Plauderville is a
NJ Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...
train station
A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...
located in
Garfield
''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, served by the
Bergen County Line
The Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either d ...
. The station is in the north side of the city on Midland Avenue between Plauderville Avenue and Outwater Lane. The station is a full-service station as of April 2012, and has high-level platforms making the station accessible for people with disabilities.
Starting in 2009, with money from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed in response to the G ...
, New Jersey Transit received funds to construct high-level platforms at Plauderville on the south side of Midland Avenue. Trains used the low-level platform until October 10, 2011, when trains were moved to the completed high-level platforms. The new high-level platform station was constructed by Anselmi & DeCicco, Inc. of
Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is an inner-ring suburban bedroom community of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's popula ...
.
History
An old box car body was installed at Plauderville in 1913 at a cost of $150 (1913
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
).
In 1995, NJ Transit presented announced plans for a new railroad station on Midland Avenue and Outwater Lane which is now the Plauderville station. In 2002, a woman died by suicide, laying down on the tracks less than half a mile from the station.
High-level platforms

As part of the passage of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed in response to the G ...
, New Jersey Transit received funding for new high-level platforms at Plauderville station. These new high-level platforms would build a new station for persons with disabilities, under the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...
. The cost of the project was $16 million (2009 USD).
On August 12, 2009, a $7.9 million contract for the construction was given to Anselmi and DeCicco Inc. with improvements including new long side platforms that also have glass paneling for history of Garfield. The city manager of Garfield, Tom Duch, said the station may include a statue of the late president
James Garfield
James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...
, who the city is named after.
Prior to the opening of the new structure on October 11, 2011, Plauderville's platforms were located slightly uptrack from where they are now, straddling the border between
Garfield
''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...
and its neighbor
Saddle Brook. There was a shelter on the platform for trains headed to
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by eight NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, an NJ T ...
along with the station's ticket vending machines, and the platforms were low-level and offered zero accessibility for people with disabilities.
The first revenue train to receive commuters using the new high-level platforms (on October 10, 2011) was the 5:43 am Hoboken-bound train (originating in Port Jervis). Use of the low-level platform on the northern side of Midland Avenue was immediately discontinued.
Prior to the completion of the reconstruction at Plauderville, Garfield was not fully served by NJ Transit. Although Plauderville was utilized by a fair number of commuters in the area, judging by the station featuring parking for over 250 cars, it and
its Passaic Street counterpart saw service only during peak travel times; trains departing for
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by eight NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, an NJ T ...
would begin bypassing both stations in the early afternoon, despite outbound service being available all day. After the new station at Plauderville was completed, NJ Transit added more Hoboken-bound service in the evening and at night.
On September 21, 2012, the station's crossing with Outwater Lane received a new safety system for people trying to cross tracks. Part of a pilot program, new electronic signs were installed that state "Danger, Another Train Coming" on all four portions of the crossing. Audio recordings repeat the same message. The system cost $83,000.
Station layout

The station has two tracks, each with a high-level
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...
.
The current Plauderville station is located on a plot of land that spans from Outwater Lane at Henrietta Street to Midland Avenue at Plauderville Avenue in Garfield. The station has 259 parking spaces divided among three different free parking lots owned by New Jersey Transit. The first and largest lot is next to the station's Suffern-bound platform and contains 224 parking spaces, seven of which are accessible for disabled (limited mobility) persons. The second is located on Midland Avenue and Hartman Street with 21 extra spaces, but these are not accessible for people with disabilities. The final parking lot is located on Outwater Lane at the Henrietta Road junction, containing 14 non-disabled accessible parking spaces and situated behind the Hoboken-bound platform.
Pedestrian street access is available on both Outwater Lane and Midland Avenue, with the platform ending near the grade crossing where the original platform was. Plauderville's one ticket machine is on the Hoboken-bound side of the tracks, placed in a weather-protected seating area with a glass painting from a local artist serving as its window, and also has an overhang that spans more of the platform than the small overhang on the outbound side.
See also
*
Ridgewood station (New Jersey)
References
External links
Station from Midland Avenue from Google Maps Street View
{{Erie Railroad New York Division stations
Garfield, New Jersey
NJ Transit Rail Operations stations
Saddle Brook, New Jersey
Former Erie Railroad stations
Railway stations in Bergen County, New Jersey