danforth Avenue station, declined to officially comment on the bizarre findings. however, witnesses to the events of this morning seem convinced that the delicately articulated rocks were not really rocks at all, but petrified luggage. Dr. Chip Travertine, Associate Professor
8. Conte, Michaelangelo (August 3, 2010). "Terrifying Gunfire at Light Rail". The Jersey Journal. pp. 1 & 5.