Princeton University’s arts neighborhood plan would move station 460 feet south
Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
Reasonable, a pain in the neck and absurd are some of the opinions circulating about Princeton University’s unofficial plan to move the Dinky train station approximately 460 feet south of the existing station on University Place.
The Dinky is a NJ Transit shuttle train that provides service exclusively between the Princeton Junction train station and Princeton. The university’s moving of the Dinky station would be necessitated by an expansion of its arts facilities that university officials and professionals have been planning for the past year, University Vice President and Secretary Robert Durkee said.
A regular Dinky passenger who works in the northern part of the university’s campus said she wouldn’t appreciate having to tote her heavy work bags a longer distance.
"For me it’s (the Dinky station) very convenient where it is," Mithra Zahedi said. "I think it would be a shame if they moved it farther from Nassau."
The move away from downtown Princeton and the campus might not be such a problem, however, for those Dinky-riders that bicycle to the station.
Inge Van Der Kloet said she and her boyfriend, university student Klaas Schotanus, wouldn’t mind a relocation of the station, as long as it was still easy to reach by bicycle.
"It should be close to the university," Ms. Van Der Kloet added.
Billy Heller, who starts his commute to Manhattan using the Dinky, also said he was OK with the move, but thought it seemed like a waste of money.
University officials hope to maintain the Dinky service and NJ Transit has said its committed to continuing the service in most if not all conversations it’s had with the university officials, and NJ Transit is also committed to the concept of adding a bus rapid transit service, Mr. Durkee said. He added, "The university has a very strong attachment to the Dinky."
Dinky-users have the seem feelings about the service and think that even a bus substitute, which has been provided on days the Dinky has been unable to run, would not be sufficient.
"A few times I had to take the bus, because the train wasn’t working," Ms. Zahedi said. "With luggage, it’s (the bus) not comfortable."
The train ride takes five minutes, but the bus ride took more like 15 minutes, Ms. Zahedi added.
Bicycle-riders said they wouldn’t be able to make it to Princeton Junction if the Dinky was eliminated.
There would be no more monthly trips to New York City for Ms. Van Der Kloet and Mr. Klaas Schotanus without the Dinky.
"It would be a real problem because we don’t have cars," Ms. Van Der Kloet said.
Mr. Heller said there is no safe route for cyclists to take to get to the Princeton Junction station from downtown Princeton.
"I wouldn’t mind seeing a usable bike path that lead to the Junction from here," Mr. Heller said. "I’d like to bike to Princeton Junction."
He added, "I think the Dinky serves a useful purpose and I don’t see any reason to eliminate it. I like the Dinky and it’s got a great name. No other station has a goofy name like the Dinky. It’s a real Princeton artifact."
Chip Crider, a longtime Princeton resident, thinks the university’s plan for moving the Dinky is ludicrous and that its money would be better spent on expanding available public transportation in the downtown area.
"Four hundred and 60 feet is not going to make a difference," Mr. Crider said. "The whole thing is we need to get the train downtown. The university has to realize this has got to be part of the plan."
The university needs to start planning for increased traffic, he added."They’re going to have to run a transportation system," Mr. Crider said. "They don’t have any long-term vision in place."
The university wants to use the current location of the Dinky station to expand its performing arts program because of its proximity to the McCarter and Berlind theatres, Mr. Durkee said. He added, a nearby 700-space parking garage adds to the attractiveness of the location because it would be able to serve night performance audiences’ parking needs. The expansion could include more buildings for academic and performance uses, a performing arts plaza and retail space, Mr. Durkee said.
"We would like to develop this area in what we think would be a very attractive way, but we can’t do that without moving the Dinky," he added.
Plans for the Dinky’s move have also been influenced by the university and borough’s plans to create two community shuttle services that will stop at the Dinky station and NJ Transit’s interest in adding some kind of bus rapid transit service, Mr. Durkee said. The current Dinky station’s immediate area is not large enough to provide adequate space for the vehicles and the additional users they would generate, he said.
Princeton Borough Mayor Mildred T. Trotman said the Princeton Regional Planning Board has discussed the Dinky, but has never taken any formal action regarding changes to its location and is waiting to hear more details about the university’s plan for the train station.
NJ Transit officials declined to immediately comment on the future of the Dinky station.