Rolling on the River

Rolling on the River
By Baird Bream
Misnomers are to be avoided when
traveling with Jeff Marinoff, Second
Vice Chair of the South Jersey Transit
Advisory Committee. At the Route 73/
Pennsauken New Jersey River LINE
station stop, a woman boarding with
her daughter asks Marinoff if the
drivers are switching before the train
continues.
“Operators,” he says, turning to her.
“The train operators are switching, and
then we’ll continue.”
The woman quickly accepts the
friendly correction. “Yes, operators,
excuse me,” she says before she and
her daughter take their seats.
This moment highlights the
importance of knowing how unique
the 34-mile New Jersey River LINE
is each time Marinoff refers to it
as interurban rail, rather than the
more familiar terms of light rail
or commuter rail. He is not being
casual with his word choice, because
the River LINE does not belong to
either of those categories. New Jersey
Transit’s River LINE is an interurban
rail system – a hybrid operation also
known as regional rail that mixes the
service offerings of both commuter
rail and light rail into a system that
is uncommon in the United States.
Currently, there are four regional
rail systems running in the United
States and Canada, with another two
that are in final stages of testing or
construction (all six of which are
featured in this edition of RAIL –
ed). These regional systems also are
relatively young: the River LINE has
been running since 2004, yet in its
five-year history, it is already making
a significant impact on the Garden
State.
Crossing the Border
Like any transit system, the River
LINE’s history goes back a lot farther
than its inauguration five years ago.
Marinoff describes years of battles
with various planning organizations
and political entities, convincing the
skeptics of how valuable this system
could be for commuters and how much
of an impact it could make on the all
cities and communities along the line.
“They told me for years that no one
18
would ride it, that no one would want
light rail in New Jersey,” Marinoff
says, “But I pushed for it, I told them
what it could do for the state, and now
we’re running at capacity ridership
during peak hours!”
Despite the skepticism, Marinoff and
the rest of New Jersey Transit – the
state transit agency which owns the
system – understood the advantages
unique to interurban systems that
helped get the River LINE launched.
Like other regional rail systems, the
River LINE did not require an entirely
new rail infrastructure before it could
operate. In 1999, New Jersey Transit
purchased the Bordenton Secondary
freight rail line from Conrail, a route
which makes up 30 miles of the
34-mile River LINE route between
Trenton and Camden. The corridor
largely follows the Delaware River
along the border between New Jersey
and Pennsylvania; hence its River
LINE moniker. With ownership of the
line came an agreement of temporal
separation, meaning Conrail’s freight
trains continue to run on the rail
system during the River LINE’s offhours, and freight services are even
DBOM: A Public-Private
Partnership
New Jersey Transit also employed an
innovative approach to contracting the
development of the River LINE. Rather
than contract separately for each
element of the design and operations,
New Jersey Transit organized the
project as a turnkey DBOM – Design
Build Operate Maintain – project. In a
DBOM approach, a single organization
oversees and is responsible for all
aspects of the project, from its design
on paper to its ongoing performance
and maintenance. Bombardier
Transportation was awarded the DBOM
contract.
“New Jersey Transit’s intent
was ‘give us the full system,’ says
River LINE’s General Manager and
Bombardier employee Al Fazio, who
refers to the approach as “a union of
private initiative and incentive with
public services and resources.”
In the case of the River LINE,
the public service of mobility and
intermodal access is tied to a profit
motive, which encourages an everincreasing standard of performance. By
contracting the operations to a private
organization, New Jersey Transit ties
a fundamental profit initiative to the
system.
“Bombarider’s profit is tied to public
performance,” Fazio explains. The
term public performance represents a
matrix more complex than the usual
standard for transit systems, such as
system ridership. Instead, Bombardier’s
payment is based on service: a
combination of vehicle-miles traveled,
on-time performance, customer
satisfaction, and as Marinoff puts it,
“the reputation to be good.”
With this more comprehensive
performance standard in mind,
Bombardier ostensibly pays greater
attention to every aspect of the River
LINE, carefully considering how
improvements for commuters can be
made at every turn.
Doing More Than the Minimum
Fazio likes to refer to this as the
River LINE’s unofficial theme: “to
do more than provide the minimum”
when it comes to service. This mantra
manifests itself in numerous ways,
from a seven-minute reduction in
running time over three years to a $1.5
million investment in new systems to
dispatch and monitor the River LINE
trains once it was determined that
the previous minimum-level system
was prone to monthly operational
incidents, leading to service delays
along the entire line.
The level of service provided by
the River LINE’s operators is easily
matched by the quality of the River
LINE infrastructure. The system
consists of 20 Diesel Multiple Units
(DMUs vehicles, unique to regional rail
systems. A DMU is a train car with a
self-contained, self-propelling diesel
engine, which eliminates the need for
a locomotive to pull passenger cars –
as in the case of commuter rail trains
– and for any electrified overhead
infrastructure to power the cars – as
in the case of light-rail trains. All that
is required for passenger service to
run on the River LINE is a DMU car
and a length of track on which the car
can run. This simplicity reduces both
the capital costs and the rolling stock
costs of the River LINE and simplifies
the dispatch of the trains: River LINE
trains always run as one- or two-car
trains.
The simplified system enables the
River LINE to perform like a light-rail
The Pennsylvania Railroad’s Bordentown Secondary – today’s River LINE – once operated through the heart of many communities such as Burlington and Riverside on its route between Trenton and Camden.
Photo by John Dziobko
Photo by Gerald Oliveto
overseen by River LINE operations and
dispatch. Conrail’s only responsibility
is to provide crews for the freight
trains.
This temporal separation is crucial
– it prevents the two different rail
services from running on the same
tracks at the same time, leading to a
safer system. The arrangement also
greatly facilitated the development
of the River LINE service, since the
planning, design, and construction
of new rail infrastructure was
unnecessary. This significantly reduced
the capital costs of the new rail
project, allowing project construction
to focus on other key improvements
like grade crossings, signaling systems,
and stations.
NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak
To Newark NJ, New York
Trenton Transit Center
Clinton Ave & Barlow St
418
600
601
604
606
608
609
611
619
SEPTA
101 Hamilton Ave
Northeast
Corridor
Commuter rail service
between Trenton Rail
Station and Newark Liberty
International Airport Station
See Downtown
Trenton Inset
for Details
409
601 603
609
613 619
Cass Street
601 Cass Street
Duck Island
Recreational Bordentown
State Park
Twp
Morrisville
isio
Ch
nA
ve
es
ilto
St
Co rri
ket
Mar
Corrid
or
Tullytown
St
W Front
River LINE
To Camden
lvd
Haines
Industrial
Center
Ne
Burlington
Towne Centre
Tre
nto
n
Bensalem
409
413 419
ea
rt h
Ri
ve
r
No
Edgewater
Park
Ho
lly
rlin
Bu
Riverside
CAMDEN COUNTY
Haddonfield
wa re
De la
Voorhees
Woodcrest
d
er R
Riv
Audubon
To Fo
x Ch
d
er R
Riv
Audobon Park
Lawnside
Haddon
Heights
ford Line
Market - Frank
Interstate Bus Service
Lindenwold
Ashland
Rt. 673 between Rt. 670
& Rt. 30
Barrington
Magnolia
403
451
459
554
Berlin Twp
Somerdale
Atlantic City
Line
Lindenwold
Local Bus Service
608
Mercer Mall - Quaker Bridge Mall Hamilton Marketplace
East Trenton - Trenton Rail Station
Princeton - Mercerville Hamilton Marketplace
Ewing - Trenton Independence Plaza
Hamilton - West Trenton
609
Ewing - Quaker Bridge Mall
603
407
317
Asbury Park - Fort Dix - Philadelphia
408
400
Sicklerville - Philadelphia
409
401
Salem - Philadelphia
410
Philadelphia - MerchantvilleMoorestown Mall
Millville - Philadelphia
Trenton - Willingboro - Philadelphia
(via US 130)
Bridgeton - Philadelphia
402
Pennsville - Philadelphia
412
Glassboro - Philadelphia
413
Burlington - Mt. Holly - Philadelphia
419 Burlington - Rt. 73/Pennsauken Station Camden
127
ay
& Delaware Ave
Haddon
Twp
30
Oaklyn
Mt Ephraim
SEPTA
oadw
S Br
Haddon
Susquehanna Bank Center Twp
Airport
Line
Berlin - Marlton - Philadelphia
h St
d St
S 2n
Ferry
Ave
Entertainment
Center
Cape May - Wildwood - Philadelphia
406
S 6t
t
dS
Collingswood
n Ave
313 315
405
St
Line St
e
t
Pin
nS
isio
Div
St
uce
Spr
St
rry
t
Che
tS
nu
Wal
S 3r
Downtown Camden
h St
St
Evesham
Connecting Bus, Rail and Light Rail Service
404
St
St
S 3rd
S 4th
on St
Clint
h St
Entertainment
Center
PATCO
to Lindenwold
S 7t
Blvd
S 5t
our
t
Wes
Dr
Haddo
See Downtown
Camden Inset for
Details
Gloucester City
Turnersville - Lindenwold PATCO Philadelphia
Cherry Hill Mall - Pennsauken Philadelphia
Cherry Hill Mall - Merchantville Philadelphia
e
adway
(M
Harb
Broadway
Camden Free
County Library Walter Rand
Hall of
Transportation
Justice
Center
Walt
on St
Whitman
vd)
Bens
House
Blvd
Bl
ickle
Battleship NJ
Bellmawr
403
on Av
Medford
Cooper
University Haddon
Ave
Hospital
Atlantic City
Line
man
Whit
Walt e
Bridg
30th Street & Market St
S 11th St
S 10th St
Walter Rand
ral St Transportation
Center
CENTER
450
Camden
452 453 457
30th Street
Philadelphia
Hadd
St
N Bro
ng Jr
L. Ki
Dr M.
Ave
rside
laware
er
Riv
Wiggins Park
& Marina
S De
PA
Marlton Pike (Rt 70) &
Cornell Ave
452
N 5th
ral St
Fede
Rive
To W
ilm
Newaington/
rk, DE
St
Ave
Adventure
Aquarium
Cherry Hill
1500 36th St
River LINE
to Trenton
Fede
City
Hall
Marke
St
h St
N 3rd
laware
Cherry
Hill
Mall
Linden
Camden
Cty College/
Rowan
Univ
City
Hall
t St
RCA ‘
’Nipper’
Building
Aquarium
Rive
to Pe rfront
nns Ferry
Land
ing,
NJ Tpke
Exit 4
36th Street
N
St 36th
N De
Rd
US
CourtHouse
St
Camden
are
aw
Cove
Cooper St/
Rutgers
Del
e
Av
M
Pennsauken
N 10t
d
Moorestown
Mall
Maple Shade
Pearl
Rutgers
University
Camden
Campus
Cherry Hill
2 Delaware Ave
ia,
To Medyn
Elw
419
SJTA Pennsauken
Industrial Park Shuttle
ld
d
kfor
- Fran
yR
Line
ket
Mar
r St
klin
Fran
Ben e
Bridg
8th &
Market
9-10th &
Locust
15-16th 12-13th
&
Locust
Aquarium
& Locust
Line
Campbells
Field
PATCO
to Philadelphia
209 Cooper St
reet
wyd
To Cyn
Bridge
Coope
le
ap
Pennsauken
Industrial
Park
Pennsauken
Industrial
Park
Greyhound
Bus Lines
Cooper St/
Rutgers
d St
Broa
M’kt East
Station/
Greyhound
Terminal
Suburban
Station
le/
To Thornda
Paoli
an
412 418 419 450 451
406 407 408 409 410
452 453 457 551
nklin
min Fra
Benja
9501 River Rd
nfie
401 402 403 404 405
Temple
University
Elm St
Moorestown
Route 73
do
Had
Rd
North
Philadelphia
North Broad
(Amtrak, SEPTA
only)
wn
Pennsauken
Industrial
Center
Betsy Ross
Bridge
313 315 317 400
Wes
t
Alb
Atl
To City Li
Phi
la,P ne
A
527 Martin Luther King Blvd
t Hill
Lumberton
Rd
B9
Walter Rand
Transportation Center
To Norristo
ill
Pennsauken/
PHILADELPHIA, PA
stnu
sM
w
419
July 2008
Hainesport
Cin
Cinnaminson
Ave naminso Shopping
n
Center Church Rd
10 East Broad St
njtransit.com or RiverLINE.com
Mt Laurel
BURLINGTON COUNTY
ine
Cinnaminson
a
Palmyra
Bridesburg
Ha
Tay
Riverton Rd
lmyr
AMTRAK ........ (800) USA-RAIL amtrak.com
BURLINK ....... (856) 596-8228 driveless.com
PATCO ........... (856) 772-6900 ridepatco.org
SEPTA ........... (215) 580-7800 septa.org
Rancocas
State Park
Delran
lor’
Taylor
s
Industrial Ln
Park
Industrial
Center of
Cinnaminson
419
Wissinoming
er A
ve
Cinder
Industrial
Park
Lippencott Ave &
South Broad St
Ta
Bridconyge Pa
lane Rd
Wood
Beverly
Rancocas Rd
Creek Rd
hest
Riverton
Tacony
NJ TRANSIT Police......(800) 242-0236
out of state ......(973) 378-6565
(to report suspicious activities or packages
Mt Holly
daily
- 24 hours/7 days)
Westhampton
Ne
ase
419 B10
NJ Tpke
Exit 5
Security Hot Line..........(888) TIPS-NJT
Rd
Riverside
Bannard St &
Industrial Hwy
NJ TRANSIT
Information....................(973) 275-5555
Easthampton
Text Telephone......(TT)
(800) 772-2287
Bridgeboro St
B8
SC
Cinnaminson
d
tR
nse
Su
Willingboro
gto
nA
ve
Mt
Burlington
Center
Mall
Willingboro
Plaza
Delanco
Delanco
Industrial
Park
101 Franklin St
419
Rd
Pennsylvania Ave &
Spruce St
Connecting Light Rail Service
Refer to timetable for connecting bus stop locations
s Rd
Burlington Twp
ne
B2
Connecting Bus Service
Connecting Rail Service
Salem
B1
Springfield
SEPTA Regional Rail
coca
W
Rd ood
la
225 Railroad Ave
Atlantic City Line
Northeast Corridor
Rd
Parking Available at Stations
Ran
500 West Broad St
Beverly/
Edgewater
Park
Commuter Rail
Oldork
Y
Burlington
Jacksonville Rd
B6
Accessible Stations
Rd
PATCO
Burlington
South
st
To
W
es
t
Croydon
Delanco
Che
ck
Burlington
Island
Eddington
To
River LINE
Florence
Bristol
30 West Broad St
To
Chestnut
Hill East
d
John Galt Way
& Rt 130
Bristol
Torresdale
Mansfield
Flo
Co rence
lum
bus
R
B5
St
Cornwells
Heights
Rd
NJ Tpke
Exit 6
St
Florence
Lower
Southampton
Upper
Southampton
kora
De
Ave laware
Bristol Twp
Mercer Cnty
Bd of Social
Services/
State Parole
Board
lB
na
Ca
ing
nd
Kin
409
t
r
River Connections
Newbold
Island
Roebling
1499 Hornberger Ave
Levittown
St
Hulmeville
La
Mercer County
Waterfront Park
Riv
e
NJ Tpke
Exit 7
do r
t
dS
2n
North
east
ss
3rd
law
are
Rising
Sun Rd
Fieldsboro
Genesee St
on
ert
olv
Wo ve
A
De
Chesterfield
409
S Broad St
Ca
Cass
Street
rS
de
un
h
Penndel T
29
to Philadelphia
Dye St
New
Jersey
State
Prison
t
lS
Manor
Middletown
Bordentown
W Park St
3
Av
e
Roebling
Market
ury
ra
de
Pl
Fe
StLanghorne
t
tA
ve
Roebling Ave
e
t
t
dS
2n in S t
S
rp
Tu ntre
St
l
Ce s P rton
Hill mbe
La
Asb
ion
ton
St
dg
Bri
Un
Downtown Trenton
Clin
St
nS
tnu
Av
e
Hudson St
rk
Hamilton
Ave
er
t
Ha
m
rd
t
ya
rS
Ba
tle
Elm
S
Cla
Sovereign
Bank Arena
tak
er
Bu
St
r St
Langhorne
Capital
Connection will get you there
Northampton
Look for buses and bus stops marked with the
Capital Logo. Capital Connection information
is highlighted on all 601, 606, 608, 609 and
619 timetables.
hit
s Rd
Cros
Bordentown
Mo
Merce
State Offices
Travelling between the Trenton Transit
and Downtown Trenton for the State House?
W
e
Av
swick
US Steel
Industial Park
tt S
Transit
Center
St
Trenton
Jack
son
St
Mercer County Middletown
S Br
oad
Courthouse
St
Coop
er St
New
War
ren
St
Hughes
Justice
Complex
Center
29
Gre
en
wo
od
Ave
t
Div
Dept
Environmental
Protection
Offices
City
Hall
ard
W
Falls
rS
St
Pe
rry
St
Newtown
t
ital
tS
n
ron
Cap nectio
EF
Con
State House &
Capitol Complex
St Francis
Medical
Center
t
St
tate
ES
Northeast
Corridor
S
ton
r
ove
an
EH
St
Calhoun St
St
ck
Sto
illow
St
r St
W Hanove
St
Capitol
St
W State
To Newark,
New York
St
Ty
le
tate
ES
US
Courthouse
N
rd Woodson
ery
om
ntg
Mo
e St
Bellevu
e St
Belvider
Spring
St
road
n St
NB
arre
NW
Newtown Twp
NW
Rev S Howa
Lower
Makefield
Ave
N
Jr Way
ngton
Raou
Ave l Wallenbe
rg
Penni
few miles further south in Camden and
the Trenton Transit Center, with 18
stops in between, in one hour and five
minutes. During peak hours, trains are
providing service every 15 minutes,
while during off-peak hours, trains run
every 30 minutes.
MERCER COUNTY
Hamilton
Hamilton Avenue
127
Capital Connection
Local Bus Service
to Downtown Trenton
and the Statehouse
BUCKS COUNTY, PA
Northeast
Corridor
Trenton
Newton St
Upper Makefield
409
Trenton - Neshaminy Mall
(via Oxford Valley Mall, Langhorne, PA)
452
Camden - Cherry Hill Mall Moorestown Mall - Trenton
Cherry Hill Mall - Audubon - Camden
Camden - Voorhees Town Center Lindenwold PATCO
Camden - 36th Street Station
453
Ferry Avenue PATCO - Camden
457
Moorestown Mall - Camden
551
Atlantic City - Philadelphia
554
Lindenwold PATCO - Atlantic City
600
Trenton - Plainsboro (US 1 Corridor)
601
College of New Jersey - Trenton Hamilton Marketplace
418
450
451
604
606
607
611
613
619
Trenton - Perry Street Shuttle
Mercer Mall - Yardville Hamilton Marketplace
Ewing - Mercer County College
Capital Connection - Local Bus Service
between Downtown Trenton and the State House
system while offering service over a
distance more commonly expected
from a commuter rail system. The lowboard design and wide entryways of
the Bombardier-built trains facilitate
the rapid boarding of large groups
of commuters, while also making
the trains more accessible for those
commuters with disabilities or mobility
impairments to board. Each car can
hold up to 90 passengers.
Meanwhile, highly-developed
Berlin
Local Bus Shuttles
Burlink
B1
B2
B5
B6
B9
B10
Atlantic City Line
To Atlantic City, NJ
www.Driveless.com
for more info
Beverly, Willingboro, Westhampton,
Lumberton, Mount Holly, Pemberton
Beverly Rail Station, Beverly City,
Willingboro Town Center, Muncipal
Bldg, Westhampton, Edgewater Park
Florence Rail Station, Railroad Avenue,
Haines Industrial Center, Route 130
Burlington Towne Centre Rail Station,
Route 541, Liberty Square/Cadillac Drive
Palmyra Rail Station, Cinnaminson, Maple
Shade, Moorestown, Moorestown Industrial
Park, Moorestown Mall, East Gate Square
Cinnaminson Rail Station, Cinnaminson,
Industrial Parks, Route 130
Light Rail &
Atlantic City
Line
Northeast
Corridor
Rail Service
Northeast Corridor
Boston, MA - Washington DC
Atlantic City Line
Atlantic City, NJ - Philadelphia, PA
Northeast Corridor
Trenton, NJ - New York, NY
PATCO Speedline
Lindenwold, NJ - Philadelphia, PA
River LINE
Trenton, NJ - Camden, NJ
Trenton Line
Trenton, NJ - Philadelphia, PA
(Northeast Corridor)
Commuter Rail Service between Trenton Rail Station
and Newark Liberty International Airport Station
accelerating and braking mechanisms
enable faster start/stop times at each
station, and the largely straightlying track of the line enables the
River LINE trains to reach speeds of
65 miles per hour. For instance, The
Morning Comet, a morning express
RIVER LINE train departs from the
Walter Rand Transportation Center in
Camden and travels to Trenton in 47
minutes. A full-service train travels
between the Entertainment Center a
20
Intermodalism and regional
connectivity are cornerstones of the
River LINE’s service. Fazio puts it
simply: “Networks are what make
transit work,” and so the River LINE
is extensively integrated with several
public transit systems in order to form
a more comprehensive network within
the Delaware Valley and even the
New York City Metropolitan area in
addition to western New Jersey.
Tony Clark, River LINE Security
Supervisor, offers the concept of a
“one-seat ride for commuters within
the area, in which their complete
commute can be served by a web
of interconnecting mass transit
systems. Says Clark, “ the key is good
connections within the corridor.”
The River LINE certainly has these
good connections. Each River LINE
station is serviced by either New
Jersey Transit or South Jersey Transit
Authority buses. During peak service
hours – when trains are running every
15 minutes – it’s possible for the buses
to synchronize their stops at the River
LINE stations with trains arriving from
both directions. The BurLink buses
of Burlington, N.J., also connect to
the four stations located within the
city. Fifteen hundred free parking
spaces are also available at three large
park-and-ride centers located at the
Florence, Burlington South, and Route
73/Pennsauken stations, creating a
strong incentive for commuters to
get out of their cars and “think mass
transit,” as Clark puts it.
Yet the intermodal connectivity
expands beyond the transit systems
in New Jersey. Multiple stations along
the River LINE system connect to two
Pennsylvania transit systems – the Port
Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO)
and the South Eastern Pennsylvania
Transit Authority (SEPTA) –
providing River LINE riders access to
Philadelphia at several points. At the
Trenton Transit Center, the northern
terminal station for the River LINE,
riders can connect to Amtrak’s North
East Corridor (NEC), facilitating a
car-free commute into New York City.
This connectivity is further enhanced
by shared fare passes on different
systems; for example, Amtrak’s
monthly pass to New York serves as
fare for the River LINE. The result of
this intermodal connectivity is that
the neighborhoods along the River
LINE system have become bedroom
communities for New York City and
Philadelphia.
Cinnaminson resident and United
We Ride Coordination Ambassador
Rex Knowlton agrees, saying, “as a
lifelong resident of the Triboro area Cinnaminson, Palmyra and Riverton
– I recall riding the Pennsylvania
Railroad line into Philadelphia
from the Palmyra stop with my
grandparents as a child. What a
delight when the River LINE opened
in 2004. My daily commute to PATCO
in Camden was reduced to just over a
mile through the nearby Pennsauken
station with plenty of parking and I
now can ride the River LINE to start
and end the journey.”
While some passengers are bound
for two of the nation’s largest cities,
the River LINE also reconnects a series
of smaller towns and communities
that were previously disconnected
from major transit systems. With
the introduction of the River LINE,
these small towns now belong to a
expansive and comprehensive web
of interconnected transit systems,
which brings greater mobility to these
residents, while simultaneously giving
them the economic boost from tourists
taking the River LINE into these small
towns.
The public has responded
enthusiastically to the opportunities
presented by this more comprehensive
transit network. River LINE ridership
has consistently remained above
projected levels since 2004. In 2008,
the River LINE reached its peak-hour
Communities such as Pennsauken not only benefit from the River LINE’s connections throughout
the region, but also improved connectivity with local transit systems.
capacity, moving 9,000 passengers per
weekday. For major events at cultural
and entertainment centers, daily
ridership can reach as high as 12,000
passengers. The River LINE has even
had an impressive spill-over effect for
other transit systems in the area. As
ridership has increased on the River
LINE, commuters have been relying
on public transit to take them further,
serving as a replacement for the cars
that used to take them to the River
LINE stations. PATCO has reported
higher ridership in the years since the
River LINE began service, showing that
the regional rail system is truly getting
people to think public transit. As the
River LINE continues to mature, its
managers plan to purchase more DMUs
to accommodate higher ridership.
The River LINE will also increase the
number of two-car trains running
during peak ridership periods.
Building Connected Communities
Just as remarkable as the numbers
of riders is the diversity of passengers
who regularly use the River LINE.
The line has been marketed as an
interurban connector for commuters as
well as a pleasure cruise for tourists,
and these populations, in addition
to others, have been responding. The
Morning Comet express train and its
returning counterpart – the Evening
Comet – have been very popular with
business commuters heading north
to the New Jersey State Capitol in
Trenton or New York City. Train #329
is particularly popular among those
commuting from Amtrak’s Northeast
Corridor trains into New Jersey. Yet
as business commuters increasingly
pass through the towns located along
the River LINE system, businesses
have been realizing opportunities
within those towns themselves. Taking
advantage of increasing connectivity
between New Jersey and the major
metropolitan areas, new developments
zoned for commerce and retail have
emerging all along the River LINE
corridor, turning these small towns
into business centers. Between 2004
and 2005, the city of Burlington, for
example, saw 16 new businesses open
in commercial parks adjacent to its
River LINE station.
But of course, what is business
without pleasure? The River LINE also
has turned these towns into tourist
destinations. Ridership is actually
higher on weekends than on weekdays
due to the popularity of these small
towns.
“Each of these towns has its own
unique offerings to people who come
to visit New Jersey,” Clark says.
The River LINE provides brochures
onboard its trains that described some
of the dining options located along
Bombardier’s DMU vehicles are the ideal match for the regional rail structure of the River LINE.
the system. Several of the restaurants
mentioned in this brochure offer
discounts to diners who show their
River LINE fare pass. Higher tourist
traffic has motivated several small
towns to revitalize their waterfront
neighborhoods along the line with
new restaurants and retail offerings,
as well as walking tours of historical
districts. The town of Riverside
recently reopened its historic Keystone
Watchcase Tower, located across the
street from the Riverside station.
The tower had been abandoned for
50 years, but it is now the jewel in
Riverside’s new Golden Triangle,
a center of economic and cultural
activity that had previously been a 32acre brownfield.
Yet the small towns are not the
only ones to benefit. The River LINE’s
final stops in Camden connect riders
to several entertainment centers,
sports venues and the New Jersey
State Aquarium, and these centers
have reported stronger patronage
since the River LINE began running in
the neighborhood. At the same time,
students from the Camden campus
of Rutgers University take the River
LINE in the opposite direction, heading
north to make use of the bike trails
located along the Delaware River. The
River LINE also serves as pleasure
cruise for the river itself. There are
several points along the system during
which riders are afforded incredible
views of the river – views unseen
by car, since the nearest roads are
separated by walls of trees or the
state’s namesake highway barriers.
Marinoff proudly recounts the
conversations he has had with riders
who told him that, “they took the train
just to see the river today!”
The towns and cities of New Jersey,
rather than waiting for individual
businesses to realize the opportunities
on their own, have been engaging
in extensive economic development
efforts that are centered around their
River LINE stations. Many of the new
businesses that come into these areas
even take their name from the regional
rail system, such as the Riverline
Business Plaza in Cinnaminson or the
River Line Inn Bed and Breakfast in
Riverton.
While some communities have
focused on revitalizing waterfront
neighborhoods with new restaurants
and retail, there have been more
substantial development efforts as
well. As early as 2005, an impressive
growth in mixed-use, transit-oriented
development efforts throughout the
communities along the River LINE.
Riverside’s Golden Triangle is one
of several brownfields undergoing a
redevelopment process as a result of a
nearby River LINE station.
In Burlington, plans are underway
to redevelop 20 acres of an
underutilized business park known
as Commerce Square. Two local real
estate development firms have teamed
up with the City of Burlington to
revitalize the industrial waterfront
into a commercial office park, with
construction is expected to begin soon.
22
Once completed, the new Commerce
Square will bring an estimated 700
to 1,000 jobs to Burlington. The
developers have been marketing the
office park as an opportunity to be
well-connected to several transit
systems that integrate the area within
a larger market. The River LINE is
particularly important to this idea
of connectivity, since it can draw
people looking to do business as
well as people looking to work from
a much larger area. The ease of an
effortless commute by passenger rail
makes working in Commerce Square
particularly attractive.
Although it is still in the planning
stage, Trenton’s proposed Vista
Center is already drawing attention
as a future icon for the capitol city.
The Vista Center – a 25-story office
tower – is proposed to be constructed
on an abandoned lot right next to
the Trenton Transit Center, the sixth
busiest stop on Amtrak’s Northeast
Corridor and the northern terminal
stop on the River LINE. Passenger
rail use will be further facilitated by
a series of pedestrian walkways that
connect the office building with the
transit center, creating a seamless
commute from home to office via
public transit. When completed, the
Vista Center will not only be Trenton’s
tallest building, but it will also be its
greenest, as the developers plan to
achieve a LEED Platinum rating for
the building. While much of the Vista
Center will be devoted to office space,
the ground floors will be zoned for
retail, giving the center a wider role to
play within the community.
In August of this year, the
Bordentown Township Planning
Board granted site-plan approval
to the Bordentown Waterfront
Community project, a proposed
mixed-use village of substantial size.
Unlike other projects that envision
a single collection of housing units,
Jeffrey Albert, the project’s developer,
has envisioned the community as
something much grander. He plans to
create seven different neighborhoods,
each consisting of apartments,
condominiums, and townhouses,
(Left to right): Bombardier maintenance employees Pat McWilliams and Daniel O’Hara; South
Jersey Advisory Committee member Jeff Marinoff; writer Baird Bream; and Bombardier’s Tony
Clark and Al Fazio.
expand the potential for tourist
traffic and business traffic to travel
through the River LINE and increase
the connections shared between
metropolitan centers. While the
project is still in the planning stage, it
recently received $40 million from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act, an investment that will greatly
hasten its progress.
Delivering Results, Raising
Expectations
Within the communities it touches,
expectations for the River LINE run
very high, and not without reason. In
five short years, the River LINE has
become a driving force for economic
development and a representative of
the potential that exists for passenger
rail in the United States.
In fact, the River LINE is serving as a
model for further development within
New Jersey. Following the example
of the River LINE’s success, PATCO is
pursuing an additional regional rail
line running from the Walter Rand
Transportation Center in Camden to
Glassboro. This new line would be the
first passenger rail transit system to be
introduced to southern New Jersey in
nearly fifty years.
Following the pattern of the River
LINE, PATCO will make use of existing
right of way tracks currently used
by Conrail freight trains. Rather
than relying on temporal separation,
however, the Camden-Glassboro line
trains will operate on separate tracks,
Continued on page 53
Investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will support construction of a
transfer station at Pennsauken (below) to connect the River LINE to Atlantic City commuter trains.
Photo courtesy of Bombardier
with retail and recreational space
intersperced. Perhaps the most
significant element of the project is
that Albert has proposed the addition
of a new River LINE stop to turn the
community from a mixed-use village
into a transit-oriented village. The
River LINE stop is seen as critical to
the viability of the community, since
the land on which Albert proposes to
build is bound by the Delaware River
and two high-traffic roads. By making
the neighborhoods accessible to the
River LINE, the area – including the
riverfront – becomes accessible to
pedestrians.
The RiverLine is a key element
of the Bordentown Waterfront
Community” says Jeffrey Albert. “It
makes accessible the entire eastern
megalopolis and thereby increases
the value of the location to our future
residents as well as those of the
region for employment, entertainment
and travel. This station promotes
a significant smart growth transit
village in a Township designated
redevelopment area.”
All along the line, housing
developments have been in particularly
high demand, despite the recent slump
in housing construction. Fazio cited
recent developments that are especially
popular for those commuting into New
York for business. The transit-oriented
development waterfront housing in
the northern New Jersey towns cost 60
percent of what commuters would pay
for an apartment in Manhattan. But
more than the prices, Fazio stresses, is
the fact that the River LINE can take
these commuters from their homes to
their New York-bound commuter train
in Trenton in under 15 minutes.
There are other economic
development efforts more fully focused
on improving the River LINE itself.
Progress is already underway to
expand the River LINE and improve
its connectivity, with a new station
in design at Pennsauken. This new
station will connect the River LINE
to New Jersey Transit’s Atlantic City
Line, a commuter rail line operating
between Philadelphia and Atlantic
City. This new connection will further
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w
Dining on the B&O Delivers
a Delicious Journey
By Christine Pomorski
In a day and age when travel involves
few amenities, Thomas J. Greco and Karl
D. Spence’s Dining on the B&O: Recipes
and Sidelights from a Bygone Age harkens
back to a time when getting from place
to place was as much about the journey
as the destination. This thoughtful
compilation of recipes and stories
captures the essence of train travel in the
1950s – exciting, elegant and memorable.
Greco and Spence’s tribute to the B&O
uses food to convey the entire experience
of traveling by rail, the emotions that it
evoked as well the overall sentiment of
B&O Railroad era.
For many, food is more than daily
sustenance, but a cultural link to the
past and gateway to the future. As the
authors note, “think of the energy and
anticipation you feel in preparing a
special meal for friends or family… and
the bond that develops… as a result of
your efforts.” Cooking for special guests is
the most basic gesture of love. It connects
people from all ages, backgrounds and
social groups.
The B&O Railroad did exactly that
through the grand affair of dining on its
trains. Greco and Spence note early in the
book that the Dining Car and Commissary
Department was not designed to make
a profit, but to attract customers with
its top-of-the-line dining and service.
Even though the type of cuisine was not
uncommon, what made dining on the
B&O special “was the atmosphere, the
style, and the attitude with which the
food was served.”
“Dining on the B&O” will satisfy
train junkies and foodies alike with its
descriptions of the B&O kitchens, staff
and commissaries. Readers will delight at
how the B&O skillfully operated a white
tablecloth dining establishment on wheels
despite tiny kitchens and limited supplies.
Greco and Spence’s thorough research
goes behind the scenes, explaining, for
instance, how the B&O stockpiled Irish
linen in 1939 for fear that their supply
would dwindle due to the war, or how
the kitchen staff meticulously planned
their food supply to correspond with
requisitions in cities along the way.
Interestingly enough, the inner workings
of the B&O’s kitchens are very similar
to how many high-end restaurants work
today, with an emphasis on structure,
high standards, model efficiency and
regional food (fresh-water fish from the
Great Lakes for eastbound passengers and
Chesapeake Bay fish, crab and oysters for
the westbound).
The recipes, which are written in a
style designed for the on-board chef,
will tempt you to try some old, familiar
classics such as hush puppies, stuffed
pork chops and clam chowder. Others
offer a glimpse into the regional dishes
of the day, such as Baltimore-style
creamed oysters, Philadelphia pepper
pot and local interpretations of spoon
bread. Readers will also be amused by a
number of recipes for rather interesting
dishes that have fallen out of rotation in
modern menus, such as Maryland-style
terrapin, prune whip and marshmallow
mayonnaise. Pay close attention to the
section of baked goods recipes, which
outline a number of bread and biscuits
whose aromas have likely been filling
kitchens in the area for many generations.
Greco and Spence, who pepper their
book with photos, menus, letters and
personal anecdotes, have crafted a
charming narrative that pays touching
tribute to one of our nation’s oldest and
most historic railways. “Dining on the
B&O” is their personal, and delicious,
labor of love.
since the rail corridor has multiple tracks
available for use.
“This provides the similar advantages
of lower capital costs and eliminates
the need for any property acquisition
under eminent domain rulings,” says
John Mattheussen, CEO of the Delaware
River Port Authority (DRPA), which
oversees PATCO. The new rail line will
also focus on multimodalism to promote
connections between public transit
systems and the creation of a larger
comprehensive web of transit services in
southern New Jersey. Currently, PATCO is carrying out an
environmental impact study, which is
expected to take 18 to 24 months to
complete. The corporation also plans to
begin preliminary engineering studies in
a year, with the hope of expediting the
design and construction phases of the line.
“We have worked with local
communities to plan around rail-oriented
development and downtown development
plans,” says Mattheussen. “This project
has an 80 percent approval among
the public, and we’ve received strong
commitment from the state.”
No Barriers in New Jersey
The size of the state’s investment
demonstrates the supportive atmosphere
that exists in New Jersey for innovative
rail systems. Public officials have all
supported passenger rail initiatives
with the political will needed to bring
them from concept to reality. In an
environment so amenable to passenger
rail, innovative ideas can be tested and
new systems can succeed, bringing
mobility, opportunity, and development to
numerous communities.
The River LINE has demonstrated
substantial initiative for increased
interconnectivity among transit systems,
making mobility a seamless operation
from start to finish. And as New Jersey
increases support for taking mass
transit, it increases accessibility between
neighborhoods, driving transit-oriented
development that can reshape and
revitalize entire communities. The River
LINE has demonstrated the potential that
exists for passenger rail in a force of
mobility and accessibility and as a driver
of economic development.