The Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) Terminal

From 1864 until 1967: the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) Terminal provided a vital link between the New Jersey and New York City shores. At its busiest, more than 200 ferry sailings transported tens of thousands of commuters and thousands of immigrants over the New York Harbor waters every day. In 1889, the CRRNJ built a single-story wooden ferry house, providing a functional and protective link for passengers walking between the ferry boats and the main building. This ferry house contained four ferry slips, offices, a kitchen, staff restaurant and an emigrant waiting room. At the turn of the century, an increase in transportation demands created a need to expand the terminal facilities. Completed in 1914, renovations included additional train tracks, the present Bush-type train shed and a two-story ferry house. The new ferry house, built of copper and steel, was designed to accommodate the larger double-decked ferries. Passanger services located on the second floor included waiting rooms with toilets, a barber shop, drug store and newsstand. At this time, the CRRNJ complex was the greatest concentration of rail facilities in the New York Harbor area. Up to 50,000 New York City commuters and as many as three thousand immigrants used this terminal every day. If you had worked in New York City and lived in New Jersey in 1950, you might have traveled across the New York harbor on a ferry like this one. To get to their trains, upper deck passengers walked along adjustable ramps, across the second floor of the ferry house and down the main staircase into the waiting room. Vehicles from the lower deck of the ferries traveled across electrically operated bridges to the vehicle concourse. The ruins of the ferry house were removed in 1982 exposing the magnificent façade of the CRRNY Terminal you see today.