Princeton Junction station

Not to be confused with Princeton station (NJ Transit).

Princeton Junction station (signed as Princeton Junction at West Windsor) is a railroad station in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, located in West Windsor Township. It serves NJ Transit (NJT) and Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), and NJ Transit on the Princeton Branch.

Princeton Junction
Princeton Junction station in 2006
General information
Location	2 Wallace Circle Princeton Junction, New Jersey United States
Coordinates	40°19′00″N 74°37′24″W / 40.3167°N 74.6233°W / 40.3167; -74.6233
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Line(s)	Amtrak Northeast Corridor NJ Transit Princeton Branch
Platforms	4 side platforms
Tracks	4 (Northeast Corridor), 1 (Princeton Branch)
Connections	NJ Transit Bus: 600, 612 Tiger Transit: Route 4
Construction
Parking	4,161 spaces^[1]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: PJC
Fare zone	19 (NJT)^[2]
History
Opened	1864
Electrified	January 16, 1933^[3] (partial service) February 1, 1933^[4] (full service)
Key dates
December 27, 1953	Station depot burned^[5]
Passengers
FY 2017	6,817 (avg. weekday)^[6] (NJT)
FY 2022	51,957 annually^[7] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Trenton toward Harrisburg Keystone Service New Brunswick toward New York Trenton toward Norfolk, Newport News or Roanoke Northeast Regional New Brunswick toward Boston South or Springfield      Acela does not stop here      Cardinal does not stop here      Carolinian does not stop here      Crescent does not stop here      Palmetto does not stop here      Pennsylvanian does not stop here      Silver Meteor does not stop here      Silver Star does not stop here      Vermonter does not stop here Preceding station NJ Transit Following station Hamilton toward Trenton Northeast Corridor Line Jersey Avenue One-way operation Princeton Terminus Princeton Branch Terminus
Former services Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Trenton toward Chicago Main Line Plainsboro toward New York or Exchange Place Penns Neck toward Princeton Princeton Branch Terminus Preceding station Amtrak Following station Trenton toward Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian Newark Penn toward New York

History

 

Amtrak Metroliner passing through the station in 1978

Princeton Junction's origins can be traced back to the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company, the predecessor of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 19th century. The original station was built in 1864,^[8] in preparation for Princeton Branch service to begin in 1865.

Albert Einstein, who lived at 112 Mercer Street in Princeton, used to enjoy sitting at the station and watching the trains go by.^[9] More than once, he employed trains to explain the practical effects of his General Theory of Relativity.

The Pennsylvania Railroad depot at Princeton Junction caught fire on December 27, 1953. The fire, believed to be caused by rodents eating electrical wire, trapped the station caretaker that lived in the building. Virginia Worrilow, the caretaker, stated that she heard a crackling noise similar to a fire from several years prior. When she opened the door to check on the fire, Worrilow had flames trap her in the second-story room. Worrilow escaped to the roof of the station and police rescued her. However, her dog perished in the fire.^[5]

In 1965, a prototype for the high-speed Metroliner passed through the station at the record speed (at that time) of 164 miles per hour (264 km/h) on a short demonstration run. Very few sections of the Northeast Corridor were capable of handling that speed, and most had to be upgraded before Penn Central's Metroliner service was introduced in 1969. A speed of 170.8 mph (274.9 km/h) was achieved on the same portion of track on December 20, 1967, when the U.S.-built UAC TurboTrain set the rail speed record in North America. A plaque at the station commemorates the event.^[10][11]

The present station house was built in 1987.^[12] Most of Amtrak's Princeton Junction service prior to 2005 was Clocker service commuter traffic to New York, Newark, or Philadelphia. On October 28, 2005, the Clockers were replaced by NJT trains that run only as far south as Trenton.^{[citation needed]}

On October 13, 2023, Amtrak announced Princeton Junction station, along with New Brunswick station, would receive upgraded service due to increased demand.^[13]

Transit village

Princeton Junction has been designated the core of the West Windsor transit village, a smart growth initiative to promote transit-oriented development which can include government incentives to encourage compact, higher density, mixed-use development within walking distance of the station.^[14] Development adjacent to the station permits higher densities and will include retail end entertainment elements.^[15]

Service

 

Princeton Branch "Dinky" in 1971

As of 2017, Princeton Junction was the 6th-busiest station in the NJ Transit rail system, with an average of 6,817 weekday boardings.^[6] In addition to the Northeast Corridor Line, NJT operates a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) spur line, the Princeton Branch, to Princeton station located at the Princeton University campus in Princeton. The shuttle is colloquially known as the "Dinky",^[16] and has also been known as the "PJ&B" (for "Princeton Junction and Back").^[17] Two train cars, or sometimes just one, are used. A single switch connects the branch to the Northeast Corridor tracks north of the station.

Service on the Princeton Branch was suspended from October 14, 2018 through May 11, 2019, replaced by shuttle buses, as part of NJT's systemwide service reductions during the installation and testing of positive train control.^[18][19]

Amtrak provides two early-morning trains to Washington, D.C., and two evening returns, as well as one morning train to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and one evening return, all of which call at Philadelphia. Many more Amtrak trains stop at the nearby Trenton Transit Center. Until 2007, all Amtrak Pennsylvanian trains stopped at Princeton Junction. The Central Jersey Route 1 Corridor BRT is a proposed bus rapid transit system which would use Princeton Junction as its hub.^[20][21][22]

Station layout

 

The platform for the "Dinky"

The station has two high-level side platforms. Most of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor lines bypass the station via the inner tracks, except for select Keystone and Northeast Regional trains.^[23] The next northbound station is Jersey Avenue, but all northbound trains originating in Trenton skip this station and service New Brunswick, with other trains originating at Jersey Avenue.

P Platform level	Shuttle	←      Princeton Branch toward Princeton (Terminus) ←      Princeton Branch termination track →
	Side platform, doors will open on the left or right
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Track 4	←      Northeast Corridor Line toward Trenton (Hamilton) ←      Keystone Service limited service toward Harrisburg (Trenton) ←      Northeast Regional limited service toward Northern Virginia (Trenton)
	Track 3	←      Amtrak services do not stop here
	Track 2	←      Amtrak services do not stop here →
	Track 1	←      Keystone Service limited service toward New York (New Brunswick) → ←      Northeast Regional limited service toward Boston (New Brunswick) → ←      Northeast Corridor Line toward New York (New Brunswick) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
G	Street level	Station building, parking, buses

References

1. . New Jersey Transit. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
2. "Northeast Corridor Timetables" (PDF). New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
3. "P.R.R. Opens Electric Service Between N.Y. and Phila. Today". The Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. January 16, 1933. p. 3. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
4. "Electric Service Line Wednesday". The Sunday Times. New Brunswick, New Jersey. January 29, 1933. pp. 1–2. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
5. "P.R.R. Station Burns to Ground". The Daily Home News. December 28, 1953. p. 4. Retrieved July 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.  
6. Kiefer, Eric (February 21, 2018). "Here Are New Jersey Transit's Most, Least-Used Train Stations". Patch.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
7. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of New Jersey" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
8. Messer, David W.; Roberts, Charles S. (2002). (PDF). p. 89. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
9. Frassinelli, Mike (July 17, 2010). "Proposal to replace Princeton's longtime 'Dinky' train with bus line saddens sentimental locals". The Star Ledger. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
10. "Dedication of plaque commemorating high speed rail in America". National Capital Land Transportation Committee.
11. "High speed rail commemorative plaque in Princeton Junction station". www.ns3010 .rrpicturearchives.net.
12. "Princeton Junction, NJ". Great American Stations. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
13. "Amtrak Adds More Service for Customers at New Brunswick and Princeton Junction" (Press release). Amtrak. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
14. "West Windsor gains Transit Village designation Township becomes 24th Transit Village in New Jersey" (Press release). NJDOT. January 5, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
15. "An Unofficial Transit Village". The New York Times. October 9, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
16. "Princeton University: Train Travel". Princeton University. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
17. Rosenbaum, Joel; Gallo, Tom (1997). . Railpace Newsmagazine. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
18. McGeehan, Patrick (September 20, 2018). "For New Jersey Rail Commuters, a Bad Situation Is About to Get Worse". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
19. "Governor Murphy, NJ Transit Announce ACRL and Princeton Dinky to Resume May 12th" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. April 17, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
20. . Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. 2012. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
21. . Central New jersey Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit Project. New Jersey Transit. 2008. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
22. (PDF). NJ Transit Bus Service: The Next Generation. New Jersey Transit. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
23. "Amtrak – Service Alert". from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princeton Junction station.

• Princeton Junction, NJ – Amtrak
• Princeton Junction, NJ – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)

• NJT rail station information page for Princeton Junction station
• DepartureVision real time train information for Princeton Junction station
• West Windsor Parking Authority
• Princeton Junction Amtrak & New Jersey Transit Station (USA RailGuide – TrainWeb)
• Station from Google Maps Street View