Hoboken Terminal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal from the Hudson River in 2012
Location	1 Hudson Place Hoboken, New Jersey
Owned by	New Jersey Transit (street level) Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (underground)
Line(s)	Hoboken Division Uptown and Downtown Hudson Tubes
Platforms	9 island platforms, 1 side platform
Tracks	18
Connections	NY Waterway NJ Transit Bus: 22, 23, 63, 64, 68, 85, 87, 89, 126
Construction
Platform levels	2
Bicycle facilities	88 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	HOB 20496, 20497 (NJT Bus)
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	February 25, 1907
Electrified	September 3, 1930: 25 kV 60 Hz (commuter rail) 600 V (DC) third rail (PATH) 750 V DC Overhead lines (light rail)
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	15,628 (average weekday) (NJT)
Passengers (2018)	8,267,843  6.1% (PATH)
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Newark Penn Station toward Bay Head North Jersey Coast Line limited service Terminus Newark Penn Station toward High Bridge Raritan Valley Line limited service Newark Broad Street toward Hackettstown Montclair-Boonton Line Morristown Line Newark Broad Street toward Gladstone Gladstone Branch Secaucus Junction toward Spring Valley Pascack Valley Line Secaucus Junction toward Suffern Main Line Bergen County Line Secaucus Junction toward Meadowlands Meadowlands Rail Line Preceding station Metro-North Following station Secaucus Junction towards Port Jervis Port Jervis Line Terminus
Former services Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Arlington toward Hackettstown Boonton Line until 2002 Terminus Newark Broad Street toward Bay Street Montclair Branch until 2002 Harrison toward Bay Street Montclair Branch until 1984 Preceding station Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Following station Newark toward Buffalo Main Line Terminus Harrison toward Montclair Montclair Branch Newark toward Gladstone Gladstone Branch Kingsland toward Dover Boonton Branch
Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Terminal at Hoboken
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Hudson County, New Jersey Show map of Hudson County, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	On the Hudson River at the foot of Hudson Place, Hoboken, New Jersey
Area	4 acres (2 ha)
Built	1907
Architect	Kenneth MacKenzie Murchison
Architectural style	American Industrial
NRHP reference No.	73001102
Added to NRHP	July 24, 1973

Hoboken Terminal is a really important transportation hub in Hoboken, New Jersey. It's like a giant meeting point where many different types of trains, buses, and ferries come together. More than 50,000 people use this terminal every day! This makes it one of the busiest train stations in North America. It's also a super important place for people traveling in the New York metropolitan area.

You can catch NJ Transit commuter trains, the PATH subway system, the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail, various buses, and even NY Waterway ferries to Manhattan from here. Hoboken Terminal is designed to be easy for everyone to use, including those in wheelchairs.

History of Hoboken Terminal

The area where Hoboken Terminal stands has been a busy spot for travel for a very long time. Even before cars and trains, people used this spot to link Manhattan Island with places to the west. It was a popular ferry landing, reached by old roads called turnpikes. In 1811, the first steam-powered ferries started running here, thanks to an inventor named John Stevens, who also founded Hoboken.

Hoboken Terminal under construction, 1907

Hoboken Terminal shortly after its construction

As railroads grew, more and more travelers came to the west side of the Hudson River. If you wanted to go to Manhattan from most of the United States, you had to switch to a ferry at the riverbank. Tunnels were built through Bergen Hill to connect the trains to the ferry terminals. The first tunnel opened in 1876.

The modern Hoboken Terminal was built in 1907 by the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad (DL&W). They also opened a second tunnel in 1908. Both of these tunnels are still used by NJ Transit today. The PATH subway system, which was then called the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, also extended its lines to Hoboken Terminal when it opened. The first PATH train left the terminal on February 26, 1908.

At one point, there were five major train terminals along the Hudson River waterfront, all run by different companies. Hoboken Terminal is the only one still in use today! The others were taken down in the 1960s.

In 1976, a company called Conrail took over the terminal. Then, in 1983, New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) bought the terminal and other rail properties in northern New Jersey.

Long ago, many streetcar lines also started and ended at the station. These were replaced by buses by 1949.

Hoboken Terminal around 1954

Ferry service from the terminal to lower Manhattan stopped in 1967. But it started again in 1989 and moved back into the beautiful, restored ferry slips inside the historic terminal in 2011. The terminal's tall clock tower was also rebuilt between 2005 and 2009. The building's walls were even taken down and rebuilt to look just like they did when it first opened!

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused a lot of damage to the station. Water rose as high as 5 feet inside the building and 8 feet in the PATH tunnels. The main waiting room reopened in January 2013, and train services were slowly brought back to normal by March 2013.

Cool Facts About Hoboken Terminal

In 1930, famous inventor Thomas Edison was there for the first trip of a regular electric train from Hoboken Terminal. This station also had one of the first public air-conditioning systems. Plus, it was one of the first places where mobile phones were used outside of experiments!

Because of its unique look, the station has been used in many movies and music videos. Some famous films shot here include Funny Girl, Three Days of the Condor, and Once Upon a Time in America.

Services at Hoboken Terminal

Hoboken Terminal is a very busy place with many ways to travel!

Commuter Rail

Hoboken Terminal is the main station for NJ Transit's Hoboken Division. This includes many train lines that serve northern New Jersey. Some of the lines you can catch here are:

• Main Line
• Bergen County Line
• Pascack Valley Line
• Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch
• Montclair-Boonton Line
• North Jersey Coast Line (limited service)
• Meadowlands Rail Line (for special events)
• Port Jervis Line
• Raritan Valley Line (one morning train on weekdays)

You can connect to other NJ Transit train lines at Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction, or Newark Broad Street.

PATH Subway System

Hoboken
PATH rapid transit station
PATH station platforms
Services
Preceding station PATH Following station Terminus HOB–WTC Weekdays Newport toward World Trade Center HOB–33 Weekdays Christopher Street toward 33rd Street Newport toward Journal Square JSQ–33 (via HOB) Weeknights Weekends Holidays

PATH trains run 24 hours a day from an underground station with three tracks. You can enter the PATH station from the main terminal or directly from the street. There are elevators and stairs to help you get down to the platforms.

G	Street Level	Exit/entrance
B1	Mezzanine	Fare control, transfer to NJ Transit services
B2 Platform level	Eastbound	←      JSQ–33 (via HOB) weekends toward 33rd Street or Journal Square (Christopher Street or Newport) ←      HOB–WTC weekdays toward World Trade Center (Newport)	Mezzanine access
	Island platform
	Eastbound	←      HOB–33 weekdays toward 33rd Street (Christopher Street) ←      JSQ–33 (via HOB) weekends toward 33rd Street or Journal Square (Christopher Street or Newport) ←      HOB–WTC weekdays toward World Trade Center (Newport)
	Island platform
	Eastbound	←      HOB–33 weekdays toward 33rd Street (Christopher Street) ←      JSQ–33 (via HOB) weekends toward 33rd Street or Journal Square (Christopher Street or Newport)
	Side platform

Light Rail

Hoboken
HBLR platform at tracks H1 and H2
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Terminus Hoboken–Tonnelle 2nd Street toward Tonnelle Avenue Newport toward 8th Street 8th Street–Hoboken Terminus Bayonne Flyer

Hoboken Terminal is the end point for two of the three Hudson-Bergen Light Rail routes. The light rail platforms are located south of the main terminal building. You can also walk from here to 14th Street along the Hudson River.

Ground/platform level Exit/entrance to 14th Street and Hoboken Terminal
	Track H1	←      Hoboken–Tonnelle toward Tonnelle Avenue (2nd Street) ←      8th Street–Hoboken toward 8th Street (Newport) ←      Bayonne Flyer toward 8th Street (rush hours) (Newport)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
	Track H2	←      Hoboken–Tonnelle toward Tonnelle Avenue (2nd Street) ←      8th Street–Hoboken toward 8th Street (Newport) ←      Bayonne Flyer toward 8th Street (rush hours) (Newport)
	Track H4	←      Hoboken–Tonnelle toward Tonnelle Avenue (2nd Street) ←      8th Street–Hoboken toward 8th Street (Newport) ←      Bayonne Flyer toward 8th Street (rush hours) (Newport)
	Side platform, doors will open on the left

Ferry Service

NY Waterway operates ferry service from Hoboken Terminal. You can take a ferry to places like Brookfield Place Terminal and Pier 11/Wall Street every day. On weekdays, you can also go to the West Midtown Ferry Terminal. The ferry area has five slips where boats dock.

Bus Service

Ten different bus routes operated by New Jersey Transit Bus Operations serve Hoboken Terminal. The buses leave from different lanes. For example, bus route 126 goes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. Other routes go to various towns in New Jersey like Jersey City, East Rutherford, and Lakewood.

Past Long-Distance Trains

The Phoebe Snow at Hoboken Terminal in September 1965

Before the 1960s, Hoboken Terminal was also a major station for long-distance trains. These trains would travel far beyond the daily commuter routes, going all the way to cities like Buffalo and Chicago. Some famous trains like the Phoebe Snow and the Erie Limited used to start their journeys from Hoboken Terminal.

Design and Landmark Status

The Hoboken Terminal buildings were designed by architect Kenneth M. Murchison in a beautiful style called Beaux-Arts. They were built in 1907. Today, the terminal is recognized as a historic place and is listed on both the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.

The main waiting room is very large and is considered one of the most beautiful in the U.S. It has amazing stained glass designs by Louis Comfort Tiffany that show flowers and Greek patterns. The outside of the terminal is more than four stories tall and has a special copper covering with fancy details.

A tall, 225-foot clock tower was part of the original terminal. But it had to be taken down in the 1950s because it was damaged by weather. A new clock tower, which looks exactly like the original, was built during the terminal's 100th anniversary in 2007. This new tower has 4-foot-high copper letters that spell out "LACKAWANNA" and light up at night.

Hoboken Terminal is seen as a very important building in the history of transportation in America. It brought together trains, ferries, subways, streetcars (and later buses and light-rail) all in one place. It was also one of the first stations to use a special type of train shed called the Bush-type, which became very popular.

Around the Terminal and How to Get There

At Warrington Plaza

Even though the main passenger areas are in Hoboken, some of the train tracks and other parts of the system are actually in Jersey City. The border between Hoboken and Jersey City runs through the train yard.

It's a bit tricky to drive right up to the station. Buses can enter their special terminal area. Other cars have to turn onto Hudson Place, which is a short street right next to the station. This street is where you can get dropped off or picked up, and there's a special area for taxis. To leave the terminal by car, you have to drive north on River Street for at least one block.

Hudson Place leads to a square called Warrington Plaza. Here you'll find the main entrance to the waiting room. There's also a statue of Sam Sloan, who was the president of the DL&W railroad. The plaza is named after George Warrington, who helped save and buy the station for NJ Transit.

In 2009, it became easier for people to walk to the terminal from the south side. A new part of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway opened, connecting to the terminal. This walkway lets you walk along the Hudson River for a long distance.

Images for kids

• 

  Ferry slips before restoration as seen from the Hudson River

• 

  Hoboken Terminal from the water on an autumn afternoon in 1996

• 

  Clock tower being replaced as part of extensive renovations

• 

  Hoboken Terminal from the water, 2013

• 

  HBLR platform at tracks H1 and H2

• 

  Ferry terminal in use between 1989 and 2011 for WFC-bound boats

• 

  Hudson Place street stair to PATH

• 

  NJ Transit commuter rail platforms

• 

  Commuter rail platform area

• 

  One of two fare control areas of the PATH station

• 

  Looking west in Hoboken Terminal waiting room

• 

  Ice Water faucet inside the main terminal

• 

  An Erie Lackawanna commuter train arriving at Hoboken in November 1978

• 

  Hoboken Terminus after a heavy snow storm in 2010

• NJT rail station information page for Hoboken Terminal
• DepartureVision real time train information for Hoboken Terminal
• NJT Hudson–Bergen Light Rail station information page for Hoboken Terminal
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NJ-59, "Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and Ferry Terminal, Ferry Slips and Bridges"
• HAER No. NJ-135-A, "Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Freight and Rail Yard, Long Slip Canal"
• HAER No. NJ-135-B, "Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Freight and Rail Yard, Multiple Unit Light Inspection Shed"

See also

In Spanish: Terminal Hoboken para niños