Route:

 

The current DRPA study is evaluating three options (with some variations) proceding south from Camden:

 

  • NJ-1 utilizes the route of I-676 and State Highway Route 42 to the Avandale Park & Ride in Sicklerville, Winslow Township
  • NJ-2 utilizes the route of I-676, State Highway Route 42, and State Highway Route 55 to Richwood, Harrison Township. .
  • NJ-3 utilizes the route of the railroad tracks through the center of Woodbury to Glassboro near Rowan University.
  • NJ-4 is almost identical to NJ-3, but utilizes Diesel Light Rail technology 

 

The NJ-1 and NJ-2 options would run along the side or the medians of the highways.  Stations would be park & ride facilities located away from population centers and accessible primarily by motor vehicles only.  Passenger use would be peak-hour peak direction almost exclusively.  New development along these routes would induce sprawl, sapping vitality from existing population centers in the process. 

 

The NJ-3 option would run along an improved railroad right-of-way, passing through populations centers in the corridor.  Stations could be oriented primarily toward pedestrian access with limited parking or a park & ride facility, depending on location.  Population centers would be destinations as well as origination points for travel.  Integration with existing transit services is much easier.  Passenger use would be distributed across a much wider number of hours due to the attractiveness of the system for discretionary travel.  Economic viability in existing populations centers would be supported.

 

Direct access to Philadelphia would be dependent upon the type of system built.  As planned, PATCO and PATCO Light Rail would provide direct access to Philadelphia.  A Diesel Light Rail system would require passengers traveling across the Delaware River to transfer onto another mode of transportation.

 

A study, conducted by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission while investigating public transportation usage and patterns in the Delaware Valley region, has indicated that mandatory transfers reduce ridership by 40%.  This suggests that fewer Philadelphia-bound commuters would be willing to utilize a rail system that does not offer direct access to Center City Philadelphia from southern New Jersey.  As a result, the reduction of single occupancy vehicle journeys, and the associated negative environmental impacts, would not match the maximum amount possible if a PATCO Light Rail system were to be implemented.    

Search site

At Right: Computer generated image of proposed PATCO Light Rail station in Woodbury (Parsons-Brinckerhoff)