Cedar Street subway
The Cedar Street Subway was built by the Public Service Corporation, part of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), as a short underground connection for street trolley lines in Newark, New Jersey to reach the central terminal in downtown Newark.
History
The Cedar Street subway was constructed in 1914-1916 by the Public Service Railway to bring streetcars into the lower level of the new Public Service Terminal in downtown Newark. The terminal and the Cedar Street subway opened in April 1916.
The following streetcar lines used the Cedar Street subway. Some of these routes ran only rush hour cars or alternate cars to the subway.
21 Orange via Market St, Apr 1916 - Jan 1927 23 Central, Apr 1916 - Mar 1933 25 Springfield, Apr 1916 - Jun 1937 31 South Orange, Apr 1916 - Nov 1936 Morris County Traction, Dec 1925 - Feb 1928 7 Weequahic, Jan 1927 - Feb 1929 17 Paterson, Jan 1927 - Jul 1937 43 Jersey City, Jan 1927 - May 1938 49 Union, Jul 1927 - Feb 1933 15 Nutley, Jul 1927 - Sep 1927 51 Irvington, Jul 1927 - Mar 1930 1 Newark, Mar 1932 - Feb 1933 13 Broad, Jun 1937 - Sep 1937 27 Mount Prospect, Jun 1937 - Dec 1937
The Cedar St subway was closed from February to March 1937 for installation of pavement around the rails. Public Service Coordinated Transport had developed a hybrid All Service Vehicle (ASVs) that could run as a trolleybus and as an off-wire gasoline-electric bus, and began converting its streetcar lines to ASVs. Public Service had the largest fleet of such vehicles in the country. ASV service in the Cedar St subway began when 17 Paterson was converted, if not earlier. Joint car and ASV operation lasted only until May 1938, when 43 Jersey City was converted, ending rail service. Of the routes above, only 17 and 43 used the subway as ASV routes.
Operation by ASV continued until 1947. Improvements to diesel engines and transmissions had made the use of electric motors needlessly complex, and the simpler diesel bus rapidly took over the industry after the war. Even this however did not spell the end for the Cedar St subway. It was operated by diesel bus for another nineteen years. The subway finally closed in May 1966, twenty-eight years after the end of rail service. The last bus lines into the subway were 62 Perth Amboy, 128 Paterson, and 134 New Brunswick-- none of them local Newark routes.[1]
Between Penn Station and Broad Street, connection to the Cedar Street subway, used by the 13-Broad St., 27-Mt. Prospect, and 43-Jersey City car lines; the Cedar Street subway was a short connection to the trolley terminal at the Public Service building; service could be run through the PSCT terminal to the City Subway.[2]
Current events
The Cedar Street Subway tunnel was revitalized and is back in service as of July 17, 2006, serving the Newark Light Rail, a new light rail line connecting Newark's Broad Street Station (NJ Transit's Morris and Essex Newark station) to Newark Penn Station. The light rail cars utilize the Cedar Street Subway tunnel to connect the Newark Light Rail to the Newark City Subway briefly before terminating in Penn Station, Newark. Eventually, the Cedar Street Subway tunnel might be incorporated into the Newark-Elizabeth Rail Link, if it is ever completed.