Princeton's Dinky train has long history as town's key connection to mass transit

[Nexis4Jersey]

Originally Posted by Ann77

You're saying that a loop or line around NB isn't worth it, meanwhile we already know it would have 50,000 riders daily. The River Line has only 10,000, but that is worth it to you somehow. Makes no sense.

Then you say the DINKY should be expanded into Princeton (????), yet you are still against a light rail line to link up the campuses of New Brunswick. Makes no sense.

The line to serve those Middlesex County towns is a separate issue, serving a different purpose.

I think you should go down to NB this weekend, and try to get from Cook Campus to Busch Campus and then over to Livingston Campus on the bus and then let me know your opinion on how buses are better for Rutgers but Princeton should have more DINKY stops.

1. The Riverline is more a commuter line then a light rail line , thus 10,000 is decent.

2. How do you know it will be 50,000?

3. Making the Dinky a light rail line would make sense and extending it into Princeton would add alot more riders.

4. I go to New Brunswick but rarely through the Rutgers campus.....

These plans don't have to make sense to you , but they make sense to the Rail / Transit community / and Planners.....theres alot of stuff the general public does not understand about the Rail / Transit community.....its complex stuff. While your ideas sound good on paper they don't sound good in Reality....

[Ann77]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

1. The Riverline is more a commuter line then a light rail line , thus 10,000 is decent.

2. How do you know it will be 50,000?

3. Making the Dinky a light rail line would make sense and extending it into Princeton would add alot more riders.

4. I go to New Brunswick but rarely through the Rutgers campus.....

These plans don't have to make sense to you , but they make sense to the Rail / Transit community / and Planners.....theres alot of stuff the general public does not understand about the Rail / Transit community.....its complex stuff. While your ideas sound good on paper they don't sound good in Reality....

Oh really? They don't sound good in reality? I didn't come up with them. This idea has been around forever, and was developed by PLANNERS OOOOH.

I posted a blurb above about and you can search more on the internet about it if you want.

You know nothing about Rutgers New Brunswick and that's about all you've proven on this thread.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Originally Posted by Ann77

Oh really? They don't sound good in reality? I didn't come up with them. This idea has been around forever. I posted a blurb above about and you can search more on the internet about it if you want.

You know nothing about Rutgers New Brunswick and that's about all you've proven on this thread.

1. Ive never heard about the loop line , only about the straight line. The straight line or the Bound Brook - New Brunswick line is gaining traction.....

2. I don't know anything about Rutgers NB , only the Brunswicks...

[jknic]

It'll cost more to remove the rail line and replace it with buses than to continue operating the current rail line into Princeton. Plus, a bus line will be less reliable and subject to more delays than the current rail line. I'd say the best option is to keep what's there instead of paying the fortune that it would cost to add a Light Rail repair facility, or whatever they're called, to add light rail or paying a fortune to remove the rails and add less reliable buses.

As for New Brunswick, from what I've heard from friends who are students at Rutgers a light rail line there would be FANTASTIC, my only question is how much would it cost to build the necessary facilitates?

[qjbusmaster]

connecting the region with a crosstown line is way more significant than a stupid loop that only serves a small group. the line from bound brook to NB then south amboy would aleviate traffic not a stupid loop. An airport is way different than a university.

Originally Posted by Ann77

A loop is pointless? Have you ever gone to school at Rutgers NB? If you had, you would know a light rail loop would be awesome.

How about the loop at Newark Airport, is that pointless?

According to you, a loop around Rutgers NB is pointless, but a loop or line through the teeny tiny town of Princeton is a good idea.

A loop is best done by bus? Again, you obviously know nothing about Rutgers NB. The loop IS done by bus, but it's not best done by bus. There are already buses and plenty of ways to get to the train station.

It has nothing to do with hooking up with the train lines, although of course a connection at the NE corridor would be good. It's about getting around all of the campuses.

[qjbusmaster]

STOP BEING SELFISH It's not all about rutgers it's about connecting the region and helping alleviiate traffic which a ****ty loop can't do fool you sound foolish and ignorant about transit if a loop is done then it needs to be a PRT like in morgantown,WV then light rail for the straight line.

Originally Posted by Ann77

It could have to be a loop the way Rutgers is laid out. Maybe a line, not sure.

A Bound Brook line doesn't help Rutgers at all, I don't get the connection there?

There are about 45,000 students at the New Brunswick campus and that doesn't count the people who live and work in New Brunswick.

Princeton doesn't need any other train or light rail line.

Buses are not better than loop lines, not at Rutgers.

Again, it seems like you know nothing about Rutgers NB so you should stop acting like you're an expert.

[qjbusmaster]

not even close I have rode the riverline several times it is always FULL!!!!!! It is way faster than a slow 409 bus stop spamming ignorance

Originally Posted by Ann77

You're saying that a loop or line around NB isn't worth it, meanwhile we already know it would have 50,000 riders daily. The River Line has only 10,000, but that is worth it to you somehow. Makes no sense.

Then you say the DINKY should be expanded into Princeton (????), yet you are still against a light rail line to link up the campuses of New Brunswick. Makes no sense.

The line to serve those Middlesex County towns is a separate issue, serving a different purpose.

I think you should go down to NB this weekend, and try to get from Cook Campus to Busch Campus and then over to Livingston Campus on the bus and then let me know your opinion on how buses are better for Rutgers but Princeton should have more DINKY stops.

[stressedCollegeGirl89]

Originally Posted by Ann77

They would have to build a bridge or two, but it would be awesome. I see it as a loop that just goes in a circle all of the time.

I'm not sure if a loop would be the best idea though. If I wanted to get from Cook to Livingston, I don't want to have to go through both College Ave and Busch campus first.

Originally Posted by Ann77

A loop is pointless? Have you ever gone to school at Rutgers NB? If you had, you would know a light rail loop would be awesome.

How about the loop at Newark Airport, is that pointless?

According to you, a loop around Rutgers NB is pointless, but a loop or line through the teeny tiny town of Princeton is a good idea.

A loop is best done by bus? Again, you obviously know nothing about Rutgers NB. The loop IS done by bus, but it's not best done by bus. There are already buses and plenty of ways to get to the train station.

It has nothing to do with hooking up with the train lines, although of course a connection at the NE corridor would be good. It's about getting around all of the campuses.

A loop around the Princeton Campus doesn't make much sense. That campus is very small and very walkable. Rutgers New Brunswick is by no means small and also not entirely walkable. It would take me a couple of hours to walk from Cook campus to Livingston campus, due to how the walkways were designed. Hence, why there are buses. Plus, the Rutgers NB buses are more crowded than ever this year. It is absolutely terrible during rush hour. The buses do loop around the campuses during the weekends, but there is definitely room for improvement. Waiting for a bus every 25-30 mins on the weekends is pointless. I could be closer to my destination (or actually there) by the time the bus rolls around to my stop.

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

It would cost hundreds of millions more to build a loop then just a straight line. Buses are cheaper and better for loop lines , this Rail line would connect the region , not just serve Rutgers. The Airport is different , its smaller and cheaper then a typical college campus. A loop in Princeton would be tiny and go around the Downtown aswell.... If a loop spur is built it would be a Rutgers addition since this line wouldn't be a public project form what i'm hearing....so there going with a straight line.

It would cost more $$$ to build a loop than a straight line...more streets would have to be torn up to accommodate the rail line. It took them a while to redo parts of George St. this past summer and fall semester.

Originally Posted by Ann77

It could have to be a loop the way Rutgers is laid out. Maybe a line, not sure.

A Bound Brook line doesn't help Rutgers at all, I don't get the connection there?

There are about 45,000 students at the New Brunswick campus and that doesn't count the people who live and work in New Brunswick.

Princeton doesn't need any other train or light rail line.

Buses are not better than loop lines, not at Rutgers.

Again, it seems like you know nothing about Rutgers NB so you should stop acting like you're an expert.

The Bound Brook line would only help NB if there was a stop at the NB train station. It would help the commuters in the surrounding areas though.

Originally Posted by Ann77

In 2001, Urbitran Associates conducted a feasibility study for a rapid transit system in the Greater New Brunswick area.

The study found that a dedicated right-of-way for a light rail or bus rapid transit system in the Greater New Brunswick area would serve approximately 55,000 daily riders during the school year, making it the most popular such system in New Jersey.

The proposed route connected Route 18 in East Brunswick to Cook/Douglass, College Avenue, Busch, and Livingston campuses, as well as downtown New Brunswick and I-287 in Piscataway. However, since the study was issued, no further progress has been made on constructing such a system.

Do you have the link to the study? I'm curious as to how the light rail line would be mapped. From Cook/Douglass to College Ave, it would probably be a straight line down George St./Georges Rd./Ryders Ln. Not sure about the other campuses though.