NJT River Line

By Bob Vogel

[Webmaster’s note: NJT capitalizes the name as River LINE. For this site, conventional capitalization will be used.]

The River Line begins/ends at South Clinton Ave, across the street from the Amtrak/NJT Trenton station. The two tracks terminate in the station, but are located so that future expansion of the line could take them onto Clinton Ave for a run to the State House. Trenton station has two platforms, with the tracks next to each other between the platforms. A parking lot accommodating 109 cars is adjacent to the station. Parking costs $10 on weekdays and $5 on weekends. Neither Cass Street in Trenton, nor any of the four stations in Camden, has parking available. Burlington Towne Centre also has no parking available. All other stations offer free parking.

All River Line stations have many features in common. All have low platforms - 23.5 inches above top of rail – for ADA compliant entrance to the lower level of the passenger compartments. Each station has ticket vending machines, time-stamp machines, and public telephones on each platform. Three New Jersey artists were commissioned to create art for all stations: ceramic artist Katherine Hackl from Lambertville, sculptor Marilyn Keating from Gloucester, and mosaic tile artist/sculptor Hiroshi Murata, formerly from Frenchtown. Each station has bird sculptures on the roof and pillars with ceramic tiles that depict objects of local interest.

Leaving the Trenton Station, the tracks curve sharply to the right and descend under a highway bridge, then pass over the North East Corridor and curve sharply to the left to run parallel to Route 129; we quickly pass the River Line Trenton car barn and come to the Hamilton Ave station. Hamilton Ave has two outside platforms with the two tracks between. Parking is available for 70 cars. The Sovereign Bank Arena is across route 129 from the station.

Next is Cass Street, adjacent to a McDonalds and several blocks from Waterfront Park, home of the Trenton Thunder minor league baseball team. Like Trenton and Hamilton Ave, Cass Street station has two platforms with the two tracks between.

Leaving Cass Street, the train gets up to speed (60 mph) and runs along routes 29 and 195, under 295, along Duck Creek, and then crosses the Crosswicks Creek Bridge, leaving Mercer County and entering Burlington County. The railroad becomes single track before reaching Crosswicks Creek Bridge.

Bordentown Station is a single platform on the east side of the track. A parking lot with 200 spaces is adjacent to the station. Leaving Bordentown Station southbound, the track joins the right-of-way of the Camden and Amboy, which was opened between South Amboy and Bordentown in 1832.

The line from Bordentown to Camden was opened in 1834. The branch from Trenton to Bordentown was opened in 1838.The line again passes under 295, then runs along the Delaware River, eventually passing the defunct Roebling Steel works and arriving at the Roebling Station, a single platform on the west side of the track. A 220 car parking lot is adjacent to the platform.

The line becomes double track again before reaching Florence Station, which is a single island platform between the tracks. Florence is the northernmost of three Park-and-Ride stations, with parking for 625 cars.

The line becomes single track again north of Burlington, as Assiscunk Creek Bridge is single track, and the line down the middle of Broad Street in Burlington is single track. The Assiscunk Creek Bridge was completely refurbished, and the 1913 PRR center span is still in use.

The platform of the Burlington Towne Centre Station is in the middle of Broad Street on the east side of the track. Double track appears again after the line exits Broad Street near the Burlington-Bristol Bridge approach.

Burlington South is the second Park-and-Ride station, with parking for 415 cars. It is a two-platform station with the tracks between the platforms.

The Beverly/Edgewater Park Station has a single platform on the west side of the single track. Parking for 205 cars is provided.

Delanco has two tracks and two platforms, with parking for 50 cars.

The picturesque Rancocas Creek Bridge is just south of the Delanco station and just north of the Riverside Station, which is located adjacent to the historic Watch Case factory. Madison Pub is a short block away. The owner of Madison Pub spent several thousand dollars of his own money to promote the River Line, expecting it to bring him additional business.

Cinnaminson is an island platform between the two tracks. The parking lot has 250 spaces.

Riverton Station has a single platform on the east side of the single track, with parking for 40 cars.

Palmyra Station also has a single platform on the east side of the single track, with parking for 25 cars.

Double track appears again while climbing toward the bridge over Route 73. Shortly after Route 73 the tracks cross Pennsauken Creek and enter Camden County, then enter the Pennsauken Rt. 73 Park-and-Ride Station, which has room for 457 cars. This station has two platforms with the two tracks between the platforms.

The single track goes under the NJT Atlantic City Line; there is no station here. The River Line and Conrail Shared Assets each get their own track just south of the Atlantic City line, at Hatch Interlocking. From this point until the lines diverge from each other in Camden, freight and Light Rail can operate side by side simultaneously.

The River Line goes from single track to double track as it approaches 36th Street Station. 36th Street Station is an island platform between the two tracks. Parking for 375 cars is there. As one proceeds south into Camden, Conrail’s Pavonia Yard is on the right and the River LINE yard and shop are on the left.

The River Line crosses over Cooper River and Admiral Wilson Blvd, and then cuts under Conrail and drops to street level, crossing over PATCO and coming to the Walter Rand Transportation Center. The River Line crosses Broadway before stopping at its Rand T.C. Station. There are two platforms, with the two tracks between them. The head house of the PATCO Broadway Station is adjacent to the southbound platform of the River Line station. Camden City Hall is a block away.

The River Line cuts diagonally between streets until reaching Fourth Street, where street running begins. The line turns onto Cooper Street where the unique Cooper Street/Rutgers University Station is located. The station is unique in that the northbound platform is between 3rd and 2nd Streets, and the southbound platform is between 2nd and Front Streets. In each case the platform is on the sidewalk and the track is in Cooper Street in the curb lane. Rutgers University-Camden is nearby, as is Campbell’s Field, home of the Camden River Sharks, a minor league baseball team.

The line turns from west on Cooper Street to south on Delaware Avenue, coming to Aquarium Station. Again, each platform is on the sidewalk and each track is in the curb lane of Delaware Avenue. The New Jersey Aquarium is adjacent to the station. The part-time ferry to Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, is adjacent to the Aquarium.

The tracks curve to the left to leave Delaware Avenue and enter the Entertainment Center Station, the line’s southern terminus. The tracks continue for another tenth of a mile beyond the station for temporary train storage. The Entertainment Center Station has two platforms, with the two tracks between. The Tweeter Center is across Delaware Avenue. The battleship New Jersey is just beyond the Tweeter center