I Kayaked Under America's Busiest Train Line

Everyone's stuck in Friday rush hour. I'm floating underneath them on a river most people don't even know exists. The Rahway River in New Jersey runs directly under the Northeast Corridor — possibly the busiest train line in the United States — and tonight I kayaked right beneath it. Trains thundering overhead every few minutes, a secret art installation behind a locked door at an industrial plant, turtles, a tidal river changing direction mid-paddle, and a stop at the Rahway River Watershed Association headquarters on the bank. This is also the maiden voyage of my new-to-me Wilderness Systems Pungo 120, picked up from a really kind woman named Joanne on Facebook Marketplace. First paddle of the season, new kayak, Friday night on the water. If you've ever wondered what it's like to kayak through urban New Jersey while the rest of the world races past you — this is it. 🕐 Chapters below 🔔 Subscribe for more hidden NJ exploration 🛶 More urban kayaking: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=[YOUR_PLAYLIST_ID] 📍 Launch: Lawrence Street, Rahway NJ (near Covanta) 🌊 Tidal info: saltwatertidesandcurrents.com 📋 NJ kayak registration: $20 lifetime #RahwayRiver #KayakNJ #NJTransit #UrbanKayaking #NortheastCorridor #HiddenNJ #OutDehExplorer #RahwayNJ #NewJersey #KayakAdventure Chapters: 0:00 Rush Hour From Below 2:46 Secret Door at the Factory 4:29 Maiden Voyage: The New Pungo 5:05 Launching Into the Rahway 7:47 Turtle Sighting & the New Pickup 8:35 The Joanne Story: Buying a Kayak Right 10:27 Under America's Busiest Train Corridor 12:48 How Tides Control This River 14:54 Kid on the Bank Wants to Kayak 16:06 Tide Turns — Time to Move 17:17 Why I Do This 19:36 Someone Built a Homemade Pontoon 20:11 Irving Street Bridge: What Did They Fix? 21:58 Henry's Emergency Room Scare 25:54 Pungo 120 Review: First Impressions 27:25 Bridge Street Fishing Stories 28:57 Rare Bird on the Rahway 29:16 Do You Need a Kayak License in NJ? 29:56 Pit Stop at the Watershed Association 34:10 Magic Hour: Floating With the Tide 37:44 Loading Up & 1,000 Subscribers 40:20 Barefoot Grounding & Meeting Strangers