Main Line (NJ Transit)
| Company type | Commuter rail route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Headquarters | Hoboken , United States |
Area served | New Jersey, New York |
| Owner | New Jersey Transit |
| Parent | New Jersey Transit Rail Operations |
| Website | www |
The Main Line—also known as the Erie Main Line—is a commuter rail route managed and owned by New Jersey Transit, extending from Suffern, New York to Hoboken, New Jersey, United States. This line offers daily commuter rail service and was once the primary north–south artery of the former Erie Railroad. On NJ Transit’s system maps, it is represented in yellow and marked with a water wheel icon.
The Bergen County Line branches off from the Main Line just west of Secaucus Junction and later reconnects at Ridgewood. Both lines operate push-pull trains, generally powered by diesel locomotives positioned at the western end.
History
The main route of the Erie Railroad stretched from Jersey City all the way to Chicago, passing through significant cities such as Binghamton, Akron, and Huntington, Indiana. In the regions of New Jersey and southern New York State, it provided frequent commuter service to the former Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, which connected passengers to Manhattan via the Pavonia Ferry.
Prominent long-distance trains like the Atlantic Express and Pacific Express, Erie Limited, and Lake Cities operated along this corridor until 1965. These services linked communities including Passaic, Paterson, Ridgewood, extending northwestward to Chicago.
In 1963, the section of the Erie Main Line south of Paterson leading to its connection with the Bergen County Line near Carlton Hill in Rutherford was abandoned. Subsequently, service was rerouted onto the former Lackawanna Boonton Branch south of Paterson via the Lyndhurst Draw and Upper Hack Lift bridges, as the original downtown Passaic route was discontinued. The Boonton Line utilized Erie’s former Greenwood Lake division up to its junction with the Lackawanna Boonton Branch at Mountain View in Wayne due to highway construction—specifically Interstate 80 and New Jersey State Highway 19—on the Lackawanna right-of-way in Paterson. Around 1959, Erie’s terminal in Jersey City closed after all operations shifted to Lackawanna's Hoboken Terminal.
During Erie Lackawanna's tenure, new GE U34CH diesel locomotives and Comet I passenger cars were introduced in 1970; these units continued service through NJ DOT and Conrail periods into NJ Transit’s administration. Metro-North took over operations north of Suffern in 1983. That same year, Metro-North redirected its Port Jervis Line trains onto the Graham Line freight bypass, discontinuing direct passenger stops at Harriman, Monroe, Goshen, and Middletown. After Secaucus Junction station opened in late 2003, train frequencies increased.
1996 Secaucus collision
On February 9, 1996, a head-on collision occurred between a Main Line train and a Bergen County Line train near Secaucus, resulting in three deaths—including two engineers and one passenger.
Service
Trains depart from the historic Hoboken Terminal, constructed in 1907, crossing city streets and passing under the Hudson Bergen Light Rail before entering the Bergen Tunnels beneath Bergen Hill. Midway through these tunnels are air shafts designed for lighting and ventilation of diesel exhaust. Upon exiting, trains curve right onto the Main Line at West End interlocking in Jersey City. This segment was part of the DL&W Boonton Branch until 1963; nearby connections to what is now the Bergen County Line were constructed around 1956. The site of the 1996 collision is close to this junction. The original Erie alignment has since been replaced by ramps for the New Jersey Turnpike Interchange 15X after rerouting of the Bergen County Line alongside the Main Line through Secaucus Junction.
At Secaucus Junction, all services stop to facilitate passenger transfers among lines including the Northeast Corridor Line, North Jersey Coast Line, Raritan Valley Line, as well as Midtown Direct routes on the Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch, and Montclair–Boonton Line.
Continuing through industrial areas of Secaucus, the Main Line proceeds until the Bergen County Line diverges along its original Erie alignment. It crosses the Hackensack River via a single-track Upper Hack Lift bridge constructed in 1958. After a brief single-track stretch beneath a western spur of the New Jersey Turnpike, double tracks resume as it passes through the Meadowlands area and reaches its first grade crossing at Valley Brook Avenue in Lyndhurst. The line then traverses the 1903 Kingsland tunnel before stopping at Kingsland and Lyndhurst stations.
Beyond Lyndhurst, trains cross a bolted-shut swing bridge over the Passaic River, which must be opened upon request. Approaching Delawanna station underpass beneath Route 3 (New Jersey), trains then stop at Passaic station situated on an embankment. The route continues through industrial zones toward Clifton station.
The Main Line passes underneath both U.S. Route 46 and the Garden State Parkway, then travels across several streets within southern Paterson. It leaves behind its DL&W Boonton Branch alignment to join with Erie main line trackage—a single track around 1963 that was upgraded to double track by 2002. After passing under Interstate 80, it enters downtown Paterson where an elevated Erie station features a central platform.
Heading northward, tracks remain elevated through Paterson before crossing multiple grade crossings within industrial districts. The line then spans another section of the Passaic River via a truss bridge. Hawthorne station follows at ground level; Glen Rock station comes next at a grade crossing.
North of Glen Rock Junction marks where the Main Line merges with Bergen County Line at Ridgewood Junction. Here, track capacity expands to three lines (originally four during Erie operations). Ridgewood station boasts Spanish Revival architecture complemented by modern high-level platforms.
Subsequent stops include Ho-Ho-Kus and Waldwick stations; Waldwick features an unused northbound station building, a pedestrian footbridge connecting platforms, and nearby Waldwick Yard containing a restored WC tower. Beyond a three-track grade crossing near Waldwick Yard, track count reduces back to two.
The line continues with Allendale and Ramsey stations at grade level. Ramsey-Route 17 station—opened August 22, 2004—functions as a park-and-ride facility situated off Route 17 southbound within Ramsey.
Mahwah represents NJ Transit’s final New Jersey stop before trains cross into New York State at Suffern—the ultimate terminus for Main Line commuter service.
Stations
... [Entries for Clifton, Passaic, Paterson omitted for brevity] ... ... [Entries for Glen Rock and Ridgewood omitted] ...| State | Zone | Location | Station | Milepost (km) | Opening date | Closing date | Line services | Connections | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC | ML | PJ | ||||||||
| NJ | 1 | Hoboken | Hoboken Terminal Template:NJT acc | 0.0 (0.0) | 1903 | ● | ● | ● | NJ Transit Rail: Services on Bergen County, Gladstone Branch, Meadowlands Rail Line, Montclair–Boonton, Morristown, North Jersey Coast, Pascack Valley, and Raritan Valley lines Hudson-Bergen Light Rail: 8th Street-Hoboken and Hoboken-Tonnelle routes PATH: HOB-WTC, HOB-33, JSQ-33 (via HOB) NJ Transit Bus: Template:NJ bus link New York Waterway ferry to Battery Park City | |
| Secaucus | Secaucus Junction Template:NJT acc | 3.5 (5.6) | December 15, 2003 | ● | ● | ● | NJ Transit Rail upper level: Gladstone, Montclair–Boonton, Morristown, Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, and Raritan Valley lines NJ Transit Rail lower level: Bergen County, Meadowlands, and Pascack Valley lines NJ Transit Bus: Template:NJ bus link | |||
| 2 | Lyndhurst | Template:Njts | 7.6 (12.2) | December 14, 1870 | June 8, 2025 | ● | NJ Transit Bus: Template:NJ bus link | |||
| Template:Njts | 8.2 (13.2) | December 14, 1870 | ● | |||||||
| 7 | Hawthorne | Template:Njts | 17.7 (28.5) | October 19, 1848 | ● | NJ Transit Bus: Template:NJ bus link | ||||
| 10 | ""Ho-Ho-Kus"" | "Template:Njts" | "22.1 (35.6)" | "October 19, 1848" | "●" | " " | " " | |||
| "Waldwick, New Jersey" | "Template:Njts" | "23.2 (37.3)" | "1886" | "●" | " " | " " | ||||
| "Allendale, New Jersey" | "Template:Njts" | "24.6 (39.6)" | "October 19, 1848" | "●" | " " | " " | ||||
| "Ramsey, New Jersey" | "Ramsey – Main Street (NJT station) Template:NJT acc" | "26.5 (42.6)" | "October 19, 1848" | "●" | " " | " " | ||||
| "Ramsey Route 17 Template:NJT acc" | "27.9 (44.9)" | "August 22, 2004" | "●" | " " | "●" | |||||
| "Mahwah, New Jersey" | "Template:Njts" | "29.1 (46.8)" | "October 19, 1848" | "●" | " " | "●" | "Short Line Bus: 17" | |||
| NY | Suffern, New York | Template:Njts | 30.5 (49.1) | June 30, 1841 | ● | ● | ● |
"Transport of Rockland": Routes 59, 93, Monsey Loop 3, Tappan ZEExpress | ||