Train service to New Brunswick was begun by the
New Jersey Railroad, northbound in 1838 and southbound in 1839. Its successor,
Pennsylvania Railroad, built the current station in 1903 when the tracks were raised above street level. Service was eventually taken over by
Penn Central and then
Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. In 2005, the
Clocker trains, a popular commuter service serving the station, were transferred to NJT. In October 2015 the southbound
Palmetto began stopping here. The depot was designed in the Colonial Revival style and includes walls of light brown brick, hipped roof with gabled dormers and a deep cornice with dentil molding at its base. Brick quoins at the corners of the building convey an impression of strength and solidity. Windows display a popular Georgian Revival pattern of 9-over-1. Sills are incorporated into a stone belt course that wraps around the building, while lintels are embellished with prominent keystones. The design is similar to that of the
Chester Transit Center in Pennsylvania. The
station building was listed on the
New Jersey Register of Historic Places and
National Register of Historic Places since 1984, and is part of the
Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource.
Urban transit hub In 2005 the station was designated the core of the New Brunswick
transit village, a
smart growth initiative to promote
transit-oriented development which can include government incentives to encourage compact, higher density, mixed-use development within walking distance of the station. In addition to
New Jersey Transit bus operations and
Rutgers Campus buses, the station is served by local shuttles known as Brunsquick and DASH. Studies are underway to develop the
New Brunswick Bus Rapid Transit system, of which the station would be the hub.
NJ 18 and
NJ 27, which intersect at the station, would function as the two major corridors for a bus network that would connect downtown, residential neighborhoods, the five campuses of Rutgers in the city and
Piscataway, and nearby communities. New Brunswick is one of nine cities in New Jersey designated as eligible for Urban Transit Hub Tax Credits by the state's
Economic Development Authority. Developers who invest a minimum of $50 million within of a train station are eligible for pro-rated
tax credit.
The Gateway is one such project located just to the north of station and connected by a new pedestrian bridge, creating a direct link to the Rutgers campus. It is the
tallest building in the city and one of several new projects in the vicinity of the station that has led to a revitalization of the city's downtown surrounding it. located one block north of the station, is the second UTHTC-approved project in the city.
High-speed rail corridor In August 2011, the
United States Department of Transportation obligated $450 million to a six-year project to improve of the
Northeast Corridor between New Brunswick and
Trenton. The
Next Generation High-Speed project is to upgrade electrical power, signals, and overhead catenary wires to improve reliability and increase speed to , and with new trains to .
Renovation and upgrades In 2019 Amtrak earmarked funds for improvement at the station. NJ Transit allocated $49 million in September 2022, for renovation and upgrades of the station. On October 13, 2023, Amtrak announced that the New Brunswick station, along with
Princeton Junction, would receive upgraded service due to increased demand. ==See also==