NJ TRANSIT ADVANCES PENNSAUKEN TRANSIT CENTER PROJECT
Intermodal facility will directly link River Line and Atlantic City Rail Line customers for the first time
July 13, 2011
NJT-11-032
NEWARK, NJ — A project that will create a direct link between River Line light rail and Atlantic City Rail Line (ACRL) service advanced today, as the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved construction of the second and final phase of the Pennsauken Transit Center, which will offer convenience and new travel options to South Jersey customers when completed.
“By connecting South Jersey’s two rail lines, this new facility will expand the reach of these individual services, providing customers with convenient access to a much broader array of travel destinations,” said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Simpson.
The Board authorized a $13.8 million contract with Terminal Construction Corporation of Wood-Ridge, NJ, for construction of Phase II of the Pennsauken Transit Center, including platforms, a parking lot, drainage improvements and customer amenities.
“The Pennsauken Transit Center will make the State’s rail and light rail service an even more attractive travel option for southern New Jersey residents,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein. “In addition, the new facility will enhance the interconnectivity of the overall NJ TRANSIT system, as customers may connect from the River Line in Trenton to Northeast Corridor rail service to New York and points in between.”
The transit center is being built in two phases along Derousse Avenue where the ACRL crosses above River Line tracks.
Phase I, which broke ground in October 2009 and is currently underway, covers River Line elements of the project, including construction of a 200-foot platform with 60-foot canopy to protect customers boarding light rail trains. The work is being performed under a separate $2.1 million contract awarded to Northeast Remsco, Inc., of Farmingdale, NJ, with ARORA and Associates, PC, of Lawrenceville, NJ, providing design services. The contract also includes installation of infrastructure and conduit for communications, security and ticket vending machines, grading, drainage, lighting and public art.
In Phase II, two 300-foot-long, high-level platforms will be built on either side of the elevated ACRL tracks, with a 100-foot canopy on each platform. Two sets of stairs will be constructed, as well as two elevators to provide access to customers with disabilities. The second phase also includes construction of a 280-space parking lot, a dedicated bus drop-off/pick-up area, drainage improvements, installation of a passenger communication system and a restroom facility, as well as resurfacing, curbing and lighting improvements to Derousse Avenue.
The approximately $32 million Pennsauken Transit Center will create or sustain hundreds of jobs and will for the first time provide thousands of customers with direct transfers and access to all stations on both lines.
The new facility will provide Atlantic City Rail Line customers with direct access to the River Line, with connections in Camden to PATCO rail and NJ TRANSIT bus service to Philadelphia, and in Trenton to NJ TRANSIT Northeast Corridor rail service to New York. River Line customers will gain direct access to Atlantic City, Philadelphia and all intermediate ACRL stations.
Construction of the overall project is expected to be completed in late 2012 and open for service in early 2013.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 165 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.