River line

One of the first passenger rail lines in America, the Camden and Amboy railroad, was constructed during the 1830's and contributed towards the development of a string of nineteenth and early twentieth century towns along the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey. These communities became vibrant centers with a mix of compact residential neighborhoods, downtown business districts, and industrial facilities. Post-World War II suburban development and increasing automobile travel, along with a decline in industry and population, resulted in declining ridership and led to the end of rail passenger service in 1963.

Forty years later, in 2003, New Jersey Transit will restore light rail passenger service on the existing right-of-way, purchased from CSX/Norfolk Southern, which will continue running freight service at night. With the development of the River Line, new opportunities exist for municipalities to enhance their existing downtown areas or create new transit villages around the station stops.

Working with the Burlington County Office of Economic Development and Regional Planning, and building on the U.S. Route 130/Delaware River Corridor Strategic Plan (1998), the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission selected seven stations along the rail line to study. These include Beverly/Edgewater Park, Burlington City, Delanco, Palmyra, Riverside, Riverton, and Roebling (Florence Township).

The goal of the study is to encourage transit-oriented development (TOD) around the study stations to benefit the host community, while also promoting ridership along the corridor. Transit-oriented development, also called a transit village, is moderate to high density, pedestrian-oriented, mixed use development within an easy walk of a transit station.

The final report, Transit Village Design in Burlington County, was published in March 2002. For more information, you can also visit River Line page.