Metropark (NJT station)

Metropark Station
View from south/westbound platform, facing SW. Station was renovated after this picture was taken.
Station statistics
Address	100 Middlesex-Essex Turnpike Iselin, NJ 08830
Coordinates	40°34′05″N 74°19′47″W / 40.56808°N 74.329795°W / 40.56808; -74.329795Coordinates: 40°34′05″N 74°19′47″W / 40.56808°N 74.329795°W / 40.56808; -74.329795
Lines	Amtrak:   Acela Express   Keystone Service   Northeast Regional   Vermonter New Jersey Transit:   Northeast Corridor Line
Connections	NJT Bus: 801–805 (Metropark loops)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Parking	3,615 spaces
Other information
Opened	1972
Rebuilt	2007–2010 (refurbishment)
Accessible
Code	MET
Fare zone	10 (New Jersey Transit)
Traffic
Passengers (2010)	7,145 (average weekday)  3.18% (NJT)
Passengers (2010)	388,371[1]  5.1% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Trenton toward Washington, D.C. Acela Express Newark toward Boston South Station New Brunswick toward Harrisburg Keystone Service Newark Liberty Int'l Airport toward New York City New Brunswick toward Newport News or Lynchburg Northeast Regional Newark Liberty Int'l Airport toward Boston South Station or Springfield Trenton toward Washington, D.C. Vermonter weekends only Newark toward St. Albans NJ Transit Rail Metuchen toward Trenton Northeast Corridor Line Rahway toward New York Penn Station

Metropark Station is the name of a train station in Edison Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey, which is served by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains on the Northeast Corridor Line. Metropark Station takes its name from a nearby office park in Iselin, a neighborhood in Woodbridge Township.

Station layout and location

The station lies near Iselin section of Woodbridge Township, north of the intersection of Thornall Street and Wood Avenue. It is accessible via Exits 130, 131, 131A, or 131B of the Garden State Parkway.

History

Metropark was first proposed in late 1968, under a plan introduced by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).^[2] The plan was part of the larger Metroliner Service being rolled out by the Penn Central Railroad and (later) Amtrak. As businesses and people fled the urban cores the Metropark station was conceived to serve this new suburban market. The location was right off of the Garden State Parkway to allow for easy access by automobile and a large business park was constructed adjacent to the station to further induce demand for rail services.

The Metropark station was dedicated on November 11, 1971 by Amtrak.^[3] Commuter trains began stopping at Metropark in 1972 and the nearby Iselin station was closed (and, a few years later, Colonia). In a similar move suburban ring stations were opened at New Carrollton, Maryland near Washington, DC and Route 128 near Boston, Massachusetts about the same time.

Renovation

In January 2007, NJ Transit announced a nearly $30 million renovation plan for the station, to be completed by 2010.^[4] Reconstruction was completed in summer 2009, and cost $47 million. Climate-controlled shelters and LCD train information system were installed, platforms and canopies were lengthened and the station building was enlarged as part of the project.^[1] As part of the renovation new signage has been installed; all of the new signs refer to the station by its full name of "Metropark Station".

Available service

The Metropark station is served by these Amtrak routes:

• Acela Express
• Keystone Service
• Northeast Regional
• Vermonter on weekends only

The station is also served by New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor commuter rail line, as well as NJ Transit Bus Number 62 [1].

Ridership

Amtrak

While Amtrak trains skip many stations between Trenton and Newark Penn Station, most Amtrak trains stop at Metropark, despite having to switch to the outside (local) tracks in order to do so. Two switching points (interlockings MENLO and ISELIN) before and after the station make this task more convenient than at the other NJ stations.

Of the six New Jersey stations served by Amtrak, Metropark was the third-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 1050 passengers daily.^[1]

New Jersey Transit

Metropark is the busiest New Jersey Transit station apart from the city terminals; it has held this distinction since 2001.^[5] Along with Princeton Junction in 2006, Metropark was the first non-terminal station to have over 7,000 weekday boardings.^[5]

Metropark Loops

These rush hour loops servicing office parks around Metropark are operated from Academy Express LLC's Perth Amboy garage.

Route	Serving	Terminal
801	Lincoln Highway Oak Tree Road	Edison JFK Hospital
802	Green Street Gill Lane	Woodbridge Woodbridge Corporate Park
803	Gill Lane Woodbridge Center Drive	Woodbridge Woodbridge Center OR Woodbridge Railroad Station
804	Wood Avenue	Edison Wood Ave/Inman Ave.
805	Thornall Street Ford Avenue	Edison Menlo Park Mall OR Ford Ave/Main St.

Parking

Metropark has a multi-story^[6] parking facility that is open at all times. The parking fee is $5 for up to 12 hours, $7 for up to 16 hours, and $9 for up to 24 hours. Annual, semi-annual, and quarterly parking permits are available for discounted rates ($70.00 per month). Drivers may park in either of the two multi-level parking decks using their proximity card for entry and exit. Daily parking users take a ticket upon entry, which must be paid for before exiting the facility. Several self-service kiosks within the garages allow users to pay their daily parking fee before returning to their vehicle.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of New Jersey" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/NEWJERSEY10.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 
2. ^ "Commuter Rail Station in Jersey to Have Parking for 776 Cars". The New York Times: p. 54. December 29, 1968. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00B15F9395F127A93CBAB1789D95F4C8685F9. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
3. ^ Witkin, Richard (November 12, 1971). "A Park-and-Ride Rail Station Is Dedicated in Jersey". The New York Times: p. 49. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B13FA3B5C1A7493C0A8178AD95F458785F9. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
4. ^ Chang, Kathy (January 4, 2007). "Metropark to Get $30 Million Makeover". Edison-Metuchen Sentinel. http://ems.gmnews.com/news/2007-01-04/Front_Page/034.html. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "New Jersey Transit rail boarding numbers 2007-1999". Berkeley. https://webfiles.berkeley.edu/~lensovet/njtboardingdata.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-28. 
6. ^ "Metropark Parking". Metropark Parking. http://www.metroparkparking.com/. Retrieved 2008-06-28. ^{[dead link]}

Sources

• New Jersey Transit's Capital Improvement Program: Metropark Platform Rehabilitation
• PRR Chronology, late 1970 and 1971
• PRR Chronology, 1972

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Metropark

• NJT rail station information page for Metropark
• DepartureVision real time train information for Metropark
• NJT Northeast Corridor Line schedule
• Parking at MetroPark
• Application for parking permits
• Metropark (USA RailGuide – TrainWeb)
• Station from Google Maps Street View