New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) celebrated the opening of its Pennsauken Transit Center in ceremonies Oct. 14. The station provides the first direct connection between River Line light rail and Atlantic City rail service, along with access to one NJ Transit bus line. The Atlantic City Rail Line connects ­Atlantic City with Philadelphia, while the River Line ­operates between Trenton and Camden.

“By providing this connection point between rail and light rail, the Pennsauken Transit Center will expand the reach of these individual services,” said NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein, “making NJ Transit an even more attractive travel option for customers, who will now have a much broader array of travel destinations to and from the stations on both lines.” He called the new facility “an excellent long-term investment that will benefit South Jersey residents for decades to come.”

The Pennsauken Transit Center cost $40 million, of which about $16 million came from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $692,000 from other federal sources. The New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund covered the remaining balance.

NJ Transit built the facility in two phases. The first phase involved River Line elements of the project, such as construction of a 200-foot platform with 60-foot canopy for customer access and convenience, and lighting improvements. The second phase involved the installation of communication infrastructure, grading, drainage, and construction of two 300-foot-long and high-level platforms on both sides of the Atlantic City Rail Line tracks, which cross over the River Line tracks. This phase also included construction of a 270-space parking lot, installation of passenger communication equipment, ticket vending machines, resurfacing, curbing and lighting improvements, and two public art projects.

J. Kenneth Leap created “My Jersey Girl” as a glass sculpture along the glass façade of the ­Atlantic City Rail Line building, portraying scenes from the town’s ­history.

Artist KHMK ­(Katherine Hackl, ­Hiroshi Murata, ­Marilyn Keating) ­created decorative tiles, platforms, and sculpture of egrets on top of the River Line canopy.

The agency projects 530 average weekday ­riders (1,060 trips) in two years.

Passengers await the arrival of NJ Transit's Atlantic City Rail Line at the new Pennsauken Transit Center on opening day.

 

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