The Newark Light Rail Station at Newark-Broad Street opened on July 17, 2006. The station is at grade level along the southern side of the historic Broad Street station and railroad viaduct that carry the ex-Lackawanna Main Line used by the Morristown Line, Glandstone Brach and Montclair-Boonton Line through Newark. This railroad station connection was one of the primary reasons to build the new Light Rail Line to provide a connection between Newark's two train stations. NJT via Secaucus Tickets between Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line and Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, and Raritan Valley Line Stations are valid for a trip on the Newark Light Rail between Broad Street and Penn Station instead of backtracking through the Meadowlands to Secaucus.
The station is where the light rail tracks rejoin after running a block apart through downtown. The Broad Street-bound track crosses Broad Street and join the Penn Station-bound track that is running along the west side of Broad Street. They enter a short ROW just north of Lackawanna Avenue where a diamond crossover is. They then cross University Avenue and enter the Light Rail's island platform for the two track line on the south side of the historic Station house. Beyond the station platform the two tracks merge into one tail track with a bumper block just before MLK Blvd. Normally the LVRs continue beyond the station platform and reverse at this tail track.
The station's one island platform has pedestrian crossings for access at each end. These lead north up to a plaza outside the historic train station (with a nice historic looking canopy/porch) to access the train station and an exposed pedestrian plaza with just lampposts south of the station between it and a vacant lot/building reconstruction project. The century more modern light rail platform looks out of place in front of the historic station. It has a modern glass canopy that covers the eastern half of the platform with the unique illuminated red station name sign beam that is only found at 3 stations on the Newark Light Rail downtown extension. The western half of the platform has modern little two foot high white floor lamps. There is a windscreen beneath the canopy platform with 864 images by Ik-Joong Kang that were made by children at the Newark Museum. There are also bronze panels on the station's modern stone marble looking floor that are part of this project. Along the cobblestone track beds and edge of the platforms, just before the tactile warning strip is Riding with Sarah and Wayne with the lyrics and notes of Sarah Vaughan's hit song 'Body and Soul.'
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