# Pascack Valley Line

The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit, in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The line runs north from Hoboken Terminal, through Hudson and Bergen counties in New Jersey, and into Rockland County, New York, terminating at Spring Valley. Service within New York is operated under contract with Metro-North Railroad. The line is named for the Pascack Valley region that it passes through in northern Bergen County. The line parallels the Pascack Brook for some distance. The line is colored purple on system maps, and its symbol is a pine tree.

## Description

The Pascack Valley Line runs between Spring Valley, New York, and Hoboken Terminal. The line is 31 miles (50 km) long, of which the northernmost 6 miles (9.7 km) are in New York State. The entire line is owned by NJ Transit, but the Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley stations are leased to Metro-North Railroad. The line is single tracked, but sidings at points along the line, including the Meadowlands, Hackensack and Nanuet, permit bi-directional off-peak service. A siding in Oradell was also planned for increased service and reliability, but the project was halted due to local opposition. Service on this line operates seven days a week.

## History

The line was originally chartered as the Hackensack and New York Railroad in 1856. It later became the New Jersey and New York Railroad, which was bought by the Erie Railroad in 1896. The New Jersey and New York Railroad continued to exist as an Erie subsidiary until October 17, 1960 merger that created the Erie Lackawanna Railroad.
On April 1, 1976 the Erie Lackawanna was merged with several other railroads to create Conrail. In 1983, after several years under operation by Conrail, operations of the Pascack Valley Line were transferred to NJ Transit Rail Operations.
The line used to continue north of Spring Valley to Haverstraw, New York. This portion of the line has been abandoned and most of the right-of-way has been sold off. Part of the line (between Spring Valley and Nanuet) was once part of the main Erie Railroad line from Piermont, New York to Buffalo, New York. Into the 1930s there had been Erie passenger service from Spring Valley at the end of the Pascack line to Suffern station on the newer Erie Main Line. By 1941, this was reduced to a single weekday trip in each direction.
In August 2020, amidst the financial repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that it would shut down service on the line in Rockland County if federal bailout money were not available.

## September 2016 crash

On September 29, 2016, Pascack Valley Line Train 1614 crashed into Hoboken Terminal injuring 108 and killing one.

## Stations

| State | Zone | Location | Station | Milepost (km) | Date opened | Date closed | Connections |
| NJ | 1 | Hoboken | Hoboken Terminal | 0.0 (0.0) | 1903 | | NJ Transit Rail: Bergen County, Meadowlands, Gladstone, Main, Montclair–Boonton, Morristown, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley lines Metro-North Railroad: Port Jervis Line Hudson-Bergen Light Rail: 8th Street-Hoboken, Hoboken-Tonnelle lines PATH: HOB-WTC, HOB-33, JSQ-33 (via HOB) NJ Transit Bus: 22, 23, 63, 64, 68, 85, 87, 89, 126 New York Waterway to Battery Park City |
| NJ | 1 | Secaucus | Secaucus Junction | 3.5 (5.6) | December 15, 2003 | | NJ Transit Rail (upper level): Gladstone, Montclair–Boonton, Morristown, Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, and Raritan Valley lines NJ Transit Rail (lower level): Bergen County, BetMGM Meadowlands, and Main lines Metro-North Railroad: Port Jervis Line NJ Transit Bus: 2, 78, 129, 329, 353 |
| NJ | 3 | Carlstadt | Carlstadt | | January 21, 1861 | 1967 | |
| NJ | 3 | Wood-Ridge | Wood-Ridge | 9.6 (15.4) | January 21, 1861 | | |
| NJ | 3 | Hasbrouck Heights | Hasbrouck Heights | | January 21, 1861 | 1967 | |
| NJ | 4 | Hasbrouck Heights | Teterboro | 11.2 (18.0) | May 29, 1904 | | Formerly Williams Avenue |
| NJ | 5 | Hackensack | Essex Street | 12.4 (20.0) | January 21, 1861 | | NJ Transit Bus: 76, 712, 780 |
| NJ | 5 | Hackensack | Central Avenue | | 1870 | 1953 | |
| NJ | 5 | Hackensack | Passaic Street | | | September 9, 1869 | |
| NJ | 5 | Hackensack | Anderson Street | 13.5 (21.7) | September 9, 1869 | | NJ Transit Bus: 175, 770 |
| NJ | 5 | Hackensack | Fairmount Avenue | | March 4, 1870 | 1983 | |
| NJ | 6 | River Edge | New Bridge Landing | 14.7 (23.7) | March 4, 1870 | | NJ Transit Bus: 175, 762 Rockland Coaches: 11 |
| NJ | 6 | River Edge | River Edge | 16.4 (29.4) | March 4, 1870 | | NJ Transit Bus: 175, 762 Rockland Coaches: 11 |
| NJ | 6 | River Edge | New Milford | | March 4, 1870 | | |
| NJ | 7 | Oradell | Oradell | 17.8 (28.6) | March 4, 1870 | | NJ Transit Bus: 175, 762 Rockland Coaches: 11 |
| NJ | 8 | Emerson | Emerson | 19.3 (31.1) | March 4, 1870 | | NJ Transit Bus: 165 Rockland Coaches: 11 |
| NJ | 9 | Westwood | Westwood | 20.5 (33.0) | March 4, 1870 | | NJ Transit Bus: 165 Rockland Coaches: 11, 14, 46, 84 |
| NJ | 9 | Hillsdale | Hillsdale | 21.4 (34.4) | March 4, 1870 | | Rockland Coaches: 11 |
| NJ | 9 | Hillsdale | Hillsdale Manor | | 1893 | | |
| NJ | 10 | Woodcliff Lake | Woodcliff Lake | 22.7 (36.5) | May 27, 1871 | | |
| NJ | 10 | Park Ridge | Park Ridge | 23.6 (38.0) | May 27, 1871 | | |
| NJ | 10 | Montvale | Montvale | 24.2 (38.9) | May 27, 1871 | | Rockland Coaches: 11 |
| NY | MNR | Orangetown | Pearl River | 25.6 (41.2) | May 27, 1871 | | Transport of Rockland: 92 |
| NY | MNR | Clarkstown | Nanuet | 27.9 (44.9) | June 30, 1841 | | Transport of Rockland: 92 Rockland Coaches: 11 |
| NY | MNR | Spring Valley | Spring Valley | 30.6 (49.2) | June 30, 1841 | | Transport of Rockland: 59, 91, 92, 94, Monsey Loop 3, Transdev: Lower Hudson Transit Link Rockland Coaches: 11, 45 |