Transport of New Jersey

Transport of New Jersey

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Public transportation
Predecessor	Public Service Coordinated Transport
Founded	1917
Defunct	1980
Fate	Operations taken over by NJ Transit
Headquarters	United States
Area served	New Jersey
Parent	Public Service Electric and Gas Company

Transport of New Jersey (TNJ), previously known as Public Service Transportation and Public Service Coordinated Transport, was a streetcar and bus operator serving New Jersey from 1917 until its operations were taken over by NJ Transit in 1980. The company was a subsidiary of the Public Service Corporation, which is currently recognized as the Public Service Electric and Gas Company.

20th century

At the start of the 20th century, Public Service Railway managed the majority of trolley systems throughout New Jersey, with lines stretching from northeastern regions to Trenton, and extending southward to Camden and nearby communities. Notable assets included:

• The Newark Public Service Terminal, a two-story transit center located in downtown Newark.
• The Hoboken Inclined Cable Railway, an elevated rail line running from Hoboken Terminal ascending the New Jersey Palisades into Jersey City and continuing south near Journal Square.
• The Newark-Trenton Fast Line, an interurban streetcar primarily operating on dedicated right-of-way between Newark and Trenton.

In 1917, Public Service Transportation was created as a bus-focused branch to support the trolley network. A decade later, in 1928, these two companies merged to form Public Service Coordinated Transport, which progressively phased out most streetcar lines in favor of bus services.

The company was rebranded as Transport of New Jersey in 1971. In 1980, PSE&G sold TNJ to the New Jersey Transit Corporation. Although TNJ had been a major revenue generator earlier in the century, PSE&G increasingly regarded its less profitable routes as liabilities and believed that state oversight could enhance service quality. PSE&G chairman Robert Smith characterized the transaction as "getting rid of a headache." Numerous former PSCT/TNJ bus routes continue to operate under NJ Transit, often preserving their original route numbers.

Following extensive conversion from streetcars to buses, only the #7 line remained as the Newark City Subway.

21st century

Entering the 21st century, this surviving line underwent modernization for contemporary light rail vehicles and was extended northward into Bloomfield, adopting the name Newark Light Rail. Additionally, a refurbished segment of an old spur tunnel leading to the defunct Cedar Street Subway was utilized to connect a second light rail line that commenced service in 2006.

See also

• List of Public Service Railway lines
• Midtown Bridge (Hackensack River)

External links

• Light Rail Now: January 2004 Northern New Jersey Light Rail Spectacular Comeback

• New York Times, July 11, 1904 Buys Kearny Meadows Tract: Trolley Company May Shorten Newark-Jersey City Route
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NJ-65, "Public Service Railway Company, Newton Avenue Car Shops"