Station Review #72: Princeton Junction (NJT/Amtrak)


Princeton Junction is an Amtrak/NJT station on the Northeast Corridor line. The station itself is located at Wallace Road in West Windsor Township, in Mercer County, NJ. 

Services Provided

Two Amtrak and two NJT services go to Princeton Junction Station, these services are:

Amtrak:


Keystone Corridor: This is a service that links New York City, Philadelphia, Lancaster, and Harrisburg

Northeast Regional: This is a service that goes along the Northeast Corridor mainline, linking the cities of Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, and DC. Some trips go south into Virginia along three branch lines. After splitting off after Alexandria, one line goes to Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Roanoke. The other two go to Richmond, and then split immediately after to go to Newport News or Norfolk. The variant that goes to Roanoke does not stop here. 

Vermonter: A once daily southbound Vermonter train stops at Princeton Junction. THe vermonter goes between Washington DC, New York City, NY, and St. Albans, VT via Hartford, VT and Springfield, MA. 

NJT: 


Northeast Corridor Line: This is a local service for the portion of the Northeast Corridor in New Jersey, going between New York City, Newark, Elizabeth, New Brunswick, and Trenton. 

Princeton Branch: Also known as the Princeton Dinky, this is a service that uses a few spare Arrow cars to go on a branchline that goes between Princeton Junction and Princeton itself. This is on a different platform than the other services. 

History

Princeton Branch service at Princeton Junction, 1971

Princeton Junction was built by the Camden and Amboy Railroad in the 1860s as a junction station for a spur that would provide service to Princeton, since Princeton was not along the new line. Off of this junction came a branch called the Princeton Branch. Shorter trains would go from Princeton Junction station to Princeton itself, and then return to Princeton, with a few trains a day coming all the way from New York City, especially on days with college football games. This sort of situation was very common for many towns and even cities in the 1800s— minus the college football games. What sets Princeton Junction apart from other similar junction stations is that this type of service pattern remains up to the present day, even after a myriad of ownership changes and a decline in general rail service across the United States, most likely due to the popularity of Princeton University as an Ivy League university. 

Many historical things happened at Princeton Junction station. First of all, Albert Einstein went to the station very often to watch trains, since he lived nearby. A few years before he died, the station's depot (at the time owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad) caught on fire, trapping the station caretaker and killing her dog. This caused the station to be rebuilt. Over a decade later, the rail speed record was repeatedly set and broken at Princeton Junction station, along the Northeast Corridor, both bny a prototype Metroliner and by the UAC TurboTrain. In 1987, the entire station was rebuilt again, and has not been rebuilt since. 

In the last few years, NJT has unveiled plans to replace the Princeton Branch with something like a light rail line or even a busway, due to the Arrow Cars currently used on it aging, and NJT transitioning away from the usage of self-propelled electric railcars, which are needed due to how short the platforms for the Princeton Branch are. 

Tour

The Princeton Junction station house

Princeton Junction has a very unique station house, especially compared to a lot of other stations I've seen and reviewed. The bottom floor of the station also has an overpriced convenience store in it.

Northeast Corridor train going northbound

The platforms when there aren't any trains

Inside the main station house, where there is a plaque for breaking the Rail Speed Record with the MetroLiner

Kiss and ride

Princeton Junction has a lot of parking on all sides of the station. In fact, there is enough parking for the station to basically be a glorified parking lot. At least one of these parking lots has a kiss and ride as well, reminiscent of the drop-off areas at a school. 

Tunnel between the tracks under the station

Despite not seeming like it is at first, Princeton Junction's tunnels aren't actually fully accessible! Much of the accessibility came before the 1991 ADA guidelines, but involves thigns such as ramps. Due to this, NJT was sued in 2022 for accessibility violations here and at a few other stations along the Northeast Corridor. I'm unsure whether or not these things have been fixed or not, but there were plans to do so. 

The bus bay is on the southbound side. 


The platform for the Princeton Branch

I wonder what this weird house thingy is...

Normally, one would expect this to be some sort of supply room, it definitely looks that way., especially considering the lack of amenities common for a station along the NJ portion of the Northeast Corridor. 

...Oh!
Turns out, this building seems to be another waiting room, this one for the Princeton Branch. The existence of a second waiting room clearly shows the sheer popularity of the Princeton Branch. 

This is where the junction earns its name

A Princeton Branch shuttle train at the platform

Bus Connections


There are four bus connections that can be made at Princeton Junction station, these include: 

NJT: 

Route 600: This bus goes between Trenton Transit Center and Plainsboro via route 1, stopping at Princeton Junction station. Many of those who take it tend to use it between Princeton Junction and Plainsboro. 

Route 612: This bus is a more local bus, going between Princeton Junction, Lawrenceville, and Quaker Bridge Mall. Note that this bus boards from the kiss and ride and not from the bus bay. 

Other: 


Route 4: This bus is run by TigerTransit, and it goes between Princeton Junction, Nassau Street (basically the main street of Princeton) and the Princeton Stadium. 

Princeton Junction Shuttle: Run by the East Windsor Transportation Department, this is a bus that links Princeton Junction to many locations in East Windsor township and Highstown. 

Very old information board about the Princeton Junction Shuttle

Points of Interest near Princeton Junction

Nothing.

Okay, maybe that might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but there really is not much here. At the very least, there are a few apartments and such under construction or already built, so this definitely is not a 0 for transit oriented development. 

There's not much for things to do here, however. Most people who go to Princeton Junction usually either live near the station or are trying to get to Princeton. 

Statistics


Name: Princeton Junction 
Agency: Amtrak, NJT
Line(s): Keystone, Northeast Regional, Northeast Corridor, Princeton Branch
Locality: Princeton Junction 
City/Township: West Windsor
County: Mercer
State: New Jersey
Ridership: Amtrak: 51,957 boardings (2022), NJT: 2,212 per average weekday (2022) 

Amenity Checklist


Accessible: ~ (Accessible under most circumstances)
Bathrooms: ✓
Bicycle parking: ✓
Clean Station: ✓
Connections to other transit routes: ✓
Convenience Store/similar place inside: ✓
Easy passage for each side: ✓
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): ✓
Good Wayfinding: ×
Indoor Shelters: ✓
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Seating: ✓
Shelters: ✓
Station In Good Condition: ✓
TVMs: ✓
Ticket Offices: ✓
TOD: ✓
Train Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): ✓
Updated/Useful Signage: ✓

Final Verdict: 8/10

This station is pretty decent, but certain things like the accessibility, way finding and navigability of the station could be done better. Additionally, the 612 bus could be rerouted to go to the main bus bay, simplifying connections. Besides that, Princeton Junction does its job well enough. 

Station Directory

Northeast Corridor

--------MASSACHUSETTS--------
--------Suffolk County--------
South Station
Back Bay
--------Norfolk County--------
Route 128
--------RHODE ISLAND--------
--------Providence County--------
Providence
--------Washington County--------
Kingston
Westerly
-------CONNECTICUT--------
--------New London County--------
Mystic
New London
--------Middlesex County--------
Old Saybrook
--------New Haven County--------

- - - - SOUTHBOUND SERVICE FROM ST. ALBANS VIA ESSEX JUNCTION, WATERBURY (VT), MONTPELIER, RANDOLPH, WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, WINDSOR, CLAREMONT, BELLOWS FALLS, BRATTLEBORO, GREENFIELD, NORTHAMPTON, HOLYOKE, SPRINGFIELD UNION, WINDSOR LOCKS, HARTFORD UNION, AND MERIDEN, MERGES HERE - - - -

New Haven Union 
--------Fairfield County--------
Bridgeport
Stamford
--------NEW YORK--------
--------Westchester County--------
New Rochelle

--------Manhattan Borough--------

’’’’’’’’Zone 0 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

New York Penn

--------New Jersey--------

--------Hudson County--------

Secaucus Junction

--------Essex County--------

’’’’’’’’Zone 1 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Newark Penn

Newark Liberty International Airport

’’’’’’’’Zone 2 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

’’’’’’’’Zone 4 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

--------Union County--------

’’’’’’’’Zone 5 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

North Elizabeth

Elizabeth

’’’’’’’’Zone 6 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

’’’’’’’’Zone 7 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Linden

’’’’’’’’Zone 8 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Rahway

’’’’’’’’Zone 9 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

--------Middlesex County--------

’’’’’’’’Zone 10 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Metropark

’’’’’’’’Zone 11 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Metuchen

’’’’’’’’Zone 12 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

’’’’’’’’Zone 13 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Edison

’’’’’’’’Zone 14 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

New Brunswick

Jersey Ave

’’’’’’’’Zone 15 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

’’’’’’’’Zone 16 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

’’’’’’’’Zone 17 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

’’’’’’’’Zone 18 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

--------Mercer County--------

’’’’’’’’Zone 19 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Princeton Junction

’’’’’’’’Zone 20 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Hamilton

’’’’’’’’Zone 21 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

’’’’’’’’Zone 22 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

’’’’’’’’NJ Zone (SEPTA)’’’’’’’’

Trenton Transit Center

--------PENNSYLVANIA--------
--------Bucks County--------
Cornwell Heights
--------Philadelphia County--------

- - - - KEYSTONE SERVICE CONTINUES HERE VIA ARDMORE (CURRENTLY WEST ARDMORE), PAOLI, EXTON, DOWNINGTOWN, COATESVILLE, PARKESBURG, LANCASTER, ELIZABETHTOWN, MIDDLETOWN, AND HARRISBURG - - - -

--------DELAWARE--------
--------New Castle County--------
Wilmington
Newark
--------MARYLAND--------
--------Harford County--------
Aberdeen
--------Baltimore City--------
Baltimore Penn
--------Anne Arundel County--------
BWI/Thurgood Marshall Airport
--------Prince George’s County--------
New Carrolton
--------DC--------
Washington DC Union Station
--------VIRGINIA--------
--------Alexandria City--------
Alexandria-King Street
--------Prince William County--------
Woodbridge
Quantico
--------Fredricksburg City--------
Fredricksburg
--------Hanover County--------
Ashland
--------Henrico County--------
Richmond-Staples Mill Road

- - - - NEWPORT NEWS TRAINS BRANCH OFF HERE AND STOP AT WILLIAMSBURG BEFORE ENDING AT NEWPORT NEWS - - - -

--------Richmond City--------
Richmond-Main Street
--------Chesterfield County--------
Petersburg
--------Norfolk City--------
Norfolk

Princeton Branch

--------Mercer County--------

’’’’’’’’Zone 19 (NJT)’’’’’’’’

Princeton Junction

Princeton

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