West Trenton Line (NJ Transit)

Last updated

West Trenton Line
Overview
StatusProposed
Owner CSX Transportation
Termini
Stations8
Service
Type Commuter
System CSX Trenton Subdivision
Operator(s) New Jersey Transit
History
Proposed2007
West Trenton Line
West Trenton Line
BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Bridgewater
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon xABZgr.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Hillsborough
BSicon exHST.svg
Belle Mead
BSicon exHST.svg
Hopewell
BSicon exHST.svg
I-295 Hopewell
BSicon KBHFxa.svg
West Trenton
BSicon CONTf.svg

The West Trenton Line is a proposed NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail service that would be operated mostly on the CSX Transportation Trenton Subdivision, connecting West Trenton Station in Ewing Township, New Jersey with Newark Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey. [1] The route would connect with the Raritan Valley Line at Bridgewater and the SEPTA West Trenton Line at West Trenton. As of 2007, NJT's estimate of the cost of creating a passenger line to West Trenton was $219 million. [2] The project is still on the books, but no funding for the proposal has been secured to this date.[ when? ] [2] [3]

Contents

Former service

The Reading Company's Belle Mead station, which saw service until 1982 Belle Mead Station on the West Trenton.jpg
The Reading Company's Belle Mead station, which saw service until 1982

Historically, this was a property of the Reading Company. This line carried the Reading's Crusader and Wall Street trains, which originally operated as through service from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia to Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City (after 1965, to Newark). Until 1958, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad long distance trains such as the Royal Blue to Washington, D.C., Capitol Limited (B&O train) to Chicago and the National Limited to St. Louis traveled on this line as well.

The Philadelphia-Newark service, like many former Reading and CNJ lines, was eventually subsidized by SEPTA and New Jersey Transit. In the early 1980s, SEPTA began cutting back its diesel-powered lines in preparation for the opening of the electric-only Center City Commuter Connection. Through service from Philadelphia to Newark ended on July 30, 1981; SEPTA continued service on its electric West Trenton Line, with a connection to a once-daily, weekday-only West Trenton-Newark shuttle using Budd Rail Diesel Cars. [4] [5] This service ended on December 3, 1982, consequent to significant reductions in federal funding for mass transit enacted by the Reagan administration in the prior year. [6] [7] The trip served 290 daily passengers and cost $319,000 annually to operate. [4] The three stops discontinued were Belle Mead, Hopewell and West Trenton. [8] New Jersey Transit retained operating rights over the line. [9] [10]

Proposal

Hopewell station, served until 1981, would be served again under the proposal Hopewell, New Jersey, passenger rail station, June 2013 2.JPG
Hopewell station, served until 1981, would be served again under the proposal

Presently, the route is owned by CSX Transportation; all station platforms have been removed except at West Trenton, which is currently used by the West Trenton Line, a SEPTA commuter service to Philadelphia which also operates on the Trenton Subdivision.

Additional track would be added to the existing right-of-way as part of the plan. A second track would be installed between the Sunnymeade Road grade crossing and Port Reading Junction, where the West Trenton Line diverges from the Lehigh Line, for a distance of 2.8 miles. A second track would also be installed between Pennington – Hopewell Road Bridge and the Belle Mead station for a distance of 10 miles. Track would also be restored on the Reading Connector, an abandoned railroad right-of-way that ran between Port Reading Junction and the Raritan Valley Line. According to a 2007 plan, there would be 14 daily trains, five peak trains in each direction, one morning outbound train to West Trenton, one evening inbound train to Newark, and one midday train in each direction. Travel time would be 80 minutes from West Trenton to Newark. There would be an estimated 2,660 daily trips on the restored line. 13.1 acres of land would be acquired for a West Trenton rail yard. [9]

Communities along the rail line, such as Hopewell Township, have supported the planned restoration of the line. [11]

Proposed new stations

Trains would continue along the Raritan Valley Line from Bridgewater to Newark Penn Station.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA</span> Public transportation authority

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people in five counties in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It also manages projects that maintain, replace and expand its infrastructure, facilities and vehicles.

<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 state of New York and Pennsylvania. It operates bus, 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 2022, the system had a ridership of 175,960,600.

<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. The Northeast Corridor Line is colored red on NJ Transit system maps and its symbol is the State House. The Princeton Branch is a shuttle service connecting to the line. Connecting SEPTA Trenton Line service between Philadelphia and Trenton is listed in the timetable.

<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 45,838,200 riders in 2022, making it the third-busiest commuter railroad in North America and the longest commuter rail system in North America by route length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA Regional Rail</span> Commuter rail service in Philadelphia, 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, and the busiest outside of the New York, Chicago, and Boston metropolitan areas. 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">Raritan Valley Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and New York

The Raritan Valley Line is a commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) which serves passengers in municipalities in Union, Somerset, Middlesex and Hunterdon counties in the Raritan Valley region in central New Jersey, United States. The line's most frequent western terminus is Raritan station in Raritan. Some weekday trains continue farther west and terminate at the High Bridge station, located in High Bridge. Most eastbound trains terminate in Newark; passengers bound for New York make a cross-platform transfer. A limited number of weekday trains continue directly to New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldene Connection</span> Railroad junction in New Jersey

The Aldene Connection is a connection between two railroad lines in the Aldene neighborhood of Roselle Park, New Jersey, United States, one formerly belonging to the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), the other formerly of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The connections allow trains on the New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line to travel from Cranford and points west through stations in Roselle Park and Union to the Hunter Connection in Newark, which in turn allows access to the Northeast Corridor and Newark Penn Station.

<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 its own Delair Bridge into New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenton Transit Center</span> Train station in Trenton, New Jersey

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.

The North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company which served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1852, and began operation in 1855. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, predecessor to the Reading Company, leased the North Pennsylvania in 1879. Its tracks were transferred to Conrail and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union station (NJ Transit)</span> NJ Transit rail station

Union is a NJ Transit railroad station in Union, New Jersey. Located on the Conrail Lehigh Line, Union is served by Raritan Valley Line trains that travel between Newark Penn Station and Raritan. There is also limited service to and from High Bridge and New York Penn Station and one morning train to Hoboken Terminal. The physical structures of the station are owned by NJ Transit; however, the land remains the property of Conrail Shared Assets Operations, which is in turn owned by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgewater station (NJ Transit)</span> NJ Transit rail station

Bridgewater is a New Jersey Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The station stands on the site of the former Calco station that served American Cyanamid prior to its closure.

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

White House is a NJ Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in the Whitehouse Station section of Readington in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The station is on the west side of Main Street in the center and the station building has subsequently been turned into a branch library for the Hunterdon County Library system. This station has no weekend service.

<i>Crusader</i> (train) Reading Railroad train between Philadelphia and Jersey City

The Crusader was a 5 car stainless steel streamlined express train that ran on a 90.3-mile (145.3 km) route from Philadelphia's Reading Terminal to Jersey City's Communipaw Terminal, with a ferry connection to Lower Manhattan at Liberty Street. The Reading Railroad provided this service in partnership with the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), in which it was the majority owner of capital stock. Trains including the Crusader ran on Reading Railroad tracks from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia to Bound Brook, NJ, where they continued on CNJ tracks to Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City. Passengers then left the train and walked aboard the ferry or boarded busses that loaded onto the ferry. Introduced in 1937, the Crusader service declined during the 1960s, and the name was ultimately dropped in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Trenton Line</span> SEPTA regional rail line

The West Trenton Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service connecting Center City Philadelphia to the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, New Jersey. With around 12,000 riders every weekday, it is the third busiest line in the SEPTA Regional Rail network.

The Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource is a list of 53 New Jersey Transit stations in New Jersey entered into the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places in 1984 for their architectural, historical, and cultural merit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth station (Central Railroad of New Jersey)</span> American railroad station

Elizabeth is a disused train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was built by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) in 1893. It is adjacent to NJ Transit's Elizabeth station on the Northeast Corridor. That station was built and owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad; in the era of private operation passengers could transfer between the two. The CNJ right-of-way in Elizabeth is unused, and passenger trains which served the former CNJ mainline bypass Elizabeth via the Aldene Connection on their way to Newark Penn Station. The station has been renovated and used as commercial space.

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. 1 2 "West Trenton Line". NJ Transit. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  3. "Will commuter trains ever roll on the West Trenton Line? Ask @CommutingLarry finds out". NJ.com. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Pawson, John (March 1993). "New Backing for "Crusader" Route". The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger. Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers. 13 (3). Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  5. Plant, Jeremy F. (1998). Reading Company In Color. Vol. 1. Morning Sun Books. ISBN   9781878887955.
  6. Molotsky, Irvin (February 19, 1981). "Deep Cuts in Aid to Cities Seen Under Reagan Plan". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  7. Kehoe, Tom (December 2, 1982). "Rail service terminations opposed" . Courier News. p. 12 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Passenger Rail System State of New Jersey". rrpicturearchives.net. New Jersey Transit. 1980. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Proposed Restoration of Passenger Rail Service on the West Trenton Line Appendix K: Public Involvement" (PDF). njtransit.com. New Jersey Transit. November 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  10. "THE REGION; Rail Service to End On a Trenton Line". The New York Times. November 12, 1982. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  11. Writer, John Tredrea, Staff. "Hopewell Township supports rail line revival". CentralJersey.com. Retrieved May 8, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)