Princeton Junction (NJT station)

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Princeton Junction

The Princeton Branch platform at Princeton Junction station

Station statistics

Address

2 Wallace Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550

Lines

Amtrak:

Keystone Service

Northeast Regional

New Jersey Transit:

Northeast Corridor Line

Princeton Branch

Connections

NJT Bus: 600 and 976

Platforms

Tracks

Other information

Electrified

16 January 1933

Accessible

Code

PJC

Owned by

New Jersey Transit

Fare zone

19 (NJT)

Traffic

Passengers (2005)

1.830 million ▬ 0% (NJT)

Passengers (2007)

59,681 ▼ 9% (Amtrak)

Services

Preceding station	Amtrak	Following station
Trenton toward Harrisburg	Keystone Service	New Brunswick toward New York
Trenton toward Newport News	Northeast Regional	New Brunswick toward Boston (South) or Springfield
Preceding station	New Jersey Transit	Following station
Hamilton toward Trenton	Northeast Corridor Line	Jersey Avenue toward New York
Princeton Terminus	Princeton Branch	Terminus

Princeton Junction at West Windsor is a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak rail station on the Northeast Corridor located in Princeton Junction, an area within West Windsor Township. On Amtrak and NJT tickets its abbreviation is PJC. A 2.8 mile (4.51 km) spur line, the Princeton Branch, connects Princeton Junction to the Princeton University campus in Princeton, New Jersey.

Amtrak reported 65,679 boardings and alightings at Princeton Junction for the year ending September 30, 2006, down dramatically from 2005.^[1] Most of the former traffic was Amtrak "Clocker" service commuter traffic to New York, Newark, or Philadelphia; since October 28, 2005, the Clockers have been replaced by NJT trains. Most Amtrak trains stopping here offer direct service as far as New York, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Aside from two early morning trains to Washington, D.C. and two evening returns, a transfer is needed for long distance service; more long-distance Amtrak trains stop at nearby Trenton Station.

1 Parking
2 History
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Parking

Permit parking is operated by the West Windsor Parking Authority. All spaces on the New York-bound side as well as most of the spaces on the Philadelphia-bound side are in permit lots. West Windsor Township residents have approximately a two-year wait to buy permits for $100 per quarter^[2]; nonresident permits cost $165 per quarter and have a waiting period twice as long.

Daily parking is available for $4 in a close-in lot just north of the Princeton Branch platform; this lot fills by 6:20 AM on Mondays through Thursdays and 6:50 on Fridays. Parking is also available in the rear of the paved lot on the south side of Vaughn Drive, but the daily spaces in that lot are often sold out well before 7:30. Privately operated parking is available for $8 along Station Drive near Washington Road.

As of January 1, 2007, the Alexander Road Quarterly Permit Fee was increased to $165 and the Daily Parking Fee was increased to $4.00. As of February 1, 2007, the Vaughn Drive Lot and Wallace Road Lot Quarterly Permit Fee was increased to $100 ^[3]

[edit] History

Albert Einstein, who lived at 112 Mercer Street in Princeton, used to enjoy sitting at the station and watching the trains go by. More than once he employed trains to explain the practical effects of his General Theory of Relativity.

In 1965, a prototype for the Metroliner passed through the station at the record speed (at that time) of 110 mph on a short demonstration run. Very few sections of the Northeast Corridor were capable of handling that speed, and most had to be upgraded before Penn Central's Metroliner service was introduced in 1969.

The single car train on the Princeton Branch is referred to as "the Dinky".