Trenton Transit Center

Last updated

Trenton
Trenton Transit Center NEC NJT Overview.jpg
Trenton Transit Center station in January 2013
General information
Location72-83 South Clinton Avenue
Trenton, New Jersey
United States
Coordinates 40°13′8″N74°45′15″W / 40.21889°N 74.75417°W / 40.21889; -74.75417
Owned by New Jersey Transit
Line(s) Amtrak Northeast Corridor
Platforms2 island platforms, 1 side platform (rail)
2 side platforms (light rail)
Tracks8
Connections
Construction
Parking3,450 spaces, 68 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilitiesAvailable
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code Amtrak: TRE
SEPTA: 90701
IATA code ZTN
Fare zone22 (NJ Transit) [1]
NJ (SEPTA) [2]
History
Opened1863
Rebuilt1893, 1976, 2008
ElectrifiedJune 29, 1930 [3] (North Philadelphia)
January 16, 1933 [4] (New York; partial service)
February 1, 1933 [5] (New York; regular service)
Passengers
20124,638 (avg. weekday) [6] (NJT)
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Philadelphia
toward Chicago
Cardinal Newark Penn
toward New York
Philadelphia
toward Charlotte
Carolinian
Philadelphia
toward Pittsburgh
Pennsylvanian
Philadelphia
toward Miami
Silver Meteor
Philadelphia
toward New Orleans
Crescent Metropark
toward New York
Philadelphia
toward Savannah
Palmetto
Cornwells Heights
toward Harrisburg
Keystone Service Princeton Junction
toward New York
Philadelphia Northeast Regional Princeton Junction
Philadelphia Vermonter Metropark
weekends
toward St. Albans
      Acela does not stop here
Preceding station NJT logo.svg NJ Transit Following station
Terminus Northeast Corridor Line Hamilton
Hamilton Avenue River Line Terminus
Preceding station SEPTA.svg SEPTA Following station
Levittown Trenton Line Terminus
Former services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Philadelphia Acela
Until 2023
Metropark
toward Boston South
Metroliner Newark Penn
toward New York
Metropark
Until 2005
toward New York
Philadelphia
toward Chicago
Three Rivers
1995–2005
Newark Penn
toward New York
Broadway Limited
Until 1995
North Philadelphia
toward Kansas City
National Limited
North Philadelphia Montrealer Newark Penn
toward Montreal
Philadelphia
toward Miami
Silver Star
1971–2024
Newark Penn
toward New York
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Morrisville
toward Chicago
Main Line Princeton Junction
Morrisville Trenton Line Terminus
Warren Street Belvidere Delaware Railroad
Location
Trenton Transit Center

Trenton Transit Center is the main passenger train station in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the southernmost stop in New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor. It is the terminus for NJ Transit trains to and from New York City and SEPTA Trenton Line Regional Rail trains to and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and an intermediate station for Amtrak trains traveling between the two cities along the Northeast Corridor.

Contents

The northern terminus of the River Line light rail system, which offers service to Camden along the Delaware River, is across Clinton Avenue from the main station building.

Bus service at the station consists of local NJ Transit routes, including Capital Connection buses, serving the New Jersey Capitol Complex, and regional service to Philadelphia via Camden. In addition, the station serves as the northern terminus for SEPTA buses to Oxford Valley Mall. Greyhound bus service to the station was previously available but has been discontinued.

Trenton is the only city in New Jersey to serve three major railway systems in the state (Amtrak, NJ Transit, and SEPTA), although 30th Street station in Philadelphia does house one NJ transit line (Atlantic City), Amtrak, and SEPTA.

Facilities

Facade and entrances of station in 2020 Trenton Sta NW face jeh.jpg
Facade and entrances of station in 2020

Trenton Transit Center has two levels; the upper level with ticket offices, ticket machines, a Dunkin' Donuts and newsstand, a snack kiosk, two sets of restrooms, a bank branch, and a Auntie Anne's pretzel shop. The upper level of the station also crosses Assunpink Creek. From the upper level, stairs and elevators lead down to the two island platforms for the trains. The eastbound island platform (Tracks 1 & 2) also has a newsstand/snack kiosk as well as NJT ticket machines.

Unlike most large Amtrak stations along the Northeast Corridor, there is no checked baggage service.

A $56.6 million renovation in 2005 included an addition of a mezzanine level providing additional office and retail space. New lighting, air-conditioning, information displays, escalators, and elevators were also installed.

Across the street is the River Line light rail station that connects to Camden.

History

Station as it appeared in 1982 Entrance to Trenton Transit Center, July 25, 1982.jpg
Station as it appeared in 1982

Rail service in Trenton dates back to the days of the Camden and Amboy Railroad, which built a station on East Street in 1837, until it was moved to the current site in 1863. The C&A was merged into the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company in 1867 and acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1893, which replaced the station the same year.

As with many PRR stations, especially in New Jersey, the station became a Penn Central station once the New York Central merged with the PRR in 1968. Amtrak took over intercity railroad service in 1971, but Penn Central continued to serve commuters, even as the station building closed in 1972. In 1976, the bankrupt Penn Central and Amtrak built the new Trenton Rail Station just before Penn Central's rail assets were taken over by Conrail. It was built to a standard template used at many Amtrak stations built in the 1970s and early 1980s, with a rectangular shape and a boxy, cantilevered metal roof. NJ Transit Rail Operations took over the station when it acquired Conrail's New Jersey commuter lines in 1983, but the station continued to serve Amtrak as well as SEPTA Regional Rail to Philadelphia. From 2006 to 2008, a major reconstruction project authorized by NJT took place with $46 million worth of federal aid, and $33 million worth of state funding that resulted in the current Trenton Transit Center. [9]

Station description

NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line train at Trenton Transit Center NJ Transit ALP-45DP 4513 NB at Trenton Transit Center.jpeg
NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line train at Trenton Transit Center

Trenton Transit Center consists of a station building, four boarding locations, and a separate station for the River Line. The River Line terminal is across Clinton Avenue from the station building at street level, one story above the Northeast Corridor tracks. The River Line station consists of two low-level side platforms and two tracks that end in bumper blocks. These two tracks cross over the Northeast Corridor and then bend southwards towards the river, where they head towards Camden.

Being the terminus for NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line service and the last stop for Amtrak and SEPTA in New Jersey, Trenton is central Jersey's largest station facility, with the ability to load five trains across seven operational tracks at any given time. NJ Transit trains that terminate in Trenton discharge passengers and continue on a two-mile haul to the Morrisville Yard in Pennsylvania. SEPTA trains either remain idle at the station platform or park on a special siding on the northern side of the station reserved for these trainsets.

There are two express tracks, one in each direction, that can be used for trains running express from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station to Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey. The line narrows to four tracks for the majority of its length east and west of the station. To the west, all trains traverse the Delaware River via the Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge, entering Pennsylvania, at which point two tracks separate from the main line towards NJT's Morrisville Yard. [10] [11]

Being a major station along the Northeast Corridor, Trenton boards and receives passengers through the use of two lengthy platforms (for day-to-day operations) that can accommodate up to four trains on separate tracks at once. Both platforms are high-level, enabling faster boarding and greater accessibility for handicapped passengers. All tracks are accessed from an overpass that connects the train terminal to the front of the station and with parking facilities on the station level. Tracks 1 and 2 share an island platform and handle all service northbound towards New York Penn Station. Tracks 4 and 5 share an island platform and handle all service from New York and to and from Pennsylvania. Track 3 has a low-level platform and is largely unused except if one particular track is out of service or in an emergency.

One of the unique features of the Trenton station is that inbound NJ Transit trains from New York release passengers on the same track reserved for SEPTA operations, deliberately allowing for an efficient transfer between the two rail lines for continued service to Philadelphia. As a result, the aft ends of both trains may not be able to open their doors, since they extend past the ends of the platforms with both trains stopped on the same track.

All tracks are electrified with overhead catenary wires, as is the entire Northeast Corridor from Washington Union Station to Boston South Station.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NJ Transit</span> Public transportation system

New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It operates buses, light rail, and commuter rail services throughout the state, connecting to major commercial and employment centers both within the state and in its two adjacent major cities, New York City and Philadelphia. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 209,259,800.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Corridor</span> Electrified railroad line in the Northeastern U.S.

The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. The NEC is roughly paralleled by Interstate 95 for most of its length. Carrying more than 2,200 trains a day, it is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States by ridership and service frequency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Line (NJ Transit)</span> Light rail line in Southern New Jersey, USA

The River Line is a hybrid rail line in southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey's capital. It is so named because its route between the two cities is parallel to the Delaware River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Corridor Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and New York

The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad commuter trains between Trenton and New York, and is NJ Transit's busiest commuter rail service. After arrival at New York Penn Station, some trains load passengers and return to New Jersey, while others continue east to Sunnyside Yard for storage. Most servicing is done at the Morrisville Yard, at the west end of the line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark Penn Station</span> Transportation center in Newark, New Jersey

Newark Penn Station is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, making it the seventh busiest rail station in the United States, and the fourth busiest in the New York City metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NJ Transit Rail Operations</span> Commuter rail division of NJ Transit

NJ Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of NJ Transit. It operates commuter rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered on transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark. NJ Transit also operates rail service in Orange and Rockland counties in New York under contract to Metro-North Railroad. The commuter rail lines saw 57,179,000 riders in 2023, making it the third-busiest commuter railroad in North America and the longest commuter rail system in North America by route length.

Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) is the commonly used name for modern-day Conrail, an American railroad company. It operates three networks, the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit Shared Assets Areas, where it serves as a contract local carrier and switching company for its owners, CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. When most of the former Conrail's track was split between these two railroads, the three shared assets areas were kept separate to avoid giving one railroad an advantage in those areas. The company operates using its own employees and infrastructure but owns no equipment outside MOW equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA Regional Rail</span> Commuter rail service in Pennsylvania, US

The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite towns and cities. It is the sixth-busiest commuter railroad in the United States. In 2016, the Regional Rail system had an average of 132,000 daily riders and 118,800 daily riders as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Junction station</span> NJ Transit and Amtrak station

Princeton Junction station is a railroad station in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, located in West Windsor Township. It serves NJ Transit (NJT) and Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), and NJ Transit on the Princeton Branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark Liberty International Airport Station</span> NJ Transit and Amtrak station

Newark Liberty International Airport Station is a railroad hub on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in Newark, New Jersey. The station provides access to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) via the AirTrain Newark monorail which connects the station to the airport's terminals and parking areas. The station is served by New Jersey Transit's (NJT) Northeast Corridor Line and North Jersey Coast Line and Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Keystone Service trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic City Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage that was controlled by both the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. It shares trackage with SEPTA and Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) until it crosses the Delaware River on Conrail's Delair Bridge into New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keystone Corridor</span> Rail corridor in Pennsylvania

The Keystone Corridor is a 349-mile (562 km) railroad corridor between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that consists of two rail lines: Amtrak and SEPTA's Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg main line, which hosts SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line commuter rail service, and Amtrak's Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian inter-city trains; and the Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh Line. The corridor was originally the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenton Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail service

The Trenton Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail system. The route serves the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with service in Bucks County along the Delaware River to Trenton, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Brunswick station</span> NJ Transit and Amtrak station

New Brunswick is an active commuter railroad train station in the city of New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The station services trains of New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line and Amtrak's Keystone Service and Northeast Regional. For New Jersey Transit trains, the next station to the southwest is Jersey Avenue, while the next station to the northeast is Edison. For Amtrak services, the next station southwest is Princeton Junction, the next station to the northeast is Metropark. The station consists of two handicap-accessible side platforms surrounding the four tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge</span> Bridge in and Trenton, New Jersey

The Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge is a rail bridge across the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey Avenue station</span> NJ Transit rail station

Jersey Avenue is a New Jersey Transit station on the Northeast Corridor Line in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is near Jersey Avenue, in an industrial area next to a New Jersey Transit rail yard. Unlike all other stations on the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line, Jersey Avenue has low-level platforms, and, since there is no wheelchair ramp, it is the only station on the line that is not handicapped-accessible. Jersey Avenue opened in October 1963 as part of an experimental park and ride program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwells Heights station</span> Train station in Pennsylvania, US

Cornwells Heights station is a train station in Cornwells Heights, Pennsylvania. Located on Station Avenue near Bristol Pike in Bensalem Township, it serves the northeast suburbs of Philadelphia. It is served by SEPTA's Trenton Line commuter trains. On weekdays only, a limited number of Amtrak Keystone Service trains also stop at the station. The station has two side platforms serving the outer tracks of the four-track Northeast Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Philadelphia station</span> Railway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

North Philadelphia station is an intercity rail and regional rail station on the Northeast Corridor, located on North Broad Street in the North Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. SEPTA Regional Rail's Trenton Line and Chestnut Hill West Line account for most of the station's service. Three Amtrak trains, two southbound and one northbound, stop on weekdays only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankford Junction station</span> Former train stop in Pennsylvania; Northeast Corridor-Atlantic City Line meet point

Frankford Junction is a railroad junction, and former junction station, located on the border between the Harrowgate neighborhood of Philadelphia and Frankford, Philadelphia. At the junction, the 4-track Northeast Corridor line from Trenton connects with the 2-track Atlantic City Line from Atlantic City in the northeastern portion of Philadelphia about 2.9 miles (4.7 km) northeast of North Philadelphia station. It lies near the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Butler Street, to the west of the interchange between Interstate 95 and the approach to the Betsy Ross Bridge. It has been used for rail transportation since 1832 but has not served as a station since October 4, 1992.

The Morrisville Yard is an American rail yard that is used by New Jersey Transit rail operations for trains on its Northeast Corridor Line. It is located roughly two miles west of the New Jersey state capital, Trenton, in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and is accessible via the Morrisville-Trenton Railroad Bridge on the Delaware River.

References

  1. "Northeast Corridor Timetables" (PDF). Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  2. "Trenton Line Timetable" (PDF). SEPTA . April 16, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  3. "Electric Trains to Run on Phila.-Trenton Line". The Evening Courier . Camden, New Jersey. June 23, 1930. p. 6. Retrieved January 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. "P.R.R. Opens Electric Service Between N.Y. and Phila. Today". The Courier-Post . Camden, New Jersey. January 16, 1933. p. 3. Retrieved January 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. "Full Electric Line Wednesday". The Sunday Times . New Brunswick, New Jersey. January 29, 1933. pp. 1–2 . Retrieved January 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. "QUARTERLY RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANALYSIS" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. December 27, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  7. "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  8. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of New Jersey" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  9. "Trenton Amtrak Station". Great American Stations.
  10. "Aerial map of Trenton Transit Center".
  11. "Track Layout from StationReporter". Archived from the original on December 29, 2014.