Express runs

NJ Transit’s new schedule helps shave time off business commutes

By: George Spohr
   WEST WINDSOR — New Jersey Transit’s new schedules, which took effect Sunday, contained a lot of good news for commuters from Princeton Junction.
   Nearly all express trains on the Northeast Corridor line leaving Princeton Junction for New York during the morning rush-hour commute will bypass stops in Middlesex County. The trains will run express between Princeton Junction and Newark, NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said.
   The same is true for the reverse commute for evening rush trains leaving Penn Station for Princeton Junction.
   In both directions, new trains have been added to accommodate travelers from Princeton, giving the area’s business commuters 1,000 additional seats of capacity in the morning and another 1,000 seats in the evening, Mr. Stessel said.
   "We’re seeing ridership growth in what is the outer band," Mr. Stessel said, referring to Princeton Junction and points south. "The greatest growth is in that outer band. In order to accommodate those customers, the best way is by providing express service. It’s much more efficient than making all-local stops."
   It’s also shorter. Travel time is being shaved by a few minutes as a result of the new schedules.
   A few commuters from Princeton Junction said they were happy with the express-service increases.
   "It would be nice to get there faster," said Khurram Malik, a commuter. "I drive from Jackson, 40 minutes away, so I leave at 5:30 to get to the office at 8."
   "I think it’s good," said Ed March, another commuter, "because there’ll be more express service in total."
   Local trains will provide service between New York and New Brunswick. The change essentially means that between 4 and 6 p.m. weekdays, six express trains will run between New York and Princeton Junction while only local trains will run between New York and New Brunswick.
   The announcement comes when many commuters are angry at the railroad for increasing fares. Last week, NJ Transit’s board of directors approved fare increases by an average of 9.9 percent.
   Princeton Junction is NJ Transit’s third-busiest station, with average weekday boardings of 6,900 — surpassing Trenton and Hamilton. Ridership along the Northeast Corridor has risen 6 percent between 2000 and 2004.
   Adding 2,000 seats of capacity to those three stations was no small feat, Mr. Stessel said, "given that the railroad is at capacity. Everyone knows there’s a bottleneck. There’s a need to build track and tunnel capacity, but that’s still years away."
   To accommodate additional business commuters here, NJ Transit had to work with Amtrak, which owns the Northeast Corridor line, and myriad other agencies.
   "This schedule change affects a lot of people in a very small way and some people in a big way," Mr. Stessel said. "What I mean by that is many, many trains had to be adjusted one to three minutes to squeeze in these 2,000 additional seats in peak periods on the corridors. We had to be able to figure out how to slot them in."
   For Mr. March, the Princeton Junction commuter, that adjustment means his morning routine has been turned upside-down.
   "They changed the schedule just enough (that) it hurts me, because I have to drop my daughter off for day care, and those three minutes make a difference," he said.
   "Whenever we do timetable changes, that’s done not only with Amtrak, but also commuter operators up and down the corridor, with Amtrak taking a lead role," Mr. Stessel said. "Amtrak needs to adjust their operation, and that has an effect on commuter operations up and down the Northeast Corridor, from as far north as Boston to as far south as Washington. It’s a very large undertaking."
   Staff Writer Emily Craighead contributed to this story.