Dinky train passengers start petition calling on NJ Transit to scrap plans to stop service for three months
Commuters depend on the Dinky train to shuttle them between Princeton and Princeton Junction. The train ride is only four minutes each way when compared with a bus, which takes 10 to 15 minutes or longer.
New Jersey Transit plans to stop service on the Dinky train for at least three months beginning Oct. 14, and replace the trains with buses. The Dinky rail equipment and crews will be used elsewhere to facilitate the installation of positive train control. Commuters are dreading the loss of the Dinky for that long, and train advocates fear that the Dinky’s long-term future is in jeopardy.
This week, Dinky passengers began circulating a petition that calls on New Jersey Transit to reconsider its decision to shut down the Dinky. After the petition and signs disappeared from the train, advocates started an online petition Wednesday night. More than 100 people have signed the petition already on Change.org.
Monday night, Oct. 8, the Princeton Council will hold its regular public meeting. A representative from New Jersey Transit has been invited to speak at the meeting and answer residents’ questions about the Dinky shutdown. Meanwhile. the adjusted train schedule, including bus times, has been posted online.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
Thank you for this coverage!!!