Arlington station (NJ Transit)

Arlington is an abandoned train station in the Arlington section of Kearny, New Jersey. The station was a former stop on the Boonton Line, which runs from Hoboken Terminal to Hackettstown. Train service was discontinued on September 20, 2002 when the Montclair Connection was opened.[4]

Arlington
The site of the former Arlington station as viewed near Garafola Place.
Location	Forest Street railroad crossing, Kearny, New Jersey
Coordinates	40.7698, -74.1401
Owned by	Norfolk Southern
Line(s)	Boonton Line
Platforms	ground-level
Tracks	2
Construction
Platform levels	1
Other information
Station code	1701 (Erie Railroad)[1]
History
Opened	1899[2]
Closed	September 20, 2002
Electrified	N/A
Previous names	Conrail, New Jersey Transit
Passengers
2002	137[3]
Former services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Rowe Street toward Hackettstown Boonton Line Hoboken Terminus North Newark toward Hackettstown Boonton Line until April 26, 1986 Preceding station Erie Railroad Following station West Arlington toward Wanaque–Midvale or Sterling Forest New York and Greenwood Lake Railway Jersey City Terminus

Accident

Arlington station in 1910 during its days as an Erie station

On September 8, 1965, three Kearny High School students were struck and killed by a two car Erie Lackawanna train.[5] The trio, on their way to the first day of the fall term, crossed the tracks at the Elm Street crossing next to the station despite the gate being down. Thinking the warning lights were for a departing east bound train (towards Hoboken), the three students went around the barrier. A boxcar parked in a siding next to the station blocked the victims from seeing the oncoming west bound express train.[6]

All three (Robert Floyd, 16, Rodney Murdock, 16, and Richard Collins, 15) were killed instantly. Both the train's fireman and conductor were later arraigned on charges of manslaughter. Following the accident, the town of Kearny began to have physical guards at the crossing during school hours.[7]

See also

• Benson Street – First of two additional stations that were removed with the Montclair Connection.
• Rowe Street – Second of two additional stations that were removed with the Montclair Connection.
• West Arlington station – Second of two stations in Arlington for the Erie Lackawanna Railway.

References

1. "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
2. Yanosey, Robert J. (2006). Erie Railroad Facilities (In Color). 1. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books Inc. ISBN 1-58248-183-0.
3. Jung, C. Rae (October 30, 2002). "Commuters Want Old Train Line Reinstated". The South Bergenite. pp. A1, A2. Retrieved February 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Rail Shuttle Buses To Transport Commuters Affected By Station Closures". Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit. August 27, 2002. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
5. Moberley, Leeds (September 6, 1965). "Train Kills Three N.J. Youths On Way To Opening-Day Classes". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
6. Staff, The Observer (September 8, 2020). "SIDEBAR NOT IN PRINT — (From 1965) — 3 Kearny High students killed on way to school; 2 juniors, sophomore struck by train at Elm Street grade crossing". The Observer Online. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
7. Canessa, Kevin (September 8, 2020). "55 YEARS AGO, 3 KHS BOYS KILLED BY TRAIN AT ELM ST. DEPOT". The Observer Online. Retrieved November 11, 2020.