Trenton Transit Center

Trenton Transit Center is the main passenger train station in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the southernmost stop in New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor. It is the terminus for NJ Transit trains to and from New York City and SEPTA Trenton Line Regional Rail trains to and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and an intermediate station for Amtrak trains traveling between the two cities along the Northeast Corridor.

Trenton Transit Center
Overview of the Trenton Transit Center station facing west
General information
Location72-83 South Clinton Avenue
Trenton, New Jersey
United States
Coordinates40°13′8″N 74°45′15″W
Owned byNew Jersey Transit
Line(s)Amtrak Northeast Corridor
Platforms2 island platforms, 1 side platform (rail)
2 side platforms (light rail)
Tracks8
Connections
Construction
Parking3,450 spaces, 68 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilitiesAvailable
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: TRE
SEPTA: 90701
Fare zone22 (NJ Transit)[1]
NJ (SEPTA)[2]
History
Opened1863
Rebuilt1893, 1976, 2008
ElectrifiedJune 29, 1930[3] (North Philadelphia)
January 16, 1933[4] (New York; partial service)
February 1, 1933[5] (New York; regular service)
Passengers
20124,638 (avg. weekday)[6] (NJT)
20171,241 boardings
1,176 alightings
(weekday average)[7] (SEPTA)
Rank10 of 146 (SEPTA)
FY 2022254,694 annually[8] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Philadelphia
toward Chicago
Cardinal Newark Penn
toward New York
Philadelphia
toward Charlotte
Carolinian
Philadelphia
toward Pittsburgh
Pennsylvanian
Philadelphia
toward Miami
Silver Meteor
Silver Star
Philadelphia Crescent Metropark
toward New York
Philadelphia
toward Savannah
Palmetto
Cornwells Heights
toward Harrisburg
Keystone Service Princeton Junction
toward New York
Philadelphia Northeast Regional Princeton Junction
Philadelphia Vermonter Metropark
weekends
toward St. Albans
     Acela does not stop here
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station
Terminus Northeast Corridor Line Hamilton
Hamilton Avenue River Line Terminus
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Levittown Trenton Line Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Philadelphia Acela
Until 2023
Metropark
Metroliner Newark Penn
toward New York
Metropark
Until 2005
toward New York
Philadelphia
toward Chicago
Three Rivers
1995–2005
Newark Penn
toward New York
Broadway Limited
Until 1995
North Philadelphia National Limited
North Philadelphia Montrealer Newark Penn
toward Montreal
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Morrisville
toward Chicago
Main Line Princeton Junction
Morrisville Trenton Line Terminus
Warren Street
toward Manunka Chunk
Belvidere Delaware Railroad

The northern terminus of the River Line light rail system, which offers service to Camden along the Delaware River, is across Clinton Avenue from the main station building.

Bus service at the station consists of local NJ Transit routes, including Capital Connection buses, serving the New Jersey Capitol Complex, and regional service to Philadelphia via Camden. In addition, the station serves as the northern terminus for SEPTA buses to Oxford Valley Mall. Greyhound bus service to the station was previously available but has been discontinued.

Trenton is the only city in New Jersey to serve three major railway systems in the state (Amtrak, NJ Transit, and SEPTA).

Facilities

Facade and entrances of station in 2020

Trenton Transit Center has two levels; the upper level with ticket offices, ticket machines, a Dunkin' Donuts and newsstand, a snack kiosk, two sets of restrooms, a bank branch, and a Auntie Anne's pretzel shop. The upper level of the station also crosses Assunpink Creek. From the upper level, stairs and elevators lead down to the two island platforms for the trains. The eastbound island platform (Tracks 1 & 2) also has a newsstand/snack kiosk as well as NJT ticket machines.

Unlike most large Amtrak stations along the Northeast Corridor, there is no checked baggage service.

A $56.6 million renovation in 2005 included an addition of a mezzanine level providing additional office and retail space. New lighting, air-conditioning, information displays, escalators, and elevators were also installed.

Across the street is the River Line light rail station that connects to Camden.

History

Station as it appeared in 1982

Rail service in Trenton dates back to the days of the Camden and Amboy Railroad, which built a station on East Street in 1837, until it was moved to the current site in 1863. The C&A was merged into the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company in 1867 and acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1893, which replaced the station the same year. As with many PRR stations, especially in New Jersey, the station became a Penn Central station once the New York Central merged with the PRR in 1968. Amtrak took over intercity railroad service in 1971, but Penn Central continued to serve commuters, even as the station building closed in 1972. In 1976, the bankrupt Penn Central and Amtrak built the new Trenton Rail Station just before Penn Central's rail assets were taken over by Conrail. It was built to a standard template used at many Amtrak stations built in the 1970s and early 1980s, with a rectangular shape and a boxy, cantilevered metal roof. NJ Transit Rail Operations took over the station when it acquired Conrail's New Jersey commuter lines in 1983, but the station continued to serve Amtrak as well as SEPTA Regional Rail to Philadelphia. From 2006 to 2008, a major reconstruction project authorized by NJT took place with $46 million worth of federal aid, and $33 million worth of state funding that resulted in the current Trenton Transit Center.[9]

Station description

A southbound Amtrak Northeast Regional train stops at the Trenton Transit Center

Trenton Transit Center consists of a station building, four boarding locations, and a separate station for the River Line. The River Line terminal is across Clinton Avenue from the station building at street level, one story above the Northeast Corridor tracks. The River Line station consists of two low-level side platforms and two tracks that end in bumper blocks. These two tracks cross over the Northeast Corridor and then bend southwards towards the river, where they head towards Camden.

Being the terminus for NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line service and the last stop for Amtrak and SEPTA in New Jersey, Trenton is central Jersey's largest station facility, with the ability to load five trains across seven operational tracks at any given time. NJ Transit trains that terminate in Trenton discharge passengers and continue on a two-mile haul to the Morrisville Yard in Pennsylvania. SEPTA trains either remain idle at the station platform or park on a special siding on the northern side of the station reserved for these trainsets. There are two express tracks – one in each direction – that can be used for trains running express from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station to Penn Station in Newark. The line narrows to four tracks for the majority of its length east and west of the station. To the west, all trains traverse the Delaware River via the Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge, entering Pennsylvania, at which point two tracks separate from the main line towards NJT's Morrisville Yard.[10][11]

NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line train at Trenton Transit Center

Being a major station along the Northeast Corridor, Trenton boards and receives passengers through the use of two lengthy platforms (for day-to-day operations) that can accommodate up to four trains on separate tracks at once. Both platforms are high-level, enabling faster boarding and greater accessibility for handicapped passengers. All tracks are accessed from an overpass that connects the train terminal to the front of the station and with parking facilities on the station level. Tracks 1 and 2 share an island platform and handle all service northbound towards New York Penn Station. Tracks 4 and 5 share an island platform and handle all service from New York and to and from Pennsylvania. Track 3 has a low-level platform and is largely unused except if one particular track is out of service or in an emergency.

One of the unique features of the Trenton station is that inbound NJ Transit trains from New York release passengers on the same track reserved for SEPTA operations, deliberately allowing for an efficient transfer between the two rail lines for continued service to Philadelphia. As a result, the aft ends of both trains may not be able to open their doors, since they extend past the ends of the platforms with both trains stopped on the same track.

All tracks are electrified with overhead catenary wires, as is the entire Northeast Corridor from Washington Union Station to Boston South Station.

Station layout

G Street level Entrance/exit, ticket machines, buses, park and ride
Side platform Disabled access
Southbound      River Line toward Camden (Hamilton Avenue)
Southbound      River Line toward Camden (Hamilton Avenue)
Side platform Disabled access
P
Platform level
Track 7 ← Equipment layover track, no revenue service →
Track 5      Trenton Line toward Temple University (Levittown)
Island platform Disabled access
Track 4      Northeast Regional toward Northern Virginia (Cornwells Heights)
     Keystone Service toward Harrisburg (Cornwells Heights)
     Amtrak services to points south (Philadelphia)
     Northeast Corridor Line termination track
Bypass track ← Amtrak express services do not stop
Bypass track Amtrak express services do not stop →
Track 1      Northeast Regional toward Boston (Princeton Junction)
     Amtrak services towards New York (Metropark)
     Northeast Corridor Line toward New York (Hamilton)
Island platform Disabled access
Track 2      Amtrak services towards New York (Metropark)
     Northeast Corridor Line toward New York (Hamilton)
Track 3 ← Reliever track →
Side platform

References

  1. "Northeast Corridor Timetables" (PDF). Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  2. "Trenton Line Timetable" (PDF). Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. April 16, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  3. "Electric Trains to Run on Phila.-Trenton Line". The Evening Courier. Camden, New Jersey. June 23, 1930. p. 6. Retrieved January 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "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. open access
  5. "Full Electric Line Wednesday". The Sunday Times. New Brunswick, New Jersey. January 29, 1933. pp. 1–2. Retrieved January 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. "QUARTERLY RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANALYSIS" (PDF). New Jersey Transit. December 27, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  7. "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  8. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of New Jersey" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  9. "Trenton Amtrak Station". Great American Stations.
  10. "Aerial map of Trenton Transit Center".
  11. "Track Layout from StationReporter". Archived from the original on December 29, 2014.
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