Jump to the Photos

The Newark-Liberty International Airport Rail Station (yes that's how New Jersey Transit's automated announcements announce it, Amtrak lists it as Newark, NJ - Airport on their station lists, and as Newark Liberty Intl. Air, NJ) the rail station is one of the most unusual I know off. To access it all passengers must leave by either Amtrak or NJ Transit Train or the Airtrain Monorail. A special $5.50 AirTrain fee is collected at the station. All tickets with ***EWR*** printed on them are successfully read at the fare gates. Passengers with any tickets that aren't coded to EWR must buy a special ticket for the fare gates. Interestingly enough because of a fare anomaly, passengers coming from the airport for New York Penn Station can save $2.75 if they simply buy a EWR-Newark Ticket ($8.25) and pay the $4.00 Change in Terminal Fee with cash on board the train. The standard fare is $15, the same as the Olympia Trailways buses (I'm sure there's an agreement between the operators on this one). Passengers going to the airport should buy a NYP-Elizabeth ticket ($6.75) and pay the airtrain fee at the airport ($5.50). From a personal experience I was going from Harriman (in New York State) to the Airport, the website claims the fare is $18.25, the TVM only wanted and charged me $12.75, the fare minus $5.50 (the Airtrain fee) I thought I had underpaid, and the ticket just didn't include the Airtrain fee, but it was successfully read at the fare gates at both Secaucus, and the ticket retained at the EWR faregates and let me out to board the monorail. For service the stop has two New Jersey Transit Trains per hour at a minimum stopping (most hours more), with at least one Amtrak Keystone or Regional train stopping, and high-level platforns.

The station has a very large number of six sets of tracks going through the station, five are electrified with the standard pantograph wires. Starting at the western side of the station there are two tracks with an island platform. Then there's a middle track that doesn't platform, after that another two tracks with their island platform, and than a final un-electrified track at the western end of the station used by CSX freight trains. On their own slightly higher level is are two monorail tracks at their island platform station. Connecting these platforms is a glassed mezzanine level bridge that has Newark International Airport lettering on either side of it facing the train tracks. There is a single elevator bank and two up escalators/staircase banks to this level from each platform. From here on the west side of the overpass are the NJT Fare Gates that all passengers going in each direction must pass through (Amtrak tickets for Newark Airport are let through the fare gates by the station attendant), so the collection of the AirTrain fee can be varified, from here are two Continental Airlines check-in kiosks, and a larger than necessary ticket counter with an Amtrak agent. (NJT requires the use of Vending Machines), and a two short escalators with a staircase in between lead down to the monorail station, that is an island platform with the monorails switching between the two tracks before the station and only using one side of the platform (the one facing the train station's platform) to actually stop, there's a nice view of trains using the ridiculously large monorail switch right before the station. The ride to the airport feels extremely slow on the monorail with the trip to Terminal C (the closest terminal) taking 7 minutes, with 9 to B, and 11 to E. The distance to Terminal C by the monorail tracks is one and a quarter miles, meaning the monorail averages a speed of only about 10mph, this is a far cry from the fast speeds of AirTrain JFK's Light Rail as it runs above the Van Wyck Expressway. The platforms have there own enclosed (and nicely heated) waiting areas directly on them, in addition to waiting in the station's overpass. The next train signs are modern color displays and work well. All the signage is in the Port Authority's unique format that they use at all there airports (Yellow signs lead to the Airtrain, green leads to the NJT/Amtrak Trains, and black to services like restrooms).

Last Updated: 3 July, 2010
This website is not allifiated with New Jersey Transit, there official website is here
This Website is maintained and copyright © 2008-2010, Jeremiah Cox. This website is not affiliated with any transit provider. Please do not remote link images or copy them from this website without permission.