NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s Atlantic City line and Princeton Dinky shuttle rail line will not open until spring, the agency’s executive director says.
New Jersey 101.5 radio reports that restoration of the Atlantic City line and the connecting the Northeast Corridor to the Princeton University campus, are being held up because of continuing engineering and equipment issues. Also delayed is through service to New York on the Raritan Valley line. (The agency also cited the shutdown of the federal government as a factor, because NJ Transit is still awaiting approval from the Federal Railroad Administration on its two-year extension of the deadline for full positive train control operation. (An agreement announced Friday would end that shutdown, at least temporarily.)
The agency said service would resume sometime in the second quarter, which begins April 1.
“Our goal is to begin restoring a service that remains reliable and predictable for customers as quickly as possible,” executive director Kevin Corbett said.
Service on the Atlantic City line was discontinued Sept. 5. At the time, Corbett promised the service would be restored at the start of the year. [See “NJ Transit director says Atlantic City service will return by Jan. 1,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 21, 2018.]
NJ Transit also announced that a 10-percent systemwide discount on rail fares would end Jan. 31, although a 25-percent discount for those using buses instead of trains on the Atlantic City line will continue.
— Updated Jan. 27 with additional information from nj.com.
Probably the “Dinky” issue arises from the need to move its equipment onto the NEC for servicing at the maintenance base, wherever that is.
My conjecture would be that the entire NJ Transit heavy rail system has to be in compliance, including the Dinky, which—I agree—seems dumb.. But then, we’re talking about the government here…
Sometime last fall, same time as the AC line.
When was the Dinky shut down?
Al,
You and I must be the same person, I was about ready to post the same post in the same words.
Can someone explain to me the need for PTC on the Princeton dinky line? One train on the line running three miles in each direction, no other traffic.