Station Review #135: Manasquan (NJT)


Manasquan is a station on NJT's North Jersey Coast Line. The station is located at 227 Main Street in Manasquan, NJ. 
 

History


Manasquan originally was established by the Central Railroad of New Jersey in 1876, with the original depot being replaced 20 years later by the one at Spring Lake. The Spring Lake station was originally built for the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876, much like the original Manasquan station. This second depot burned down in 1996, and was replaced by the depot that's here now. The current depot was built in 2004.  

Tour


Northbound train

I feel like anyone who's been a long time fan of mine can already tell this station is awful within just this photo. 

Southbound platform

Track ballast

Why are the tracks so far away from the station? When I got off the train, it was a scary ordeal to get onto the track ballast that's below platform height and then immediately cross train tracks. What do you do if there's also a southbound train? What do you do in the summer when the ballast inevitably gets very hot? 

Northbound "platform"

The reason I mention this is simple: there's no northbound platform whatsoever. What there is no shortage of is track ballast. I'm glad I took these photos in autumn, I think that if it was winter it would have been especially hazardous for me due to my dyspraxia.

Station depot

Manasquan has a large depot, though none of it is currently used by NJT. One third of the depot is an Irish pub, another third a realtors office, and the last third the former husk of a waiting room that's since been shuttered

Inside the old waiting room

TVM

The platform has a few other basic amenities, like a TVM and a few benches, as well as a map and schedules. 

Additionally, there's parking for bikes and for cars. The parking lot next to the station has 53 spots in total. NJT recommends multiple other parking lots nearby for parking your car, especially as the parking lot is shared with the pub and realtor's office.  

Station from a distance

Bus Connections

There are two bus routes in Manasquan, and both run along Main Street:
 
  • 317 - Asbury Park-Fort Dix-Philadelphia: This bus runs every other hour between Philadelphia and Asbury Park, running across the entire state of New Jersey
  • 830 - This bus only runs from Asbury Park to Point Pleasant Beach train stations, but in doing so serves more of Lake Como and Spring Lake. This bus generally runs once an hour, though has a three hour gap between three and six pm for some reason. 

Points of Interest Near Manasquan Station

 
There's the town of Manasquan itself, which is a beach town. There's a lot of stores and restaurants in Manasquan, as well as the beach itself, though that's a long walk away. Downtown Manasquan is much closer. 

Statistics

Name: Manasquan
Agency: NJT
Line(s): North Jersey Coast Line
Locality: Manasquan
Municipality: Manasquan
County: Monmouth
State: New Jersey
Ridership:  117 riders per average weekday (2024)

Amenity Checklist

Accessible: ×
Bathrooms: ×
Bicycle parking: ✓
Clean Station: ✓
Connections to other transit routes: ✓
Easy passage for each side: ×
Existence is justifiable: ✓
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): ×
Good Wayfinding: ✓
Indoor Shelters: ×
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ×
Adequate Parking: ✓
Safe to use: ×
Seating: ✓
Shelters: ×
Station In Good Condition: ×
TVMs: ✓
Ticket Offices: ×
TOD: ×
Train Departure/Arrival Info (countdown clocks): ×
Updated/Useful Signage: ✓
 
Final verdict: 1/10

Station Directory

--------New York--------
--------Manhattan Borough--------
''''''''Zone 0''''''''
New York Penn
--------New Jersey--------
--------Hudson County--------
Secaucus Junction
--------Essex County--------
''''''''Zone 1''''''''
Newark Penn
Newark Liberty International Airport
''''''''Zone 2''''''''
''''''''Zone 3''''''''
''''''''Zone 4''''''''
--------Union County--------
''''''''Zone 5''''''''
North Elizabeth
Elizabeth
''''''''Zone 6''''''''
''''''''Zone 7''''''''
Linden
''''''''Zone 8''''''''
Rahway
--------Middlesex County--------
''''''''Zone 9''''''''
Avenel
''''''''Zone 10''''''''
Woodbridge
''''''''Zone 11''''''''
''''''''Zone 12''''''''
Perth Amboy 
South Amboy
''''''''Zone 13''''''''
''''''''Zone 14''''''''
--------Monmouth County--------
''''''''Zone 15''''''''
Aberdeen-Matawan
''''''''Zone 16''''''''
Hazlet
''''''''Zone 17''''''''
Middletown (NJT)
''''''''Zone 18''''''''
Red Bank
''''''''Zone 19''''''''
Little Silver
Monmouth Park
''''''''Zone 20''''''''
Long Branch

- - - - DIESEL TRANSFER OUTSIDE OF RUSH HOUR - - - -

Elberon
''''''''Zone 21''''''''
Allenhurst
Bradley Beach
''''''''Zone 22''''''''
Belmar
Spring Lake
''''''''Zone 23''''''''
Manasquan
--------Ocean County--------
Point Pleasant Beach
Bay Head
 

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