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Westville station

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Coordinates: 39°52′10″N 75°07′46″W / 39.869360°N 75.129419°W / 39.869360; -75.129419
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Westville
1907 postcard view of Westville station
General information
LocationStation Avenue at Pine Street
Westville, New Jersey
Coordinates39°52′10″N 75°07′46″W / 39.869360°N 75.129419°W / 39.869360; -75.129419
History
OpenedApril 14, 1857[1]
ClosedFebruary 5, 1971[2]
Key dates
1947Station depot razed[3]
Former services
Preceding station Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Following station
Brooklawn
toward Camden
 WJ&S Camden – Millville South Westville
toward Millville

Westville is a defunct commuter railroad station in the borough of Westville, Gloucester County, New Jersey. The station served trains on the former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line branch between Millville and Camden. Westville station contained two side platforms located next to U.S. Route 130 and Station Avenue. The next station to the north (towards Camden) was Brooklawn, while South Westville served as the next station to the south (toward Millville).

Service in Westville began on April 14, 1857 with the opening of the West Jersey Railroad between Camden and Woodbury. Service ended with the discontinuation of trains between Glassboro and Millville with Camden on February 5, 1971. The site of the former station is a proposed stop of the Glassboro–Camden Line, a light rail initiative to bring service back between the two municipalities.

History

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The station stop was part of Camden and Woodbury Railroad, which began 1837–1838, but ran irregularly and was later abandoned.

Westville station site in August 2022

The West Jersey Railroad (WJ) was granted its charter by the state of New Jersey on February 5, 1853,[4] to build a line from Camden to Cape May.[5][6] and the directors of the company met on July 15, 1853, to select the route on which they would build.[7] The line was built in stages with the backing of the Camden and Amboy from Camden to Glassboro. The first 8.2 miles (13.2 km) of the line using the right-of-way built by the Camden and Woodbury Railroad opened on April 14, 1857 from Camden–Woodbury.[1]

Railroad service increased and through acquisitions the line became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, which was electrified until September 24, 1949 and replaced by diesel service. (The power house on River Drive Avenue in Westville was the last remnant of the electrified railroad.)[8] The PRSL approved demolition and replacement of Westville station on March 3, 1947,[3] to accommodate widening of U.S. Route 130 and State Route 45.[9]

Penn Central Railroad discontinue passenger service through Westville ended on February 5, 1971 with the elimination of trains to Millville and Glassboro.[2]

Future

[edit]
Crown Point Road
Light rail
General information
LocationStation Avenue at Pine Street
Westville, New Jersey
Owned byNJ Transit
Line(s)Glassboro–Camden Line
Platforms1
Tracks2
Proposed services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station
Gloucester City
toward Walter Rand Transportation Center
 Glassboro–Camden Line Red Bank Avenue
toward Glassboro

Crown Point Road is a planned station of the proposed Glassboro–Camden Line light rail system, to be located along the Vineland Secondary right-of way. It will be located between Station Avenue and Broadway at the Westville station site just east of U.S. Route 130 (known as Crown Point Avenue).[10] Renderings show Crown Point Road station being a single island platform station, with a track on each side.[11]

Bibliography

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  • Wilson, William Bender (1899). History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company With Plan of Organization, Portraits of Officials and Biographical Sketches · Volume 1. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Henry T. Coates & Company.

References

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  1. ^ a b Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Its Predecessors and Successors and Its Historical Context: 1857" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. p. 19. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Its Predecessors and Successors and Its Historical Context: 1971" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. p. 26. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Its Predecessors and Successors and Its Historical Context: 1947" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. p. 6. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Wilson 1899, p. 357.
  5. ^ "The West Jersey Railroad". The Baltimore Sun. March 31, 1853. p. 1. Retrieved December 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ "West Jersey Railroad". Monmouth Democrat. Freehold Township, New Jersey. May 19, 1853. p. 2. Retrieved December 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "Meeting". Public Ledger. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. July 16, 1853. p. 1. Retrieved December 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ Jess, C. Donald (March 1985). "The Westville Power House" (PDF). Bulletin of the Gloucester County Historical Society. 19 (7): 49–50. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Overpass and Super-Highway". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. June 16, 1947. p. 4. Retrieved December 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ Romalino, Carly Q. (January 19, 2021). "Is there still support for Glassboro-Camden rail? Study on long-stalled project expected soon". Courier-Post. Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "Project Renderings". glassborocamdenline.com. Glassboro-Camden Line. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
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