Freight Rail Crossing Project Begins Tuesday In Freehold

FREEHOLD, NJ — Contractors working for the Chesapeake & Delaware Railroad will be replacing freight line tracks at two borough crossings starting on Tuesday.

The work starts this week at Throckmorton Street and Bowne Avenue through the week; work at Throckmorton Street and Monmouth Avenue is planned for March 4 to 9, the borough said in an advisory.

Motorists should follow all detour and construction signs, make alternate plans if needed and leave extra time for travel in the area, the borough said.

The freight line work is funded by 80 percent federal, 20 percent state monies, said Safety and Service Consultant John Sobotka of C&D.

He said while the tracks are out, new substone will be laid and then a conduit line pipe installed and premade track can be laid.

He said there are no lights or gates at these crossings, but it's required that when trains are running the train stops and a flagman with a red flag stops traffic. Cars must yield the right of way to the trains.

Based in Ringoes in Hunterdon County, Chesapeake & Delaware operates more than 200 miles of freight lines in nine counties in the state, he said - and the state encourages freight train service.

The freight system supports light industry and takes heavy trucks off the road, Sobotka said, and the service helps keep jobs in the area.

This area is part of the Jamesburg to Freehold line. There is a separate Red Bank to Lakewood line, he said. Based on a C&D map on its website, the Jamesburg to Freehold line joins up with the Red Bank to Lakewood line in Farmingdale. He said a stretch of five miles of line was recently completed from Farmingdale to Freehold.

Sobotka said the Freehold lines serves several businesses along the route such as Reed & Perrine Co. in Tennent and Builders General in Freehold. There are other stops at Woodhaven Lumber and Brick Recycling. Trains can also make deliveries to Freehold that are then picked up by local businesses, he said.

Residents might be most familiar with the freight train as the Santa Train in December 2022. Last Christmas, the train served as the Toys for Tots collection in Operation Toy Train.

Chesapeake & Delaware, LLC encompasses five railroads: the Dover & Delaware River (DD), the Dover & Rockway River (DRRV), the Delaware & Raritan River (DRR), the Black River & Western (BRW), and the Belvidere & Delaware (BDRV). The Delaware & Raritan River lines is the one in the Freehold area.