New Brunswick Train Station

This station serves New Jersey Transit and a few Amtrak northeast regional trains. It connects with Newark Liberty Airport, Newark and New York to the north and Trenton and Philadelphia to the south. It is an old station but warm and dry. There is an escalator up and also an elevator available although the elevator does stink. Others have commented on the lack of parking; it is in downtown New Brunswick. But there are Middlesex Country buses that stop at the station. It is next door to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital and within walking distance of Rutgers’ New Brunswick Campus.
To travel south of Philadelphia you most likely have to change trains there. Frugal travelers to Philadelphia should buy a through ticket on NJT and SEPTA and change at Trenton; the SEPTA train will be on the same track.

this place is just what it says. Its just a train station with a dunking donuts downstairs. straight up satisfies your morning thirst, if you have to commute.
The parking here is trash. the parking are at garages that are not really cheap but then, woudl you pay more?
also, don’t expect this place to be much. aside from the dunking donuts, its the most austere and spartan place you can get. the moment, you walk in, you see the DD and the stairs upwards. what were you expecting? NO! NO grand central and no fancy artwork to piqué interest in the life. its a TRAIN STATION. get over yourself.
either to go NYC or go somewhere you want other stay around like a homeless man.
the fairs are ok at $ 13.

An old train station in a not so great area. Many homeless folks just outside the station.
They have a parking garage next to the station — about $ 20 for 6 hours. Convenient if this stop is close to you and you need to go to Penn Station in Manhattan NYC or if you need to go to the EWR Airport. It was an expensive round trip ticket, I think about $ 30 each or more…
No problems coming back late in the evening and easy in and out from the parking garage.

The reviews about the New Brunswick station make me laugh a bit. It’s a train station! Of course, it’s not going to be the most beautiful and presentable, but hey, you have to give it props to its location: it’s right around Rutgers (oooh, college parties) and some nice restaurants and bars (oooh, college kids).
There are also some people by the escalators by the Dunkin Donuts who beg for money… but that’s to be expected. They’re very respectful though, so I’m not too upset with that.
The set of tracks that head to Trenton don’t have an indoor seating area for some reason… However, the set of tracks that go towards NYC do. It’s kind of weird and unfair, but it doesn’t seem like an indoor seating area makes all the difference because it’s still kind of gross.
There’s also a tunnel that connects the inbound and outbound tracks, which is pretty convenient.
Overall feeling about the train station? It’s a train station.

Train stations haven’t really been known as classy places, but this one is a bit seedier than you’d expect… and I’ve been through the 169^th Street 1 Train station in Manhattan.
After navigating your way past a group of people asking for money you’ll work your way up to the main level where you can buy your ticket or simply wait for the train. Now my last trip was on a Saturday morning, so I may not have seen the station at its best, but there were many people lounging on the seats, asleep or passed out, and you really got the feeling that you shouldn’t take a seat next to them. Better yet, remain standing – you’ll have a better chance of escape.
The platform is pretty drab, but it’s a train station so I guess I shouldn’t expect much. I do find this place unnerving for some reason, even with my Brooklyn upbringing.

A standard train station.
Pros:
— Walking distance to campus
— Walking distance to restaurants, bars, and theaters
— Not as crowded as Princeton Junction during commuting hours
Cons:
— Tends to be crowded during non-​commuting hours
— Only two sets of stairs on each side, causing bottlenecks
— Ticket machines tend to be slow when paying by credit card
This is a standard train station which requires an overhaul to match all the new businesses which have sprung up around it.

This is the train stop that you’ll take if you’re going to this university town (New Brunswick is actually a big, notable NJ city!). If you’re coming from New York Penn Station, you have to make sure you listen close to announcements over the public system so you’ll know you’re already in New Brunswick — -I noticed NJ trains don’t show the names of the train stops on the small digital screens inside the trains (or I must have missed them every time I come these parts of NJ). The station is within walking distance to nearby historical buildings. I’m glad I can get a cup of coffee from one of the sellers inside the station. The station’s relatively clean. And I get a sense that the whole place seems to be changing every time I find myself here…

Lots of people begging for money downstairs. the waiting room on the Trenton bound side of the tracks is not heated. the waiting room on the New York bound side is pretty large with lots of seating but just one single occupancy restroom.

Train left 3 min ahead of time and the only way to get on the platform after 9 is through the slow elevator. Needless to say it left me behind to wait over an hour for the next train. Thanks a lot NJ transit.

This is the one thing about New Brunswick that continues to make me scratch my head. With all the new developing and growth going on in New Brunswick, this place still looks and feels like a 1980’s New York City subway station. I understand the desire to hold on to the historical aspect of the station as its almost 100 years old, BUT, that doesn’t mean you can do some major refurbishing, cleaning and painting.
The other issue is the fact that this place goes into straight up creep mode between the hours of 12am and 6pm. The station becomes a haven for the homeless and alcoholics between these hours and unfortunately the only people getting on or off the train at those hours are drunk people (not a good mix and a recipe for disaster). Bottom line, it doesn’t look for feel safe.
The only reason I didn’t give this place 1 star is because the vibe and mood changes dramatically during the day as it’s a heavy commuter station and most of the shady folks are gone during the day. Otherwise, this place is practically begging for 1 star.
NJTransit, please realize that New Brunswick is a major transportation hub and you’re doing additional disservice to your already mediocre train service by keeping the station in this condition. That’s my Unilocal rant for the year.

I can’t say Methink not because in the end I know I’ll use this station again. I recently started using the bus from East Brunswick, but sometimes the train is a better option… those times are usually when my brother’s getting me on for free since he has a badge. It’s crazy how the prices have pretty much doubled in the last 10 years and you can see not 1 cent of the money has gone towards maintaining the station. At least it’s less awkward here then sitting with the homeless guy while waiting for a train at the Edison stop. Plenty of close by food options.

Considering how many commuters use this train station, and given the fact that it sits right on the campus of Rutgers University, you would think New Jersey Transit would have given this shithole a makeover by now. «Shithole» is actually far too kind a term for this dump, where the smell of urine hangs in the air and the interior serves as the dirtiest and dreariest of homeless shelters. You can’t help but sense the feeling of danger lurking in its dark corners late at night, and sometimes even in the light of day. This is not a place you want to be for any period of time, or frankly at all, if you can avoid it. It is time to retire this ghetto relic once and for all.

This station needs a makeover. ASAP. Definitely old and dirty. During the week it’s mostly commuters and college kids but there is definitely an unsavory group that use this station as well. Be sure to mind your surroundings. Bathroom is pretty gross so go before you come.

Every time I’m here someone tries to sell me heroin, maybe I look like someone who might wanna buy some heroin, but I’m not in the market to buy any heroin! Leave me alone!

Oh NJ Transit, how I love and loathe you. The New Brunswick Train Station is my express stop on the Northeast Corridor NJTransit line. It runs directly into New York Penn. The other side will take you to Trenton/​Philly. It is great to go to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, Rutgers College/​College Ave, the Cancer Institute, and the State Theater. The station building always seems to have people behind the counter and they also have ticket machines on both platforms.
The station has a new parking deck, but its not cheap. There is a walkway directly connected to the Trenton side of the station to get the commuters home more quickly. The ingress to the station– you can drop off at the tiny lot on Albany, right before Easton Ave. You can also drop off/​pick up at the other end of the station on Little Albany St and Somerset, across from Kirkpatrick Chapel. Be a few minutes early — you have to run up two flights of stairs to get to the platform and the entrances/​exits are narrow. If you enter from the station, there is an escalator. I really advise against the elevators unless you have lost all olfactory senses.
Victory Cab HQ is around the corner, so there are always cabs here. You can find them in the Albany St lot, or off of Little Albany, under the overpass.
The station building is old, small, and is usually kinda dirty. It iswell heated though and has a Dunkin Donuts and flower shop. The flower shop is actually really nice for being so tiny. The platform has a nice view of the really old Catholic church windows. I think it was built in 1865 or something.

Three stars for providing the ideal way into and out of NB and NYC, 21 hours a day. I can’t believe some reviewers suggest the bus as a viable alternative. Wouldn’t that take twice as long? I can’t afford that much time, when I am traveling up in this part of NJ/​NY I am usually going someplace before a show starts or a sporting event or a dinner date. The train is speedy, reliable, comfortable, and spacious.
I rather dislike the waiting for the train part, though, and here’s where it gets dicey. There are no retail outlets except for a DD, a flower shop, and a taxi dispatcher. No place to charge your phone late at night. And they are doing construction under the bridge downstairs which makes pedestrian life difficult because it takes away 3 sidewalks and forces you to walk around the block just to switch to the other side of the tracks/​underpass.
The single occupancy bathroom is small and decrepit. I once pulled the door open on an angry local doing the sit down business, as he had neglected to lock the door. I didn’t stay around for his lecture in bathroom etiquette, because I was more disgusted than he was.
One plus of this location is that the cabs often pull up and wait here to whisk you into college town. Since it is a cabby HQ you’ll never be stranded.
One typical day, I was trying to board my train and I was subjected to all the sidewalk detouring from the construction and from a frustrating door that was locked from the inside, despite being the first and only option link between the inbound station/​ticket office building and the opposite platform. I never thought I would have had to go back downstairs, outside and reenter the station from the shady rear entrance. By that time though, the entire staircases became mobbed at least six across by a flood of people exiting my train. No one bothered to move out of the way even though I was clearly trying to catch that train. This abruptly changing traffic flow in two directions would necessitate multiple exits for safety and efficiency. But instead, for the sake of keeping some semblance of clean, I guess security or janitorial personnel will decide to lock a certain entry/​exit on a whim. The key is, especially if you are travelling southbound, to be here 5 minutes before the train does or else you will never be able to bypass the rush of people leaving NYC. The passageways between platforms should never be locked as long as this train station is open (which means, at least 21 hrs a day).
Tip: Buy your tickets from the machine in advance to save $ 5 vs. paying cash on board. The machines accept cash, debit and credit. Unfortunately, there is no roundtrip discount anymore, but you can buy one way tickets for flexibility and as far as I know, they don’t expire, unlike every other transit ticket I’ve bought, ever.

I’m really tweening on this one. Three stars seems about right, but the signs are confusing and inaccurate (there are actually ticket machines on the platforms in both directions, contrary to one sign). And the ticket machines themselves? Well, read my review of New Jersey Transit as a whole.
So two stars it is. And it’s sad, too, because I really like how old the platforms feel. I was actually happy to wait under the shelter of those rickety roofs when Hurricane Irene’s first pitter-​pattering raindrops fell. There were no leaks, not a one, so raindrops didn’t keep falling on my head; and I was able to enjoy a phone conversation with my mom while I waited for the train, my friends’ wedding, and a daring escape from the Eastern Seaboard.
By the way, does anyone know what qualifies it as a seaboard? Is there a Western Seaboard?

Oh NJ Transit… how you break my wallet… a strain station just like David and J.W. share.
I am glad that they are renovating this station as it is badly in need of an upgrade. Looking forward to the updated train schedule program to make it to this station.
Avoid the elevators unless you ABSOLUTELY need to use it and hold your breath.
Also, trains do leave the station quickly after docking so give yourself time e.g., don’t arrive downstairs right when the train does as you miss it.
Frankly based on the now $ 26 dollar cost for you to get to NYC from here a better bet is to take the Coach USA bus that picks up across the street for $ 20 round trip and is faster unless you can catch the few express trains they run. The slow train takes 68 mins and the bus takes 60 mins or less. I’ve even gotten back to New Brunswick from NYC in as little as 45 mins.

It’s a train station. It works as it should. No urine smells in the winter. The BEST way to get into the city.

— Close to Rutgers (bus location too to get to another campus) and downtown New Brunswick
— Many buses stop there
— Has a flower shop and Dunkin Donuts right in the building
— Just the fare to NY for $ 16 roundtrip kills the wallet