Passaic station (Erie Railroad)

This article is about the Erie Railroad station. For the current New Jersey Transit station, see Passaic station (NJ Transit).

Passaic
General information
Location	Main Street and Jefferson Street, Passaic, New Jersey
Coordinates	40.8627°N 74.1277°W / 40.8627; -74.1277
Owned by	Erie Railroad (1883–1960) Erie Lackawanna Railway (1960–1963)
Line(s)	Erie Railroad Main Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2 main line
Construction
Platform levels	1
Other information
Station code	2131
History
Opened	May 28, 1832
Closed	April 2, 1963
Rebuilt	1883 March 9, 1928 1954–November 1954
Key dates
December 22, 1926	1883 station depot burns
April 1954	1928 station depot razed
September 1972	1954 station depot razed
Former services
Preceding station Erie Railroad Following station Clifton toward Chicago Main Line Passaic Park toward Jersey City Harrison Street toward Chicago Prospect Street toward Jersey City

Passaic station was a railroad station for the Erie Railroad in downtown Passaic, New Jersey. The station sat in the center of Main Street at the corner of Madison Street. Though there were three other stations in the city — Prospect Street and Passaic Park to the east, and Harrison Street to the west — the simply named Passaic station was the primary station for the city, located at grade in the busiest section of its main business street.

History

The station opened on May 28, 1832. Passaic station was rebuilt in 1883 as the main station for Passaic. It was also rebuilt in November 1954.

Passaic Plan

The site of the Passaic station in October 2013

During the 1950s and 1960s, competing priorities from agencies around the cities of Paterson and Passaic were beginning to form. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, a competing railroad with the Erie, wanted to condense (along with the Erie) services and share trackage because of financial troubles. Secondly, the city officials in Passaic had first brought a proposal to the Erie asking about the removal of the main line through the city, which was tying up traffic in the city during station stops. This, however, was not implemented during the 1950s, as proposed. Instead, the Erie reconstructed the stations at Passaic and Clifton. Third, the New Jersey State Highway Department needed rights-of-way for Interstate 80 through Paterson and State Route 21 through Passaic. The Passaic Park station and the BE Drawbridge over the Passaic River needed to be demolished to build Route 21.

After the merger on October 17, 1960, between the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western and the Erie, the city officials in Passaic once again brought back the possibility of removing the tracks through Main Street, Passaic. This time, the newly formed Erie Lackawanna Railway went forward with it, beginning the process to move its main line onto the former Boonton Branch through Lyndhurst, Passaic and Clifton. In April 1963 the last train passed through the station. The main line was abandoned past Carlton Hill, and BE Drawbridge was swung in the open position, and soon put up for sale price of $0.00 in 1964 by the mayor of Passaic.

External links

• The Erie Lackawanna Main Lines