Atlantic City Line

Commuter rail line in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Atlantic City Line

An Atlantic City Line train at Lindenwold station in 2008

Overview
Owner| New Jersey Transit
(Atlantic City to River Line)
Conrail Shared Assets
(Delair Bridge to Shore interlocking)
Amtrak
(Shore interlocking to 30th Street)
Locale| White Horse Pike corridor
Termini|

* Atlantic City Rail Terminal (east)
* 30th Street Station, Philadelphia (west)

Stations| 9
Service
Type| Commuter rail
System| NJ Transit Rail Operations
Operator(s)| New Jersey Transit
Rolling stock| GP40PH-2B locomotives, Comet coaches
Daily ridership| 2,951
Technical
Number of tracks| 1 plus sidings
(Shore Interlocking to Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector)
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Route map

Show interactive map

Legend

|  |  |

| 0.0 mi

0 km

30th Street Station

|  |

|  |

| Main Line

to Harrisburg

|  |

|  |

Zoo Junction

|  |

|  |

North Philadelphia Bypassed

|  |

|  |

Shore interlocking

|  |

|  |

| Northeast Corridor

to Boston

|  |

|  |

Delaware River

| PA

|  |

|  |

to Pavonia Yard

|  |

| 10.3 mi

16.6 km

Pennsauken

River Line

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Hainesport Industrial Track

|  |

| 14.2 mi

22.9 km

Cherry Hill
|  |

|  |

PATCO to 15–16th & Locust

|  |

|  |

Haddonfield

|  |

|  |

Woodcrest

|  |

|  |

Ashland

|  |

| 21.4 mi

34.4 km

Lindenwold

PATCO

|  |

|  |

Lindenwold Shops

|  |

|  |

Berlin

|  |

| 27.5 mi

44.3 km

Atco
|  |

|  |

|  Williamstown Branch

Atsion branch

|  |

|  |

| Beesley's Point Secondary

to Camden

|  |

|  |

SRNJ to Vineland

|  |

|  |

Winslow Junction

|  |

|  |

| Beesley's Point Secondary

to Tuckahoe

|  |

| 40.5 mi

65.2 km

Hammonton
|  |

| 51.4 mi

82.7 km

Egg Harbor City
|  |

| 62.0 mi

99.8 km

Absecon
|  |

|  |

SRNJ to Pleasantville

|  |

| 67.9 mi

109.3 km

Atlantic City

* * *

All stations are accessible
|  |  |  |  |  |

This diagram:

* view
* talk
* edit

Show route diagram map

The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage that was controlled by both the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. It shares trackage with SEPTA and Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) until it crosses the Delaware River on Conrail's Delair Bridge into New Jersey.

The Atlantic City Line also shares the right-of-way with the PATCO Speedline between Haddonfield and Lindenwold, New Jersey. There are 12 departures each day in each direction. Conrail also uses short sections of the line for freight movements (which are segregated), including the NEC-Delair Bridge section to its main freight yard in Camden, New Jersey. Unlike all other NJT railway lines, the Atlantic City line does not have traditional rush hour service.[1] The Atlantic City line is colored dark blue on New Jersey Transit's system maps, and the line's symbol is a lighthouse, an homage to the Absecon Lighthouse.

## History

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

1915 Pennsylvania Railroad publication touting New Jersey beaches.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Atlantic City was the major seaside vacation destination for the Philadelphia area for both wealthy and working class alike. Similar to Coney Island in New York, the popularity of Atlantic City was made possible by rail transport providing inexpensive service between the city where people lived and the seashore where they played. By its height in the 1920s, there were no fewer than three competing railroad Main Lines connecting the Atlantic City resort with Philadelphia, the Atlantic City Railroad (ACRR), owned by the Reading Company, the Camden and Atlantic (C&A) and the West Jersey and Seashore (WJ&S), both owned by the PRR. Competition was fierce and the ACRR and C&A lines boasted some of the fastest trains in the world, while the WJ&S was a pioneering example of railroad electrification.

The Great Depression caused the first consolidation of the various competing lines into the new Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (PRSL), but the post-war rise of the automobile and the Atlantic City Expressway not only caused people to abandon the railroad for their cars, but also to abandon Atlantic City for more exotic vacation destinations. By the late 1960s, the surviving former Camden and Atlantic Main Line was reduced to a commuter service funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) running trains of Budd RDC railcars operating from a small terminal at the Lindenwold PATCO station. Conrail took over from the PRSL in 1976, maintaining service between Lindenwold and Atlantic City, Ocean City and Cape May. In 1981 NJDOT discontinued the chronically under-performing South Jersey rail services.

Almost immediately, there was talk of restoring the line to Atlantic City. Casino gambling had brought the aging resort back from the brink of financial collapse and local politicians were irritated that most railway transportation projects benefited the more populous northern portion of the state. A deal with Amtrak was worked out where the line, suffering from decades of deferred maintenance and in places outright abandonment, would be completely rebuilt for a new Amtrak service. Dubbed the "Gambler's Express," service connected Atlantic City with cities up and down the Northeast Corridor as well as a local commuter service run by NJT.

### 1989 revival

[edit]

Main article: Atlantic City Express (Amtrak)

Cherry Hill was opened in 1994; it briefly served Amtrak trains as well as NJ Transit Pennsauken Transit Center opened in 2013 to provide a connection between Atlantic City Line trains (top) and River Line trains

The line reopened May 23, 1989, with Amtrak Atlantic City Express service running from New York, Philadelphia, and Washington.[2][3] Service was soon extended to Springfield, Massachusetts, and Richmond, and for a brief period, the Philadelphia International Airport.[4][5][6] NJT commuter service between Atlantic City and Lindenwold began in September. At Lindenwold, passengers had to transfer to PATCO. By 1994, Amtrak realized that their Atlantic City plan was poorly marketed, and high fares hurt potential ridership. As a result, it was announced that Amtrak would discontinue service effective April 1, 1995.

Initially, there were worries that NJT would also cease operations, as Amtrak had been helping maintain the track and NJT would be forced to buy its own fueling facility. However, NJT reluctantly opted to stay, as the line was the transit agency's only commuter line in South Jersey. For the time being, a target of a US $1 million subsidy reduction was set in March 1996.[7] NJT eventually extended service into Philadelphia (via Amtrak's 30th Street Station), and a new station facility was built in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Ridership increased and NJT decided to maintain the line after declaring that the line's ridership had met the target set for it.

Another improvement that has since occurred was the starting of a shuttle service between the Atlantic City Rail Terminal and the city's casinos. Free jitneys shuttle passengers to the shore and the various casinos.

The line received some damage from Hurricane Sandy on October 29–30, 2012, causing suspension of service after the storm moved away. However, the damage was not as severe as on other NJT rail lines in the northern part of the state, and normal rail service was restored by November 4, one of the few NJT rail lines to do so in such short time.

Later, NJ Transit built a transfer station in Pennsauken to connect the Atlantic City Line with the River Line, which runs from Camden to Trenton, where it meets up with Northeast Corridor trains to New York. This enables Atlantic City passengers to travel as far as New York completely on New Jersey Transit rail and light rail and avoid transfers in Pennsylvania for the first time. The Pennsauken Transit Center opened to passengers on October 14, 2013.[8]

Also operating along the line, but not making any stops along it, was the Atlantic City Express Service (ACES), a route owned by Caesars Entertainment and the Borgata and operated by NJ Transit under contract. This route operated between the Atlantic City Rail Terminal and Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan. This service began in February 2009 and ended in March 2012.[9]

On September 4, 2018, the line was shut down so NJ Transit could replace a portion of the track, as well as install positive train control to comply with a December 31 deadline from the Federal Railroad Administration. The rail line was the only one in New Jersey that was shut down in its entirety, which sparked criticism from residents. NJ Transit operated bus service along the route while the rail line was shut down.[10][11] Service - including an additional morning peak trip to Philadelphia - resumed along with the Princeton Branch on May 12, 2019.[12]

### Proposed stations

[edit]

On May 12, 2009, New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine, in conjunction with the Delaware River Port Authority (the agency which manages the PATCO Speedline), announced plans to review ways to expand and enhance the Atlantic City Line, in which the DRPA would "examine opportunities to improve this system including the development of a Transfer Station at the PATCO Woodcrest Station allowing for more convenient transfers between PATCO, New Jersey Transit and convenient access from I-295" and "also identify track improvements to facilitate more frequent, reliable service and a better connection to the Atlantic City Airport Terminal." The study would be part of a comprehensive transportation plan for South Jersey that would include a new diesel light rail line between Camden and Glassboro and express bus service along the NJ 42 and NJ 55 freeways.[13] The cost for the Atlantic City Airport station was estimated at $32 million in 2013.[14] However, in 2014, any plans described by the study to increase frequency to reliable hourly service, and to add planned Woodcrest and Airport transfer stations, were nixed because of state budget tightening.

In 2016, two state assemblymen – Tim Eustace and John Wisniewski – introduced a bill that mandated for the state to build a train station at the Atlantic City Airport, but the bill was never brought to the floor for a vote. In 2021, NJT and the SJTA commissioned a study to build a station near the airport along the White Horse Pike, adjacent to a proposed mixed-used development. The study included the potential for a spur rail line into the airport, or a new bus line to transport passengers from the proposed station to the airport.[15] In May 2022, the New Jersey Senate passed a bill that allowed the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to provide funding toward the proposed airport link.[14][16]

## Operations

[edit]

Two Atlantic City Line trains perform a scheduled meet at a passing siding in Cherry Hill

The line was originally double-tracked but is now a single-track operation, with 5,000-foot (1,500 m) passing sidings along its length. The Atlantic City Rail Terminal incorporates a fueling facility and trains are fueled in between midday runs. Daily inspections and light maintenance are performed at the Atlantic City Rail Terminal by Herzog Transit Services, while heavy maintenance must take place in NJT's facility in North Jersey. Both cars and locomotives involved with servicing are shuttled up and down Amtrak's Northeast Corridor on weekends for washing and heavy maintenance as needed.

As rebuilt by Amtrak, most of the line was equipped with cab signaling and built to Class 4 track standards allowing speeds up to 80 miles per hour (130 km/h). Around 10 miles (16 km) of tangent track around Absecon was built to Class 5 standards, allowing speeds up to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h). Several years after Amtrak ceased operation on the line, NJT downgraded this segment to Class 4 due to maintenance cost considerations.[citation needed] Until 1995, Amtrak's Section E dispatcher controlled the line from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, but after the incorporation into the NJT system, the dispatching was shifted to Hoboken Terminal, and later the Meadowlands Maintenance Complex.

Prior to the 1995 takeover, NJT trains terminating at Lindenwold would actually run to just east of the present day Cherry Hill Station where the nearest passing siding was located in order to clear the line for "Gambler's Express" trains and to allow the crew to change ends. After the terminal was moved to 30th Street Station, NJT commuter trains laid over at the south end of the station platforms to allow the diesel locomotives to exhaust into the open air (as opposed to under the confined space under 30th Street Station).

## Service

[edit]

An Atlantic City Line trainset passing the closed WINSLOW tower at Winslow Junction

Regularly scheduled service on the Atlantic City Line consists mainly of GP40PH-2B diesel locomotives pushing or pulling primarily three to four Comet passenger cars. When Amtrak had regular service on this line, power was provided by now-retired F40PH locomotives, with a Metroliner cab car on the opposite end to provide push-pull operation. All trains run with the locomotive on the west end and the cab control car on the east end to facilitate boarding and reduce diesel noise and exhaust issues at the Atlantic City Terminal.

Originally, a type of proof-of-payment fare collection was envisioned for the line to cut down on operating costs. Standard railway tickets were purchased from vending machines which then had to be validated prior to boarding. However, the system was never fully implemented and tickets were always collected normally on board by conductors.

In 2014, the line had around 1 million riders, which declined to 800,000 in 2016. Daily ridership is around 2,000 passengers.[10]

### Cross-honoring

[edit]

Atlantic City Line train tickets are also honored on the 551 and 554 NJT bus lines for travel to and from railroad stations at all times. Customers using rail tickets to ride the 554 line must board and alight directly at or within one block of the Lindenwold, Hammonton, Egg Harbor City, or Absecon train stations, or at the Atlantic City Bus Terminal. Tickets for travel between Philadelphia and Atlantic City are honored on the 551 between the bus terminals in the two cities.

## Stations

[edit]

State  | Location  | Station[1] | Miles (km) | Date opened  | Date closed  | Connections/notes[1]

|
|
|
|
|
|

PA | Philadelphia | 30th Street Station | 0.0 (0.0)  | 1933  |  |  Amtrak (long-distance): Cardinal, Crescent, Palmetto, Silver Meteor
Amtrak (intercity): Acela, Carolinian, Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian, Northeast Regional, Vermonter
SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines
SEPTA Metro:
NJ Transit Bus: 313, 315, 316, 414, 417, 555
SEPTA City Bus: 9, 12, 21, 30, 31, 42, 44, 49, 62, LUCY
SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125
Martz Trailways
Peter Pan
NJ | Pennsauken Twp. | Pennsauken | 10.3 (16.6)  | 2013[17] |  |  NJ Transit: River Line
NJ Transit Bus: 404, 417, 419
Cherry Hill | Cherry Hill | 14.2 (22.9)  | July 2, 1994[18] |  |  NJ Transit Bus: 406, 450
Lindenwold | Lindenwold | 21.4 (34.4)  | 1969[19] |  |  PATCO
NJ Transit Bus: 403, 459, 554
Berlin | Berlin |  | 1856  | 1960s  |
Atco | Atco | 27.5 (44.3)  | September 17, 1989[20] |  |  NJ Transit Bus: 554
Hammonton | Hammonton | 40.5 (65.2)  | September 17, 1989[20] |  |  NJ Transit Bus: 554
South Jersey Transportation Authority: Route 54/40 Community Shuttle
Egg Harbor City | Egg Harbor City | 51.4 (82.7)  | September 17, 1989[20] |  |  NJ Transit Bus: 554
South Jersey Transportation Authority: Airport / Stockton University Shuttle
Absecon | Absecon | 62.0 (99.8)  | July 4, 1854[21]

* * *

September 17, 1989[20] |  |  NJ Transit Bus: 508, 554, 559
Atlantic City | Atlantic City Rail Terminal | 67.9 (109.3)  | September 17, 1989[20] |  |  NJ Transit Bus: 319, 501, 502, 504, 505, 507, 508, 509, 551, 552, 553, 554, 559 (at AC Bus Terminal)
Atlantic City Jitney: 1, 2, 3

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Atlantic City Line Timetable – November 19, 2014 edition" (PDF). New York, New York: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
2. ^ Wittkowski, Donald (May 22, 1989). "First Gamblers' Express train arrives at new A.C. railroad station". The Press of Atlantic City.
3. ^ Henderson, Nell (May 23, 1989). "AMTRAK TAKES A CHANCE ON 'GAMBLERS' EXPRESS'". The Washington Post.
4. ^ "Amtrak National Train Timetables". The Museum of Railway Timetables. 1990. p. 24. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
5. ^ "Amtrak National Train Timetables". The Museum of Railway Timetables. 1990. p. 25. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
6. ^ Belden, Tom (April 16, 1990). "Midway, Amtrak Team Up Rail Line To Link Airport And A.c." The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
7. ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n3_v199/ai_20460328, Railway Age
8. ^ "New station links two South Jersey rail lines". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
9. ^ Donald Wittowski (March 10, 2012). "Casinos end ACES train service from Atlantic City to New York". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
10. ^ a b Curtis Tate (August 3, 2018). "NJ Transit to shut down Atlantic City line for 5 months starting in September". USAToday.com. NorthJersey.com. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
11. ^ Jason Laughlin (August 16, 2018). "NJ Transit: Atlantic City line must shut down for safety upgrade". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
12. ^ Brunetti Post, Michelle; Shaw, Colt (April 17, 2019). "Atlantic City Rail Line to reopen early with added service". The Press of Atlantic City.
13. ^ [1] Archived January 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine"Delaware River Port Authority – Regional Transportation & Economic Development Initiative"
14. ^ a b "Polistina bill to fund airport transport projects clears committee". Press of Atlantic City. March 24, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
15. ^ Larry Higgs (August 22, 2021). "Take a new train to the plane? Group pushing for Atlantic City airport station". NJ.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
16. ^ "Senate approves legislation that would help create transportation link from Atlantic City airport to resort". May 27, 2022.
17. ^ "New station links two South Jersey rail lines". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
18. ^ "Cherry Hill Open: Pedestrian Access Awful". The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger. 12 (8). Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers. August 1994. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
19. ^ Baisden, Cheryl L. (2009). Images of America: Delaware River Port Authority. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 110\. ISBN 9780738565811.
20. ^ a b c d e Gold, Jeffrey (September 15, 1989). "Commuter Rail Service Restored to Atlantic City". The Asbury Park Press. p. 3. Retrieved September 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
21. ^ "City News and Gossip". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 8, 1854. p. 3. Retrieved September 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

## External links

[edit]

* Current schedule at NJ Transit

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atlantic City Line (New Jersey Transit).

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/Atlantic City Line

KML is from Wikidata

* v
* t
* e

NJ Transit Rail Operations

Hoboken Division|

*      Bergen County Line
*      Main Line
*      Meadowlands Rail Line
*      Montclair–Boonton Line
* Morris & Essex Lines (     Morristown Line and      Gladstone Branch)
*      Pascack Valley Line
*      Port Jervis Line

Newark Division|

*      Atlantic City Line
*      North Jersey Coast Line
*      Northeast Corridor Line
*      Princeton Branch
*      Raritan Valley Line

Connections|

* Aldene Connection
* Harold Interlocking
* Lehigh Line Connection
* Kearny Connection
* Montclair Connection
* Port Morris Junction
* Secaucus Junction
* Waterfront Connection

Current rolling stock|

* EMD GP40PH-2
* ALP-46
* ALP-45DP
* PL42AC
* Comet coaches
* Comet V
* MultiLevel coaches
* Arrow multiple units

Bridges and tunnels|

* Beach Bridge
* Bergen Tunnels
* Brielle Draw
* Connecting Railway Bridge
* DB Draw
* Delair Bridge
* Dock Bridge
* East River Tunnels
* HX Draw
* Lower Hack Lift
* Lyndhurst Draw
* Morgan Draw
* Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge
* Newark Drawbridge
* North River Tunnels
* Oceanport Draw
* Portal Bridge (Portal North Bridge)
* Rahway River Bridge
* Raritan Bay Drawbridge
* Raritan River Bridge
* Roseville Tunnel
* Shark River Draw
* Upper Hack Lift
* WR Draw

Stations and yards|

* List of stations
* Historic stations
* County Yard
* Morrisville Yard
* Sunnyside Yard

Proposed lines|

* Lackawanna Cut-Off
* Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Line
* West Trenton Line

Other topics|

* Access to the Region's Core
* Atlantic City Express Service
* Glassboro–Camden Line
* Gateway Program
* Mid-Line Loop
* Northern Branch
* Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit
* Sawtooth Bridges
* Train to the Game
* Former stations
* Proposed stations

* v
* t
* e

Mass transit in the Delaware Valley

Transit buses|

SEPTA
Philadelphia
Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties

NJ Transit
Camden, Gloucester, and Salem County suburban service
Camden, Gloucester, and Salem County local service
Atlantic and Cape May County local service
Long-distance local routes from Philadelphia
Long-distance routes from Atlantic City

DART First State

Krapf Transit
Philly Phlash

South Jersey Transportation Authority
Shuttle routes

Berks County
Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority

Bucks County
Bucks County Transport
TMA Bucks

Cecil County
Cecil Transit

Chester County
Transportation Management Association of Chester County

Atlantic City
Atlantic City Jitney Association

Pottstown
Pottstown Area Rapid Transit

Commuter rail|

SEPTA Regional Rail
Airport Line
Chestnut Hill East Line
Chestnut Hill West Line
Cynwyd Line
Fox Chase Line
Lansdale/Doylestown Line
Manayunk/Norristown Line
Media/Wawa Line
Paoli/Thorndale Line
Trenton Line
Warminster Line
West Trenton Line
Wilmington/Newark Line

NJ Transit
Atlantic City Line

MARC Train
Penn Line

Rapid transit and light rail|

SEPTA Metro

Delaware River Port Authority
PATCO Speedline

NJ Transit
River Line

Proposed
Glassboro–Camden Line
Roosevelt Boulevard Subway

Aviation|

Major
Atlantic City International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Trenton–Mercer Airport

Reliever
Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport
Doylestown Airport
Heritage Field Airport
Northeast Philadelphia Airport
South Jersey Regional Airport
Wilmington Airport
Wings Field

Intercity bus|

Amtrak Thruway
Greyhound Lines
Klein
Martz Trailways
OurBus
Peter Pan Bus Lines
Trans-Bridge Lines

Intercity rail|

Amtrak
Acela
Cardinal
Carolinian
Crescent
Keystone Service
Northeast Regional
Palmetto
Pennsylvanian
Silver Meteor
Silver Star
Vermonter

Proposed
Northeast Maglev
Schuylkill River Passenger Rail
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template