Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by eight NJ Transit commuter rail lines, an NJ Transit event shuttle to Meadowlands Sports Complex, one Metro-North Railroad line, various NJT buses and private bus lines, the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson rapid transit system, and NY Waterway-operated ferries.
More than 50,000 people use the terminal daily, making it the tenth-busiest railroad station in North America and the sixth-busiest in the New York area. It is also the second-busiest railroad station in New Jersey, behind only Newark Penn Station, and its third-busiest transportation facility, after Newark Liberty International Airport and Newark Penn Station.
The rail and ferry terminal buildings were constructed in 1907 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, a former Class 1 railroad. In 1930, Thomas Edison was at the controls for the first departure of a regular-service electric multiple-unit train from Hoboken Terminal to Montclair. In 1973, the terminal building was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
Hoboken Terminal is considered a milestone in American transportation development, initially combining rail, ferry, subway, streetcar, and pedestrian services. Later, bus and light-rail services were added to the terminals. Another feature of the terminal's design is the terminal's 225-foot clock tower. The tower was replaced by a radio tower that stood for more than half a century, until being removed in June 2006, when it was replaced with a new clock tower modeled after the original.
History
19th century
The site of the terminal had been used since colonial times to link Manhattan Island and points west. In 1811, the first steam-powered ferries began called Hoboken Ferryboats service under John Stevens, an inventor who founded Hoboken. In 1889, due to several complaints through The New York Times, changes were made to the service such as bigger boats for passengers, and more trips.The coming of the railroads brought more and more travelers to the west bank of the Hudson River. Cuts and tunnels were constructed through Bergen Hill to rail–ferry terminals on the west bank of the river and the Upper New York Bay. The first terminal opened on November 14, 1862 by the Morris and Essex Railroad; trains reached the terminal via the Long Dock Tunnel operating under an agreement with the Erie Railroad. This facility quickly became overcrowded so it was quickly reconstructed; the second terminal opened on January 15, 1868. This facility burnt down in June 1873 and a temporary terminal was hurriedly constructed within the year.
The first of the Bergen Tunnels under Jersey City Heights was opened in 1877 by the Morris and Essex Railroad, which was leased by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
The temporary terminal was finally replaced by a more permanent facility; the fourth terminal on the site opened in 1885.
20th century
The facility that was in the place of the Hoboken Terminal caught fire and burned down in 1905 after the Hopatcong, a ferry docked at the terminal, caught fire at midnight, which spread to the original facility. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad decided to build another large terminal since they had more than enough funds. The new facility was planned by William Truesdale, who worked to modernize the DL&W railroad. The rail and ferry terminal buildings were constructed in 1907 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.The following year, the railroad opened the second parallel tunnel. Both tunnels are still used by NJ Transit. The tubes of the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, forerunner of PATH, were extended to Hoboken Terminal upon its opening. The first revenue train on the new line ran from the terminal on February 26, 1908.
In 1914, George A. Cullen, the Passenger Traffic Manager for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, stated that Hoboken Terminal handled more than 17 million railroad passengers and 18 million additional ferry passengers.
In 1919, the train shed was raised using jacks as it had experienced irregular settlement in the 13 years it had been in service.
In 1930, Thomas Edison was at the controls for the first departure of a regular-service electric multiple unit train from Hoboken Terminal to Montclair. One of the first installations of central air-conditioning in a public space was at the station, as was the first non-experimental use of mobile phones.
In 1942, the clock tower of the terminal was removed to reclaim the copper to use in World War II. After the war, Hoboken suffered another blow when automobile and air travel rose to prominence at the expense of the railroads. Amtrak started operating in 1971, and by then intercity services by the then merged Erie and DL&W railroads stopped operating out of Hoboken. The final train between Hoboken and Chicago departed the night of January 5, 1970, and arrived on January 6 in Chicago's Dearborn Station.
Despite the difficulties of the railroad industry, which culminated in bankruptcy for many railroads through the 1970s, the terminal has always been an essential link for New York-bound commuters, which saved it from the threat of demolition. The popular disapproval of the razing of the nearby Pennsylvania Station in 1963, may have also helped Hoboken Terminal's survival.
Numerous streetcar lines, including the Hoboken Inclined Cable Railway, originated and terminated at the station until bustitution was completed on August 7, 1949.
At the peak of intercity rail service, five passenger terminals were operated by competing railroad companies along the Hudson Waterfront. Of the five, Hoboken Terminal is the only one still in active use. Those at Weehawken, Pavonia, and Exchange Place were demolished in the 1960s, while the one in Jersey City was partially restored and is now part of Liberty State Park.
In October 1956, four years before its merger with the DL&W to form the Erie Lackawanna Railway, the Erie Railroad began to shift its trains from Pavonia Terminal to Hoboken. The final Erie trains to be moved to Hoboken, in 1959, were from the Northern Branch. In October 1965, on former Erie routes, there were five trains each weekday to Wanaque/Midvale on the Greenwood Lake branch, three to Nyack on the Northern Branch, three to Waldwick via the Newark Branch, two to Essex Fells on its Caldwell Branch, two to Carlton Hill on the former Erie Main Line, and one to Newton on the Sussex Branch. All those trains were dropped in 1966.
Ferry service from the terminal to lower Manhattan ended on November 22, 1967, due to declining ridership and revenues. It resumed in 1989 on the south side of the terminal and moved back to the restored ferry slips inside the historic terminal on December 7, 2011.
In 1973, the terminal building was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. The PATH station's platforms were lengthened in 1987 to allow the station to accommodate eight-car trains.
In 1990, the New Jersey Historic Preservation Bond Program gave a grant of $400,000 towards repairs and restoration of the Terminal. In 1991, another grant of $300,000 was given. The money was used towards repairing the ferry terminal's roof and clerestory.
In 1999, the New Jersey Devils' proposed to build an arena atop the Hoboken Terminal, which would be on the Hudson waterfront. The proposal never went through.
21st century
On August 14, 2003, amid the Northeast blackout of 2003, PATH and NJ Transit Rail Operations were unable to operate anywhere, including Hoboken Terminal. Commuters from New Jersey used the NY Waterway ferry to Hoboken Terminal as an alternative, and passengers said it was so packed it caused concern. Operations of PATH and NJ Transit trains resumed the morning of August 15 with the use of diesel trains.Access to the Region's Core was a proposed commuter-rail project to add new rail tunnels under the Hudson River, but the plan was canceled in 2010. In 2013, the New Jersey General Assembly passed a resolution supporting the extension of New York City Number 7 subway into Secaucus as a cheaper alternative to the proposed ARC tunnel. The plans never went through despite the idea being revived as possibly being a part of, or along with, the Gateway Project, which also proposes new tunnels, and bridges over the Hudson River.
A renovation that lasted from 2005 to 2009 demolished and rebuilt walls to resemble their original appearance; the terminal's clock tower was rebuilt as well along with the original neon-lit Lackawanna sign.
The station was badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012. A storm surge inundated the facility; the water rose as high as in the PATH tunnels. Daytime PATH service to midtown Manhattan was restored on December 19. The waiting room reopened in January 2013, while extensive repairs were still in progress. Pre-Sandy service patterns were gradually restored by March 1, 2013.
As of 2017, the station was the ninth-busiest railway station in North America.
On October 5, 2022, officials broke ground on Hoboken Connect, a projected five-year project to renovate the Terminal and its immediate vicinity. The plans call for erecting a 20-story commercial building at 5 and 23 Hudson Place and a 27-story, 389-unit residential building on Observer Highway. Planned improvements to Warrington Plaza include movable seats and modular structures for public use. The ferry terminal will be renovated to add retail space and bicycle storage on the ground floor, while commercial space on its second floor will be constructed to house either transport functions, or tenants such as markets, eateries, or areas for arts and culture. In March 2024, the NJ Transit board awarded a $211 million contract to Schiavone Construction for the construction of six tracks and three platforms, as well as a $2 million contract to Voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak for trackwork. NJ Transit and LCOR agreed to a ground lease for the Hoboken Connect site in March 2024, and work began that May.
In October 2024, the PANYNJ announced that the PATH station at Hoboken Terminal would be closed for most of February 2025 so the tracks, platforms, and four staircases could be replaced. The PATH station was closed from February 1 to February 25; the project cost $31 million.
In April 2025, NJ Transit announced that an interim bus terminal would be built to allow rehabilitation of the existing bus terminal. The interim bus terminal commenced operations on August 9, 2025.
In July 2025, the City of Hoboken announced that LCOR would begin significant construction on Warrington Plaza and Hudson Place as part of the ongoing Hoboken Connect Project.
In August 2025, the PANYNJ announced that the PATH station at Hoboken Terminal would shut down for 5 days between August 28 and September 2 for emergency repairs to the interlocking system.