Haddonfield station is an active rapid transit station in the eponymous borough of Haddonfield, Camden County, New Jersey. Located on Westmont Avenue and Rosedale Avenue north of State Route 41 and County Route 573 (Kings Highway), the station serves trains of the PATCO Speedline, a rapid transit system operated by the Delaware River Port Authority from 15–16th & Locust station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lindenwold station in the namesake Lindenwold, New Jersey. Trains of New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Line pass to the east of Haddonfield station but do not stop. Haddonfield station consists of a two-level design, with fare control at street level and the single island platform serving the two PATCO tracks under street level.
Railroad service in Haddonfield began with the opening of the Camden and Atlantic Railroad between the Cooper Point section of Camden and Haddonfield on August 22, 1853. Service reached Winslow Township in January 1854 and Absecon Island (modern-day Atlantic City) on July 1, 1854. The current station opened on January 4, 1969 as an extension of the PATCO Speedline from Broadway station in Camden to Lindenwold, resulting in service by the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines from Philadelphia to Lindenwold being abandoned on October 1, 1969.
Station layout and services
Haddonfield is a two-level station, but unlike the rest of the line east of Camden, the station house is above the tracks, as the tracks are depressed through the municipality. The station house has entrances from Rosedale Avenue (east of the tracks) and Westmont Avenue (west). Haddonfield station consists of a single island platform between the two tracks. The station has six parking lots (three east of the tracks on Rosedale and three west of the tracks on Washington. Lot S3 on Washington Avenue is free of charge at all times. The rest are paid parking during the morning rush hour. PATCO services at the station runs between 15–16th & Locust station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Lindenwold station in the namesake Lindenwold, New Jersey, where connection is available to the Atlantic City Line of New Jersey Transit. The Atlantic City Line runs east of the PATCO tracks, but does not stop at Haddonfield.
New Jersey Transit has three buses that stop at the station: the 451 (between Camden and Voorhees Town Center), 455 (from Paulsboro to Cherry Hill Mall), and 457 (From Camden to Moorestown Mall).
History Camden and Atlantic Railroad station (1852–1958) The Camden and Atlantic Railroad was incorporated on March 19, 1852 to build a railroad from Camden to Absecon Island (modern-day Atlantic City), a sparsely inhabited island on the Atlantic Ocean to develop a place for an oceanside property alongside construction of iron furnaces and glass works. The survey, done by engineer Richard Osborne, occurred in May 1852 and was finished one June 18. The contract for construction was filed on September 1 and on September 14 they purchased a site at Coopers Point in Camden. They acquired land for a new terminal on Absecon Island in November 1852. On June 18, 1853, the railroad created a new ferry between Coopers Point and Vine Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As part of Osborne's survey of the future Camden and Atlantic Railroad, he expected that 32,000 people would ride the train during the warmer months of the calendar year and 20,000 further would use the line to go to the beach at Absecon Island. He also made a special category to determine what revenues Haddonfield specifically would get the railroad, stating that passengers and freight combined would make the line about $5,000 (1852 USD) in revenue. Osborne's prediction on Haddonfield would become reality and the railroad would help develop the community.
The Camden and Atlantic Railroad opened service between Coopers Point in Camden and Haddonfield on August 22, 1853. The line opened new stations at Market Street in Camden, the Cooper Road, Collingswood and Cuthbert, along with Haddonfield. By that point, the railroad had begun extending the railroad to Longacoming, New Jersey. Three months later, on November 21, they extended the line on an official basis from Haddonfield to Longacoming. The line reached Winslow Township in January 1854 on extension from Haddonfield. On July 1, 1854, the line was opened to Absecon Island with an excursion train. Revenue service began the next day between Coopers Point and Absecon Island.
On March 2, 1855, the railroad announced that they would begin a local service between Camden, Haddonfield and Longacoming. The railroad approved building a station at Haddonfield, along with five other stops on April 6. Four days later, the railroad began running local trains between Coopers Point and Haddonfield.
The railroad agreed to build a new station at Haddonfield on request of locals in May 1867. In August 1878, the railroad decided to double-track the line between Camden and Haddonfield, a project that was finished in June 1880.
Proposed rapid transit line (1958–1963) Mayor of Philadelphia Richardson Dilworth and Mayor of Camden George E. Brunner announced on May 22, 1958 that they were in support of a new high-speed rail line from 8th and Market Street station in Philadelphia to the Kirkwood station of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (PRSL) in Lindenwold, New Jersey. This new line would involve using tracks of the PRSL, extending service from Broadway station in Camden. The new $25 million line would build new stations and build new passenger cars, along with other necessary expenses. The new line would have 160 electrified trains operating at all stations, and eliminating grade crossings. A 1959 study noted that the new line would have 49,000 people use it per day between Haddonfield and Kirkwood, with trains operating between Philadelphia and Kirkwood every three minutes at peak hours.
Haddonfield did their own study in 1959 and early 1960 that brought some questions for how the line through the municipality would be built. Simpson and Curtis, the firm that did the survey, noted public concerns about the project, including the fact that the station would be built on a large elevation through Haddonfield and that the new station would be built on the west side of Kings Highway (State Route 41/County Route 573). Haddonfield officials created a new committee to investigate the concerns and make their own recommendations. The committee would report on whether or not it would be better to elevate or depress the tracks through Haddonfield and working on the design of parking areas and other facilities to prevent congestion, protect pedestrian safety and ensure free movement for emergency vehicles.
John McCullough, the secretary for the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), noted that if Haddonfield wanted tracks depressed through the municipality that they would be unable to build the project, stating that other municipalities, such as Camden, Collingswood and Haddon Township would be on the telephone demanding depressed tracks. The committee, holding a meeting with DRPA executives on March 8, also requested that the station in Haddonfield be moved from the proposed location near Kings Highway to a location at the southern end of the municipality. Mayor Albert B. Sharp, noting unanimous preference for the depressed tracks, offered that if the difference was between depression and no construction, they would go with no construction. McCullough noted that depressing the tracks would result it in being a $100 million project instead of the current estimate of $44.6 million. Walter noted that the committee would prefer a smaller station closer to the proposed Interstate 295, where it would be more beneficial to multiple municipalities and reduce traffic congestion on Kings Highway. This would also offer the opportunity to eliminate a station in Ashland. McCullough added that any change in the station would need to involve the Pennsylvania Railroad, who owned and operated the tracks and that he would talk to the company about such a proposal.
The committee field its report on March 30, with a list of objections. Mayor Sharp also filed a letter to DRPA detailing the report. Sharp put pressure on the agency to make the changes they requested or their opposition would stand. 2,472 property owners filled out the questionnaire the committee sent out to 4,300 property owners, with only 205 wanting the DRPA proposal without any changes. 985 others were in favor of the project, but only if tracks through Haddonfield were depressed below street level. 1,270 people opposed the project and 13 showed no opinion on the project. Only one member of the Mayor's Committee supported the project without any changes, noting that the proposed line would have more benefits than disadvantages. However, the majority wanted the tracks from Woodland Avenue to Cottage Avenue depressed instead of elevated, stating that they felt the elevated structure would affect local property values. Commissioners of nearby Delaware Township (now known as Cherry Hill), through their support behind the committee, adding that the station in Haddonfield should be moved from Kings Highway to where the former Philadelphia, Marlton and Medford Railroad terminal stood.
With the PRSL threatening to shut down all lines in October 1960, discussion on what to do with the tracks in Haddonfield was sparked at a meeting of the Mayors Association between Sharp and Haddon Township Mayor William G. Rohrer. They passed a resolution pushing the New Jersey State Public Utility Commissioners (PUC) to prevent the PRSL from eliminating train service, noting that eliminating railroad service before the new high-speed line was built would be problematic for the future success of the line. Rohrer and Sharp both did not like the current version of the project proposed by DRPA, but that there was support for changes to the proposal.
Little progress was made through the end of 1960 and the $44.6 million project made its way to Trenton, New Jersey, where a hearing was held on July 5, 1961. Multiple speeches for and against the project were made in the presence of Governor Robert B. Meyner over using surplus funds to construct the line to Kirkwood. Paul McMurray from DRPA stated that an elevated approach was better than depression, arguing that the elevated structure would promote more parking for vehicles and not cost the extra $5.6 million it would cost for the depression project. DRPA offered $3.5 million in changes to the plan that would allow cross streets to cross under the tracks rather than be eliminated. It would also open more parking and design the wall to make it fit better in the neighborhood. DRPA added that putting the entire New Jersey side of the project under street level would make the project expensive and unfeasible. Camden, Haddon Township and Haddonfield officials all disagreed with DRPA on that, but added that other routes could be done through Camden, with a higher price tag. United States Representative William T. Cahill offered the federal government could help in the $5.6 million needed to depress the project.
Senator Harrison A. Williams Jr. (D–NJ) asked Meyner and Governor of Pennsylvania David L. Lawrence to not officially support the plan until a new bill with extra funding for the revenue-strapped railroads was passed that would get funds to depress the project below street level. Meyner and Lawrence had shown tepid support for the project up to July 1960, but supported that tracks should probably be depressed rather than elevated as DRPA proposed.