Lyons station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lyons
The station at Lyons in September 2020. The station depot, built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, is seen behind the canopy.
Location	4 Lyons Road, Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07059
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	Lakeland: 78
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	712 (Delaware, Lackawanna and Western)
Fare zone	14
History
Opened	January 29, 1872
Rebuilt	December 15, 1930–1931
Electrified	January 6, 1931
Key dates
October 23, 1918	Station shelter burned
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	385 (average weekday)
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Basking Ridge toward Gladstone Gladstone Branch Millington toward New York Penn Station or Hoboken
Former services Preceding station Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Following station Basking Ridge toward Gladstone Gladstone Branch Millington toward Hoboken
Lyons Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Somerset County, New Jersey Show map of Somerset County, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Area	0.2 acres (0.081 ha)
Built	1931 (1931)
Architect	D.T. Mack
Architectural style	Tudor Revival, Mission Revival/Spanish Revival
MPS	Operating Passenger Railroad Stations TR
NRHP reference No.	84002805
Added to NRHP	June 22, 1984

Lyons is a New Jersey Transit station in Basking Ridge, New Jersey along the Gladstone Branch of the Morris & Essex Lines. The station serves south Basking Ridge as well as the Hills and Liberty Corner.

History

Lyons station was originally built in 1931 by Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad to coincide with electrification and to serve the new VA Medical Center in Lyons (opened in 1930). It was the last station built by the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad in New Jersey and the second-to-last station depot built overall by the DL&W, behind the station at Syracuse, New York in 1941. The single station building, on the north side of the single track, is a Tudor Revival and Mission Revival style structure. Designed by Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad architect D.T. Mack or one of his staff, it is of brick and stucco construction and has limestone trim with carved rosette ornamentation at the gable ends. The station depot also features freight doors on the right side. A brass ornamental arch stands on the westernmost part of the platform. The station building was listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on March 17, 1984 and in National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1984 as part of the Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource.

In 2014 Bernards Township applied for a grant to repoint, and perform structural repairs on the station building. Bernards was later awarded a $103,000 grant to fund those improvements. In November 2015, it was announced that Bernards Township was awarded a second grant of $96,580 through the Somerset County Historic Preservation Commission to restore the station depot and canopy. In January 2016, restoration work began on the station canopy. On December 29, 2015, the firm Daniel W. Lincoln of Bernardsville was awarded the $11,350 contract for design/construction services of the canopy at a committee meeting. Restoration work began in January 2016. In late 2017, restoration work began on the station depot, as the cream paint on the outer facade was removed and the facade was restored to display the original brick and stucco underneath. In June 2018, the station depot received a new coating of stucco.

Station layout

The station has one side platform, which is mostly low-level except for a mini-high platform and ramp for disabled passengers on the eastern end. This makes Lyons one of the only stations along the Gladstone Branch that is handicap-accessible. The station building is open on weekdays only from 5:05 AM to 1:05 PM with a break from 9:50 AM to 10:20 AM. Two Ticket Vending Machines (TVM) and bicycle racks are located next to the station building. To the left of the building is a small outdoor waiting area with benches. There is a railroad crossing on either end of the station allowing access to the far parking lot. Bicycle racks are located right outside the station depot. The 95-space parking lot on the platform side is owned by the municipality for permit parking, while the 236-space far parking lot owned by Park America is used for both daily and permit parking.