Montclair State University (at Little Falls) is a modern station that opened on October 20, 2004 and became the terminus of electric Midtown direct to New York City on the Montclair-Boonton Line. The station was first opened as a 'Transfer Platform' on April 27, 2003 without any public access between trains and the street as a place for passengers to transfer from diesel trains (including midday shuttles, that didn't continue to Hoboken — these have since been discontinued) running on the Boonton Line to electric midTOWN Direct trains into New York-Penn Station. The station receives service during weekdays only (the limited weekend service that began in 2009 terminates at Bay Street at the southern end of Montclair). It is also a transfer point between these terminating Midtown Direct trains and the limited peak direction rush hours diesel service along the slow, single tracked Boonton Line to Dover and Hackettstown. The station is completely modern with a single nearly fully canopied with a red roof ADA compliant high-level island platform. Along the middle of the platform at the canopies are a line of plexiglass windscreens with grey supports holding up the glass. On these windscreens, non-standard grey signs with black text say the station's name "Montclair State University" in large letters and at Little Falls beneath in a much smaller text. The rest of the station's signage (including some large entrance signs for the parking garage) is largely standard.
To leave the island platform all passengers must take one of two staircases or an elevator up to the single glass walled pedestrian bridge. This overpass connects at one end to East Campus, with a single elevator and wrap-around (and enclosed) staircase down to a pathway into the MSU campus. The other end reaches the main entrance tower on the forth level of the 7 level 1,550 space parking garage that serves the station and MSU ($3 per day). This entrance tower, capped by a clock at its top, is at the NE corner of the garage and climate controlled containing two elevators and a staircase connecting all levels. The garage is so big that it has two entrances, one the north and south ends that lead to separate driveway entrances to and from Clove Road. Just before the entrance to the tower, is a second direct staircase from the overpass to street level to the bus loop (with a single shelter in the same design as the station) and passengers pick-up and drop off area along Clove Road. This area has a central drainage ditch between the car loop and Clove Road. The drainage ditch has artistic stone formations by Alice Adams.
All Photos taken on 9 September, 2011
Great Notch 