NJ Transit plans cut to rush-hour train service

New Jersey Transit has proposed cutting a weekday northbound train on the Northeast Corridor line that passes through Princeton Junction at 5:41 p.m. and collects passengers that take the 5:24 p.m. Dinky train from Princeton to Princeton Junction. The rush-hour train is one of four passing through Princeton Junction that is slated to be cut in May or June as part of a reduction in the state’s public transportation costs, following final approval later this month.

The service cut is one of several in a series of reductions designed to combat the system’s $300 million projected budget deficit for the 2010-11 fiscal year. On the Northeast Corridor line, which connects Princeton Junction to stations from New York City to Trenton, five trains have been proposed for suspension. An estimated 2,700 customers on the line will be affected, according to the New Jersey Transit website.

Of the five trains proposed for cutting, four pass through Princeton Junction, including the rush-hour train. A northbound train passing through Princeton Junction at 6:32 a.m. and southbound trains stopping at Princeton Junction at 10:58 a.m. and 1:57 p.m. are also slated for elimination.

New Jersey Transit has also proposed cuts on its seven other train lines.

Effect on commuters

The reduction will impact local commuters, including graduate students and University staff. On Thursday, roughly 100 commuters boarded the 5:24 p.m. Dinky, though not all of these passengers were connecting to the northbound train from Princeton Junction.

“We expect that in most cases, customers will either choose the earlier or the later train in the schedule,” said Dan Stossel, a New Jersey Tranit spokesman. “Historically, that is what has happened.”

On the current schedule, the closest alternative for commuters is to take a Dinky at 4:47 to connect to a northbound train that stops at Princeton Junction at 5:00. A later option is a 6:09 p.m. Dinky that connects to a northbound train at Princeton Junction at 6:25 p.m.

Stossel said that the system may consider moving the Northeast Corridor trains closer together, to reduce the time gap in service.

He also noted that New Jersey Transit will “ensure that there is adequate capacity” on the earlier and later trains, to account for an influx of customers.

Several graduate students boarding the train on Thursday said that they would adjust their schedule to take the later train home.

Julianne Werlin GS, who takes the train daily, said she would rather wait than switch to another means of transportation.

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Chris Tom GS explained that since he does not have a car, New Jersey Transit is his only means of getting back to his home in New York each evening.

“The cancellation would be greatly inconvenient,” he said, adding that “there’s quite a number of graduate students and faculty who would also be impacted.”

Ben Court GS, who is not a daily commuter but frequently uses the train, said that he would “definitely think about carpooling” if he had to rely on the train to get home each day.

Rationale

Stossel explained that the service reductions were planned to balance cost savings with inconveniencing “as few customers as possible.”

“Obviously, the budget gap needs to close,” he added. “There are only a few ways we can do that.”

The cuts, part of the Fair Increase and Service Reduction Proposal released in March, came after New Jersey Transit announced cost-cutting measures including layoffs, spending freezes and furloughs, Stossel noted.

Borough Councilman Roger Martindell said that he was unaware of the proposed cut but was disappointed upon hearing of the plan.

“It is ironic and unfortunate that at a time of economic hardship ... our mass transit system would be cutting its schedule, thereby making it more difficult for folks to get to work at a time when federal money should be promoting mass transit,” he said.

However, Stossel said that reductions were necessitated by “very, very, very tough economic times” for the state and service.

“No one can predict the future, and if there’s an opportunity to restore service at a later date, after the state has weathered the budget storm, we would look to do that,” he added.

The plan for service cuts will go before New Jersey Transit’s Board of Directors on April 14 for approval. Until then, Stossel explained, the system will continue to review an “array of feedback” from its customers, including more than 3,900 comments it has received online and responses from public hearings that were recently held at 12 different locations.

— Senior writer Ameena Schelling and staff writer Sean Wu contributed reporting.