22nd Street is built next to the site of a station for the Central Railroad of New Jersey that once existed on the location. Known originally as Centerville, the stop served the main line as one of five stops in Bayonne. Service at Centerville began on August 1, 1864 as part of a steam extension between the future Communipaw Terminal and Bergen Point. This service existed prior to the construction of the bridge acrossNewark Bay from Elizabethport to Bergen Point. A station was built on the eastbound side of the tracks in 1878 at the size of, two stories high. A station was also built on the westbound side in 1904. These depots were demolished in 1957, with the eastbound station being converted into a shelter. That in return was torn down in 1970 and replaced with a three-sided metal shed. Passenger service at East 22nd Street ended on August 6, 1978 when Conrail ended the shuttle between Cranford and East 33rd Street.
Station layout and services
The station was the terminus of the HBLR between its opening as a single station extension on November 15, 2003 to the opening of 8th Street, the next station south, on January 31, 2011. The station has two side platforms on two tracks, and while serving as a terminal trains departed from either track and reversed at a crossover north of the station. To the south, the two tracks continue for a bit before merging into one that ended at a bumper block before 8th Street opened. This meant trains could have also reversed directions south of the station, but this was not normally done and the tail track was simply used for short-term storage. Some rush hour trains terminate at this station because of the operational constraints posed by the single track. The station is located on a private right-of-way in a shopping area. Local streets pass underneath via 11-foot clearance tunnels. A freight track is to the east of the station, running along the northbound platform on the right-of-way. The platforms have the traditional HBLR canopies. The northbound track has a full length wall of semi-opaque glass bricks, forming a windscreen between it and the freight track. Etched in these bricks are silhouettes of Bayonne's industrial architecture by Kate Dodd. The track glass walls have an artwork called Doors and Windows of Bayonne by Lisa Kaslow. These consist of actual fiberglass, copper and patina doors models of doors and windows from architectural details of Bayonne. The southbound platform has its own colorful glass windscreens, although portions of this platform on an embankment have a simple, low fence. The artwork is called Bayonne Time & Tides by J. Kenneth Leap and shows the history of Bayonne through photographs and maps. The glass windscreens in the shelters have etchings by Kate Dodd of Bayonne's industrial past. Only the southbound platform has access to the streets. At the north end, a staircase leads down to the south side of 22nd Street between Avenue E and Prospect Avenue. The south end entrance contains an elevator for ADA access with a brick enclosure and a staircase down to the north side of 21st Street. Each entrance area has a small canopy with ticket vending machines and validators. Pedestrian crossings at either end provide access to and from the northbound platform. One block from the station is a 159 space park and ride lot.
