Branch Brook Park station


The Branch Brook Park station is a station located at Anthony Place north of Heller Parkway on the Newark City Subway Line of the Newark Light Rail. This station was opened in 2001 to replace a previous streetcar loop at this stop, then called Franklin Avenue station to allow for longer vehicles to be used that replaced the PCC streetcars that previously ran the line, and also replaced the now-shuttered Heller Parkway station. The station was named for Branch Brook Park and is the northernmost Newark Light Rail station along the west side of the park.
Prior to the opening of the line to Grove Street in Bloomfield, this stop was the final stop on the Newark City Subway Line. Some rush hour service still terminates here on a tail track north of the station. An 80 space park and ride lot is located one block from the station.

History

Heller Parkway

Heller Parkway station was originally opened on May 26, 1935, and was the northern terminus of the Newark City Subway system until 1940 when North Sixth Street Station was built. Heller Parkway station continued to operate until June 21, 2002. Access to the Heller Parkway bridge is available through a long ramp between the bridge and the south end of one of the platforms.

Franklin Avenue

Originally known as North Sixth Street Newark City Subway station, it was built in 1940. Later as the turning loop was built, the station was moved closer to Anthony Street and named Franklin Avenue NCS station in 1953. When New Jersey Transit replaced the PCC cars with longer and more modern Kinki Sharyo light rail vehicles, Franklin Avenue station was closed on August 25, 2001 and replaced with an elongated ramp leading to the current station.