The Montclair Commuter Wasn’t Born Yesterday
Montclairians have been riding the rails since 1856.
The Line That Shaped Montclair
The trains, stations and New York connection that helped shape our town.
Long before Montclair became one of New York’s most coveted suburbs, the railroad was already shaping the way people lived here.
When the Newark and Bloomfield Railroad began service to Montclair in 1856, local businessmen had figured out something generations of residents would come to appreciate: you could work in New York and come home to a very different kind of life.
The idea took flight.
By 1889, 40 trains were running each way between Montclair and New York every day. There were two Sunday trains and even a special midnight Saturday “theatre train” for those unwilling to let a night in the city interfere with life in the suburbs.
The trains may be different, the commute may be more crowded, and we’ve traded the morning paper for an extra-large latte and the NJ Transit app.
But the idea still works: New York when you want it. Montclair when you’re ready to land at home.
Apparently, we figured that one out a long time ago.
The Stations Tell the Story
Montclair eventually developed six official stations, several of which remain part of the town’s daily rhythm.
Walnut Street was one of the original Montclair Railway stations, dating to 1873. The railroad helped shape the surrounding neighborhood, once an important industrial center and today one of Montclair’s liveliest destinations.
Upper Montclair began as a stop when the surrounding area was still rural. By 1892, it had become part of the Erie Railroad and was rebuilt with a waiting room and covered platform. The historic station was largely destroyed by fire in 2006 and later rebuilt to echo the original.
And then there was Lackawanna Station on Bloomfield Avenue—the grand predecessor to today's Bay Street Station.
Its third incarnation, completed in 1913, came with an extraordinary footnote: architect William Hull Botsford never saw it finished. He died aboard the Titanic in 1912, before the station was dedicated.
Today, the journey home starts beneath the departure board at Penn Station. Find the track, join the rush, grab a seat if you’re lucky and head west.
There may be a delay. The coffee may be long gone. And some days, the commute is simply a grind.
But then the train pulls into Montclair. Turns out, after more than 170 years, Montclair still knows how to welcome you home.
Our love of local history and our connection to the Montclair History Center inspired the story on the trains and rail lines of Montclair.
Explore their A Very Short History of Montclair's Train Stations for more stories, photographs and history behind Montclair's six stations.
