PRINCETON, N.J. — The nation’s shortest scheduled commuter rail line now has a 50-50 chance of remaining as it is.
The Daily Princetonian reports that a study of possible options to replace “Princeton Dinky,” the 2.7-mile electrified NJ Transit line connecting the Princeton University campus to the Northeast Corridor, has reduced four potential options to two — one of which is keeping the line as it is.
The other option still under consideration is building a light-rail line that would be imbedded in a bus rapid transit route; the two transit modes would alternate, with light rail ending at the existing university station while buses would continue into downtown Princeton. The cost of that project is estimated at $100 million; the as-is option is estimated to cost $15 million for maintenance of existing equipment.
Eliminated from consideration were an all-bus option and one in which the light rail and bus routes would have been side by side.
The study began last year [see “Digest: NJ Transit study could lead to the end of ‘Princeton Dinky,’” Trains News Wire, April 12, 2021]. The Dinky, officially known as the NJ Transit Princeton Branch, currently operates with a two-car Arrow III trainset.
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