The Hudson River Railroad and Terminal Company was incorporated as a New York Susquehanna and Western Railway subsidiary in 1892.[5] The NYSW developed a terminal on what had once been a coal yard for oceangoing ships along the Hudson River shore.[6][7] At the time the Erie Railroad held a controlling interest in the line. In 1907, Erie Terminals Railroad took control of the Edgewater and Fort Lee Railroad[1] which ran to the Hudson County line and connected with the New Jersey Shore Line Railroad,[8] eventually becoming part of a Belt Line along the shore.[9][10]
Extensive railyards and car float operations supported the development of industries which dominated the shoreline for much of the 20th century.[11][page needed][12] Among them were Alcoa Aluminum, Ford Motor Company, Lever Brothers, Valvoline Oil Company, and Archer-Daniels-Midland.[13][12] Eventually the factories closed as industry globalized, facilities became obsolete, and shipping in the port shifted to trucking and containerization.[12] The closure of Ford's Edgewater Assembly Plant in 1955 saw the loss of one of the line's biggest clients.[14][15]
Edgewater Tunnel
The Edgewater Tunnel is a former railroad tunnel through Bergen Hill, the Hudson Palisades. Originally opened in 1894, it was built to gain access to the Hudson River waterfront.[16] About 200 ft (61 m) underground and about 1 mile (1.6 km) long, its western cut and portal is located in the Fairview Cemetery in Fairview and the eastern portal is located in Edgewater. The right-of-way was removed from service in about 1992 and the track was removed shortly thereafter.
The branch line remains in partial use between Undercliff Junction in Ridgefield[20] and the bridge at US Route 1/9 in Fairview east of Route 1/9, but trackage through the cut and tunnel was removed in October 1992. The right-of-way itself has not been abandoned.[21]
During the 1980s and early 1990s, planners and government officials realized that alternative transportation systems needed to be put in place to relieve increasing congestion[22] along the Hudson Waterfront[23] It was decided that the most efficient and cost-effective system to meet the growing demands of the area would be a light rail system.[24][25] When a new transportation network was proposed, it was suggested that the tunnel be used for what became the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, but that idea was ultimately rejected in favor of the Weehawken Tunnel.[26][17] The Hudson Waterfront/River Road corridor has seen extensive residential and commercial development and subsequent congestion since that time, and further studies of a more comprehensive transportation strategy have been conducted.[27][28]
^"Port Board Cuts Railway Tangle – Short Stretch of New Jersey Waterfront Had Been Interchanging Freight by Round-about Routes Circling Far Inland". The New York Times. July 11, 1926. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
^"Removes Last Bar to Belt Line Road – Jersey City's Consent to Track Laying Permits Port Plan to Proceed – System to Link Terminals – Port Authority to Rush Work on $500,000 Improvement to Freight Facilities". The New York Times. July 2, 1925. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
^Adams 1996
^ a b cBaptista, Robert J. (December 16, 2012). "The Chemical Industry of Shadyside (Edgewater), New Jersey". Colorant.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Hall 2005, p. 26
^Mohowski 2003, p. 172
^"Independence Harbor". www.independence-harbor.com. 2019. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^Cheslow, Jerry (July 30, 1995). "If You're Thinking of Living In: Edgewater; Factory Town Is Now Bedroom Community". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
^ a bChen, David (October 15, 1995). "Road and Rail: Champions Seek Use for Old Tunnel". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^"Technical Info". Hudson Project. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^McGeehan, Patrick (December 27, 2012). "Crew lays power cable the Hudson". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^Google (March 8, 2015). "Undercliff Junction, Ridgefield, Bergen County, New Jersey 07657" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
^"New Jerey's Rail Network" (PDF). NJDOT. November 15, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^Demasters, Karen (April 16, 2000). "Road and Rail North Jerseyans hit the road often survey finds". The New York Times.
^Kerr, Peter (June 27, 1989). "Kean Proposes Transit Plan For Waterfront". The New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
^Hanley, Robert (October 29, 1986). "Transitway to Follow the Hudson". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^Chen, David (November 5, 2011). "Road and Rail; One County's Transit Decongestant". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^"River Road/Hudson Waterfront Circulation Study – Hudson and Bergen Counties". North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. June 2009. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^"River Road/Hudson Waterfront Corridor Strategy: A Phase Two Study". North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. June 2013. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
^Senate, No. 2153 P.L.2017, CHAPTER 195, August 7, 2017
References
Adams, Arthur G. (1996). The Hudson River Guidebook. New York: Fordham University Press. ISBN 0-8232-1679-9.
Hall, Donald E.; Edgewater Cultural & Historical Committee (2005). Edgewater. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3725-X.
Kaminski, Edward S. (2010). New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway in New Jersey. Images of Rail. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-7367-0.