The
Lehigh Valley Railroad, through its subsidiary the
Newark and Roselle Railway, opened a line between
Roselle and
Newark in 1891. Serving Union Township was
Townley station, east of the current station site. Townley was one of several stations that closed after the Lehigh Valley Railroad ended its
commuter service in 1948. All passenger service on the Lehigh Valley Railroad ended in 1961. Passenger service over the Lehigh Valley Railroad returned in 1967 with the
Aldene Plan. A joint project between the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the
Central Railroad of New Jersey, the
New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the plan re-routed Jersey Central passenger trains over the Lehigh Valley between Roselle and
Pennsylvania Station in Newark. One new station was built at the time:
Roselle Park. Planning for an
infill station in Union Township began in the 1990s as part of the redevelopment of Morris Avenue. The new station was also called "Townley" during planning before Union was adopted in 1998. The new station opened April 28, 2003, at a cost of $27 million. It is adjacent to
Kean University. Station amenities include a waiting room, rest rooms, vendors, and a 464-space parking lot. The station features artwork reproducing the
40th parallel of the Earth's northern hemisphere, and shows cities through which the 40th parallel runs including
Lisbon,
Rome, and
Beijing. Currently, the station is served by 53 weekday and 36 weekend NJ Transit trains.
Dedication On September 24, 2013, the station was dedicated to Congressman
Bob Franks. ==Station layout and service==