Why does Regional Rail line train connect to West Trenton ilo Trenton? (Philadelphia: 2013, neighborhoods)

[papirriqui]

Hello,

When i used to come to visit relatives in the Philadelphia suburbs from North Jersey pretty often. I always tried to figure out to the best way to travel between these metropolitan areas. Most of the times i used the car. Now i am settle in Montgomery county and whenever i go to NNJ/NYC , I drive all the way up to Trenton (or Hamilton) to take NJ transit to Penn station.
I live close to the Jenkintown/Wyncote station of the Regional Rail Line and noticed that the train line finishes in West Trenton, and i always wonder why West Trenton and no Trenton proper? . If Regional Rail line finishes in Trenton (switching to NJT), commuters from Montgomery county would go by train to NYC with no need to go all the way down to 30th st in Philadelphia and then go to Trenton. it just surprised me, i know that there are commuters from Montgomery co. to North Jersey and NYC area.
I always wonder what is West Trenton known for? ,or why is this area so important? it looks like there is a train gap between West Trenton and Trenton. please explain if someone knows.
According to Glenside local , it used to be a service between Jenkintown and NYC via Bethlehem but the service was discontinued in 1981. Thanks

[pcity]

Regional Rail does go to Trenton, just not on your line.

[selhars]

Exactly. You can get on a train, ride down to the city, and exchange over to the common trunk and get on the Trenton line there.

If the question is why YOUR particular train line doesn't go to Trenton, that you'll have to ask SEPTA. (and try to actually get a hold of anyone who would really know).

But the knowledge on CD is vast so....maybe someone here knows why you line goes to W. Trenton and the other line goes to Trenton.

My thought is that looking at the RR map though from your station to the Trenton station is more due west than the lines go in general. And you'll see that none of the lines go straight east or straight west.

To serve wider area, perhaps, it just made more sense, to have the Torresdale/Levittown line go to Trenton, and your line, the Trevose/Langhorne line, which is more to the west and north, go to West Trenton....which is to the north and west of Trenton.

Or, of course, there a completely different reason. It will be interesting to see if someone really knows for sure...first hand or close to it, news reports from back then, etc.

[thedirtypirate]

I think it's also worth noting that SEPTA didn't build the train lines. They existed far before the comprehensive regional rail system existed.

[PhilliesPhan2013]

Originally Posted by papirriqui

Hello,

When i used to come to visit relatives in the Philadelphia suburbs from North Jersey pretty often. I always tried to figure out to the best way to travel between these metropolitan areas. Most of the times i used the car. Now i am settle in Montgomery county and whenever i go to NNJ/NYC , I drive all the way up to Trenton (or Hamilton) to take NJ transit to Penn station.
I live close to the Jenkintown/Wyncote station of the Regional Rail Line and noticed that the train line finishes in West Trenton, and i always wonder why West Trenton and no Trenton proper? . If Regional Rail line finishes in Trenton (switching to NJT), commuters from Montgomery county would go by train to NYC with no need to go all the way down to 30th st in Philadelphia and then go to Trenton. it just surprised me, i know that there are commuters from Montgomery co. to North Jersey and NYC area.
I always wonder what is West Trenton known for? ,or why is this area so important? it looks like there is a train gap between West Trenton and Trenton. please explain if someone knows.
According to Glenside local , it used to be a service between Jenkintown and NYC via Bethlehem but the service was discontinued in 1981. Thanks

That line dates back to the 1850s, and was built by the North Penn Railroad to compete against the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR-currently the Northeast Corridor that SEPTA, Amtrak, and NJT run on) monopoly on the Philadelphia-NYC (via a ferry from Exchange Place in Jersey City) market. West Trenton was never the last stop on the line: it continues towards NYC via Bound Brook and the Northeast Corridor after navigating the Aldene Connection near Roselle Park. SEPTA actually ran a service to Newark, but this was discontinued in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

I know that this would be very unlikely to happen, but NJ Transit should consider a NY Penn-West Trenton service. A SEPTA-NJT connection at West Trenton would get a lot of ridership from those who live in Upper North Philly, Montgomery County, and Bucks County in PA, and it would better serve residents in Mercer and Somerset Counties in Jersey.

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan2013

That line dates back to the 1850s, and was built by the North Penn Railroad to compete against the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR-currently the Northeast Corridor that SEPTA, Amtrak, and NJT run on) monopoly on the Philadelphia-NYC (via a ferry from Exchange Place in Jersey City) market. West Trenton was never the last stop on the line: it continues towards NYC via Bound Brook and the Northeast Corridor after navigating the Aldene Connection near Roselle Park. SEPTA actually ran a service to Newark, but this was discontinued in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

I know that this would be very unlikely to happen, but NJ Transit should consider a NY Penn-West Trenton service. A SEPTA-NJT connection at West Trenton would get a lot of ridership from those who live in Upper North Philly, Montgomery County, and Bucks County in PA, and it would better serve residents in Mercer and Somerset Counties in Jersey.

This would be awesome, but the way things are looking now with remote working pretty much proven effective and more than likely adopted en masse in the post-COVID-19 epidemic world, I see much less investment in the future for mass transit. Most daily ridership to NYC from mid-Jersey and upper bucks areas are workers in NYC that decided to live in more affordable locations. My HQ is in NYC and I doubt I'll be back there for several months yet; and once back, I imagine only sparingly. Sadly, just when much-needed improved national infrastructure was starting to gain traction, we're slammed with a disease that feeds off density and proximity to groups of people.

[papirriqui]

Originally Posted by pcity

Regional Rail does go to Trenton, just not on your line.

yeah, I should have named the thread "Why are northern Philadelphia, Montgomery co. , Bucks co connected to West Trenton ilo Trenton?"

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

I think it's also worth noting that SEPTA didn't build the train lines. They existed far before the comprehensive regional rail system existed.

Correct. These lines were built mainly by 2 separate RR companies, the Pennsylvania and the Reading Cos., (both of which bought out or merged with early/mid-19th century predecessor companies). This is why some lines end fairly near other lines or serve roughly duplicate neighborhoods, most notably the 2 Chestnut Hill lines which terminate just a few blocks from one another.

[papirriqui]

Originally Posted by selhars

Exactly. You can get on a train, ride down to the city, and exchange over to the common trunk and get on the Trenton line there.

If the question is why YOUR particular train line doesn't go to Trenton, that you'll have to ask SEPTA. (and try to actually get a hold of anyone who would really know).

But the knowledge on CD is vast so....maybe someone here knows why you line goes to W. Trenton and the other line goes to Trenton.

My thought is that looking at the RR map though from your station to the Trenton station is more due west than the lines go in general. And you'll see that none of the lines go straight east or straight west.

To serve wider area, perhaps, it just made more sense, to have the Torresdale/Levittown line go to Trenton, and your line, the Trevose/Langhorne line, which is more to the west and north, go to West Trenton....which is to the north and west of Trenton.

Or, of course, there a completely different reason. It will be interesting to see if someone really knows for sure...first hand or close to it, news reports from back then, etc.

True, they are both different lines /routes to two different locations, trying to serve most of the metropolitan area as best as it can. I just wonder why West Trenton and Trenton were not connected since they just 5 miles apart. It would make a big difference from commuters to NYC. Since Trenton seems to be an important hub where you can connect to Septa, Amtrak and NJT.

[papirriqui]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

I think it's also worth noting that SEPTA didn't build the train lines. They existed far before the comprehensive regional rail system existed.

great fact!, thanks... I heard that Philadelphia expanded along its train lines , contrary to other cities with highways.