Atlantic City Line - 1989 Resurrection

1989 Resurrection

The current Atlantic City line opened April 1, 1989, with Amtrak running from New York, Philadelphia and Washington. Service was soon extended to Springfield, MA and Richmond and, for a brief period, the Philadelphia International Airport. The following September, NJT moved in, serving commuters between Atlantic City and Lindenwold. 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. 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.

On 12 May 2009, New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine and the Delaware River Port Authority, the agency which manages the PATCO Hi-Speed Line, 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.

Additionally, a transfer station in Pennsauken is being built to connect the Atlantic City Line with the River Line, which runs from Camden to Trenton, where they meet up with Northeast Corridor trains to New York. This would enable Atlantic City passengers to travel as far as New York completely on New Jersey Transit rail and light rail for the first time.

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 farther north, and normal rail service was restored by November 4, one of the few NJ Transit rail lines to do so.