Delaware and Raritan River Railroad
 Map A map of DRR lines, lease and operated | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Chesapeake and Delaware, LLC |
| Headquarters | Ringoes, New Jersey |
| Reporting mark | DRR |
| Locale | Central Jersey |
| Dates of operation | 2022– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Other | |
| Website | Official website |
The Delaware and Raritan River Railroad (reporting mark DRR) is a short-line railroad that operates two lines in the central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The Southern Secondary runs from an interchange with Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) in Red Bank south to Lakewood. The Freehold Secondary runs from an interchange with CSAO in Jamesburg southeast to Farmingdale, New Jersey.. The Delaware and Raritan River Railroad is a subsidiary of Chesapeake and Delaware, LLC.[1]
In 2022, Chesapeake and Delaware, LLC filed to take over rail service from CSAO on the Southern Secondary and Freehold Secondary, portions of which are owned by CSAO and NJ Transit.[2] The Delaware and Raritan River Railroad began operations on July 1, 2022.[1] As a result of this new operation & its aggressive management plans to increase traffic, the five-mile stretch of previously dormant track between Freehold and Farmingdale was completely replaced with over 25,000 feet of new rail, 12,500 ties (8,500 of which are made from sustainable steel) and 7 road crossings between January 16, 2023, and September 15, 2023 (the work came in well ahead of time estimates and under budget). A test train ran on the restored line September 15, and following a last spike-driven ceremony in Farmingdale on October 13, 2023, the line was officially opened for freight train service.
This effort allows train service to efficiently run from Jamesburg to Lakewood directly, the current end of active service. The D&RR has publicly stated they eventually plan on running as far south of Lakewood as Lakehurst, but this will need both additional track restoration & the customers to support it. A final, but important project on the line was activated with a ceremony on Jan. 8th, 2024 in Farmingdale.
A wye was constructed with a railroad crossing on Preventorium Rd., installed the week of Dec. 4th, 2023. This last puzzle piece, connecting track from Southard Ave. in Farmingdale to Preventoriam Rd. (approx. 1600 ft.), allows direct service from Jamesburg to Lakewood in the south without the need to reverse the train upon arrival in Farmingdale. The result of this track segment construction is to enable one train to serve the entire line, rather than two trains on two separate routes. Also, the track's northernmost customers (currently Laird & Co. and Extech Building Products) allow for exempt track to currently remain in place from the Brick Recycling siding location in Howell (Collingswood) to Red Bank. Additionally, NJ Transit no longer needs to co-ordinate the D&RR freight trains around their busy North Jersey Coast Line commuter operations from New York City to Bay Head, NJ.
Lines
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Our Railroads". Chesapeake & Delaware, LLC. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Delaware and Raritan River Railroad, LLC-Lease and Operation Exemption-Consolidated Rail Corporation and New Jersey Transit Corporation". Surface Transportation Board. June 3, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
