Martin Luther King Drive station

Martin Luther King Drive station is a station of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail in the Jackson Hill neighborhood of Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. Located on the east side of Martin Luther King Drive (Hudson County Route 609, named for Martin Luther King Jr.) near the intersection with Virginia Avenue, the station is a two side platform, two track structure on the West Side Avenue branch of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail. Train service through Martin Luther King Drive station goes from West Side Avenue in Jersey City to the Tonnelle Avenue station in North Bergen. The station is accessible for those with disabilities as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 with ramps to the train-level platform. Martin Luther King Drive station opened on April 15, 2000 along with the rest of the West Side Avenue branch as part of the original operating segment.[2]

Martin Luther King Drive
Martin Luther King Drive station platform in April 2015
General information
LocationMartin Luther King Drive and Virginia Avenue
Jersey City, New Jersey
Coordinates 40°42′44″N 74°04′38″W
Owned byNew Jersey Transit
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport NJ Transit Bus: 6, 81, 87
Construction
Bicycle facilitiesYes[1]
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone1
History
OpenedApril 15, 2000 (April 15, 2000)[2]
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station
West Side Avenue
Terminus
 West Side–Tonnelle Garfield Avenue
toward Tonnelle Avenue
Former services
Preceding station Central Railroad of New Jersey Following station
West Side Avenue
toward Newark
 Newark and New York Branch
Jackson Avenue
 Arlington Avenue
toward Jersey City

History

Jersey Central station

Martin Luther King Drive station is located just east of the former Central Railroad of New Jersey station at the same street, Jackson Avenue. Service in the area began a block west at Bergen Avenue in a cut through Bergen Hill for the Newark and New York Railroad, a branch that ran from Lafayette Street Terminal in Newark to the Communipaw station in Jersey City, where it met with the Central Railroad of New Jersey mainline, on July 23, 1869.[3] In 1877, the station was moved east to the Jackson Avenue crossing. The station was replaced in 1892 and once again in 1911. The CNJ and Lehigh Valley Railroad shared the station from 1913 to 1918.[4] Service to Lafayette Street ended abruptly on February 3, 1946, when a steamship crashed into a bridge over the Hackensack River, taking out two spans.[5] Service to Jackson Avenue for passengers as a result ended on May 6, 1948.[6] The CNJ sold the ornate 1911 station in 1951 for various purposes and was demolished after Autumn 2011.[4][7][8]

HBLR station

The station opened on April 15, 2000.[2] It was raised to a level crossing to improve pedestrian access. It is the site of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Jersey City.

In early 2019, it was announced that the West Side Avenue, Martin Luther King Drive, and Garfield Avenue stations on the West Side Branch would close for nine months starting in June 2019 for repairs to a sewer line running along he right-of-way. During that time, replacement service would be provided by NJ Transit shuttle buses.[9][10]

Station layout
Side platform, doors will open on the right Disabled access
Southbound ←      West Side–Tonnelle toward West Side Avenue (Terminus)
Northbound →      West Side–Tonnelle toward Tonnelle Avenue (Garfield Avenue) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right Disabled access

Sited at its entrance is Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.[11] and other related public art.[12]

Vicinity
1915 view of Jackson Avenue station

Martin Luther King Drive was once called Jackson Avenue, and until 1947, Public Service Railway's # 7 Jackson streetcar line ran along it. A small block called Jackson still exists that was not included in a realignment.[13] It was later named in honor of the slain civil right leader Martin Luther King, Jr., who had twice spoken in the city.[14] The drive has been the heart of the African American community in Jersey City for decades, and has sometimes been called "The Hill",[15][16][17] though the area is not within the state designated Bergen Hill Historic District. The 100th affiliate of the National Urban League is located on MLK Drive.,[18][19] which is one of the city's shopping districts.[20] The Cunningham Branch of the Jersey City Public Library, the city's newest branch, named for former mayor Glenn Dale Cunningham, is located on MLK Drive.[21] Lincoln High School and St. Patrick's Parish and Buildings are nearby, both northeast of the station.

References
  1. "Martin Luther King Drive Light Rail Station Jersey City". NJ Transit. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  2. Canal, Alberto (April 16, 2000). "Leaders Cheer Light Rail Opening as Hudson Steps Into 21st Century". The Jersey Journal. Jersey City, New Jersey. pp. A1, A8. Retrieved March 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. Urquhart, Frank J. (2017). A History of the city of Newark, New Jersey, Volume 1. Altenmünster, Germany: Jazzybee Verlag Jürgen Beck. ISBN 978-3-8496-4990-6. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  4. Bernhart, Benjamin L. (2004). Historic Journeys By Rail: Central Railroad of New Jersey Stations, Structures & Marine Equipment. Outer Station Project. p. 103. ISBN 1-891402-07-2.
  5. "Railroad Ripples". The Passaic Daily News. Passaic, New Jersey. October 4, 1889. p. 3. Retrieved November 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. "CNJ to Drop Part of Branch". The Plainfield Evening News. Plainfield, New Jersey. May 6, 1948. p. 2. Retrieved November 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. "Jackson Avenue Station". Railfan.net. June 8, 2001. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  8. "Jackson Avenue Station". Railfan.net. June 8, 2001. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  9. McDonald, Terrence T. (March 7, 2019). "Light rail riders sound off on planned route suspension in Jersey City". nj.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  10. "West Side Avenue Light Rail Service to be Suspended Until 2020". Jersey Digs. February 8, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  11. "Art: Memorializing Civil Rights Era", The New York Times, April 16, 2001, retrieved January 20, 2012
  12. "MLK Station photos". Subwaynut.com. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  13. Hudson County New Jersey Street Map. Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2008. ISBN 978-0-88097-763-0.
  14. "Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches in Jersey City". Cityofjerseycity.org. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  15. "JCRA The Hill". Thejcra.org. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  16. "MLK Drive". Thejcra.org. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  17. "The Hill". Thejcra.org. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  18. "National Urban League of Hudson County". Ulohc.org. September 19, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  19. "MLK Redevelopment Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  20. "JC Shoppring Districts". Jerseycityonline.com. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  21. "Glenn D. Cunningham Branch". Jersey City Free Public Library. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
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