By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
Princeton Future has entered the Arts and Transit neighborhood debate, supporting Princeton University’s quest for an arts district and putting forth an idea for a multi-stop light rail line that will connect town and gown from Alexander Road to Nassau Street.
The Princeton Future proposal, delivered by Jim Constantine, a planner from Looney, Ricks & Kiss on Tuesday morning, does support the university’s plan for an arts district, but not moving the Dinky train station an additional 450 feet further from town.
Adding additional stops would also ease the parking problems of the current and proposed location.
The plan recommends the creation of one new at-grade crossing near Lot 7 and Baker Rink to meet the university’s need for an additional east-west circulation route servicing the campus.
The group also suggests that “if the Dinky was planned to be upgraded in the future to modern in-town rail cars, the tracks could be slightly realigned through the proposed arts campus without losing any of the university’s proposed buildings. In fact, the university would have a net increase in useable campus acreage by not having to dedicate space for a new station building and plaza, platforms and drop-off/pick-up area.”
In addition to increased stops, changing to a light rail system would allow for the removal of dangerous and bulky overhead catenary structures along the campus and in-town portion of rail.
University officials did not have any comments on the plan.
The Dinky station used to be closer to town with a three-minute, 800-foot walk, prior to its move in 1917 to the current location. At one point, a trolley station was located next door. “We had a multi-modal transportation hub,” said Mr. Constantine. “The move that occurred in the 1920’s came with a cost to the towns’ transportation system. The station is not ideally located where it is today.”
Moving the Dinky another 450 feet the same walk from Small World Coffee on Witherspoon Street to the library would make the train a 10-minute walk from the heart of downtown.
Delaying the building of the new station until a conversion to light rail would allow the university to recapture the land and save it for future arts or academic expansion.
Rotating a proposed academic building 90 degrees would remove it from the train path. A building over the tracks is also an idea. “There’s not an architect in the world that wouldn’t love to design a building over a station, as would any 3-year-old playing with blocks and trains, it’s sort of intuitive to go over the tracks.”
The 40 invited attendees also heard a presentation about the benefits of light rail from Jack May of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers.
He said the Dinky could be improved with increased frequency to meet more NJ Transit and Amtrak trains at the main line in West Windsor with less waiting and timetable reviews. The station itself could be improved with better hours at the station, shelter, heat and increased amenities, he said.
Weekday service is relatively stable, with 36 to 39 trains running, an increase from 1971 when there were 29 trains and 1947 when there were 32 trains, he said.
Conversion to light rail could solve a lot of the timetable issues. Light rail is less expensive to construct because it does not need grade separation and does not operate on tracks shared with freight trains.
Propulsion for light rail is DC voltage from overhead wires. Light rail could also be a dual-propulsion tram-train for aesthetic and operational reasons. The dual propulsion can also use existing facilities.
Light rail has significantly less operating costs per passenger mile than buses and the highest in growth of passenger volume and retention, especially during a recession, said Mr. May.
There are three light rail lines in the Garden State a diesel line from Trenton to Camden, Newark City Subway and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. The light rail in Hudson-Bergen aided in the development of the “Gold Coast,” and financial centers in Jersey City.
”Princeton University’s development plan can coexist with light rail,” said Mr. May. It could be implemented in two phases with the development of the arts center, and second phase that could extend service to Nassau Street.
Jerome Luten, an independent architecture and planning professional, a research professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology and Princeton alumnus, wondered if there would be enough density to warrant and justify light rail in the area.
Yan Chang Bennett, a member of Princeton Borough’s traffic and transportation committee, said new development in town, such as the Residences at Palmer Square and potential development of the hospital site, would provide new riders.
”Are we putting enough fannies in seats, all rail requires some funding,” added Dan O’Connell, New Jersey state legislative director, United Transportation Union. “We have to look to the future because the stayus quo is not sustainable and if we put more people there we can make the case for more service.”
Mildred Trotman, mayor of Princeton Borough, said the mayor and council have not sat down to form an official opinion of any arts and transit neighborhood proposal yet.
Afterward, Chip Crider, a borough resident, said none of the ideas look forward to traffic increasing, possibly doubling, and energy costs, which are predicted to double or triple in the coming years.
”We’re firmly buried in the past, we should have said to the university give us a plan for the next ten years and do what you want. … We have squandered the past four years dickering over 400 feet and have done no long-term planning.”
The discussion will continue with a joint meeting of the Borough Council, Township Committee, the Planning Board and the public on Jan. 31. The meeting will be held in the main room at Princeton Township Municipal Complex at 7 p.m.

