Southern Secondary

Southern Secondary
Company type	Railroad line
Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad, New Jersey Southern Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey Southern Division
Founded	1870s (as part of Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad)
Headquarters	United States
Area served	New Jersey
Products	Freight rail service
Owner	NJ Transit (South Amboy to Lakewood)
Parent	Conrail Shared Assets Operations (South Amboy to Red Bank), Delaware and Raritan River Railroad (Red Bank to Lakewood)

The Southern Secondary is a railroad line located in New Jersey, with operations managed by Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) from South Amboy to Red Bank, and by the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad (DRR), a Chesapeake and Delaware, LLC subsidiary, from Red Bank to Lakewood. Ownership of the active track from South Amboy to Lakewood lies with NJ Transit. The southern portion, stretching from Red Bank to Lakewood, is dedicated exclusively to freight traffic. Beyond Lakewood, CSAO owns tracks extending to Lakehurst; however, these are currently not in use.

Raritan & Delaware Bay and NJ Southern

Initially constructed as part of the Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad, this line was later incorporated into the New Jersey Southern Railroad before being acquired by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) in 1879.

CNJ Southern Division (1879–1976)

Starting in 1879, CNJ operated this route as its Southern Division, running from Red Bank down to Delaware Bay at Bivalve and Bayside. Between 1929 and 1941, it was known for hosting CNJ’s famous passenger service, the Blue Comet. The line experienced prosperity until the 1940s, after which widespread declines in the rail industry impacted its operations. Passenger services were discontinued in 1957, shifting the focus entirely to freight, particularly sand transport. By the 1970s, general freight volumes had sharply decreased. In 1976, Conrail took over management and by 1978 had cut the connection between Woodmansie and Winslow Junction, ending its function as a continuous link between South and North Jersey. Within ten years, operations were further reduced to terminate at Lakehurst.

Conrail Shared Assets Operations (1999–present)

Since June 1, 1999, Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) has been responsible for running the line. Despite some gains in the rail sector overall, customer activity on this line declined, resulting in a reduction of service in 2010 back to Lakewood. The Toms River Industrial Track segment between Lakehurst and Toms River was taken out of service after all rail customers ceased shipments.

As of July 1, 2022, CSAO began interchanging with the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad at Red Bank. Although common carrier responsibilities shifted to DRR on part of the route, CSAO retains trackage rights across the entire line.

Delaware and Raritan River Railroad (2022–present)

On July 1, 2022, the Delaware and Raritan River Railroad (DRR) assumed common carrier duties for the section between Red Bank and Lakewood, providing service to all customers along this stretch.

Current operations

The portion between Red Bank and Naval Weapons Station Earle is presently out of use but kept intact. Freight service is provided by DRR from Earle to Lakewood, with freight cars routed through Jamesburg via the Freehold Secondary. There are four remaining customers served:

Laird & Company, located in Colts Neck (Scobeyville): Recognized as America’s oldest applejack distillery; receives shipments of ethanol/ethyl alcohol through Brick Recycling’s siding along Route 34.
U.S. Navy Weapons Station Earle, Howell: Connected to rail infrastructure here; receives service approximately once every ten years.
Extech Building Materials, Howell: Receives deliveries of construction materials.
Woodhaven Lumber, Lakewood: Handles lumber shipments.

External links