Princeton Branch

Princeton Branch
The "Dinky" at Princeton Junction
Overview
OwnerNew Jersey Transit (since 1984)
LocaleMercer County, New Jersey
Termini
Stations2
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemNew Jersey Transit Rail Operations
Operator(s)New Jersey Transit
Rolling stockArrow III railcars
Daily ridership1,021 (FY 2012)[1]
814 (FY 2017)[2]
History
Opened1865
Technical
Line length2.7 mi (4.3 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz
Route map
Map
Legend
Northeast Corridor
to Boston
Princeton Junction
Northeast Corridor
to Washington
Penns Neck
D&R Canal
Faculty Road
 Princeton
Princeton
This diagram:

The Princeton Branch, also known as the Dinky, or the Princeton Junction and Back (PJ&B),[3] is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line is a short branch of the Northeast Corridor Line, running from Princeton Junction northwest to Princeton with no intermediate stops (the line had an intermediate stop, Penns Neck, until 1971). The branch is served by special 1-or-2 car trains. Now running 2.7 mi (4.3 km) along a single track, it is the shortest scheduled commuter rail line in the United States.[4][5] The run takes approximately 5 minutes in each direction.[6]

At the initiative of Princeton University, the line was shortened by 460 ft (140 m) in order to construct a new University Arts Center. A new station opened on November 17, 2014.[7]

Service on the Princeton Branch was temporarily suspended and replaced by shuttle buses from October 14, 2018, through May 11, 2019, as part of NJT's systemwide service reductions during the installation and testing of positive train control.[8][9]

  1. ^ "Quarterly Ridership Trends Analysis" (PDF). NJ Transit. November 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  2. ^ Kiefer, Eric (February 21, 2018). "Here Are New Jersey Transit's Most, Least-Used Train Stations". Patch.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Rosenbaum, Joel; Gallo, Tom (1997). NJ Transit Rail Operations. Railpace Newsmagazine. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  4. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Princeton Junction & Back". People. 11 (13). April 2, 1979. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  5. ^ Armstrong, April C. (September 2, 2015). "Princeton Junction & Back: Our Dinky Archives". Princeton University. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  6. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (June 25, 2013). "Historic Princeton 'Dinky' line train station to move for arts center". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  7. ^ Knapp, Krystal (March 30, 2015). "Princeton Dinky Train Ridership: A Double-Digit Decline". Planet Princeton. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference suspended was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference suspended2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).