NJ TRANSIT River Line Service Suspended For Repairs

NJ TRANSIT River LINE light rail service has been temporarily suspended until further notice, NJ Transit announced early Friday morning. It is suspended while the transit service conducts emergency mechanical inspections and repairs to the fleet of light rail vehicles. During regularly scheduled inspections, some wheels on a light rail vehicle failed to meet the required safety standards, according to NJ TRANSIT.

There was a defect in a single batch of wheels that were delivered by the original manufacturer, NJ TRANSIT said. There will now be an inspection of every wheel on each vehicle out of what NJ TRANSIT called “an abundance of caution.”

It is a highly labor intensive process, NJ TRANSIT said. There will be special express bus service between the four highest ridership stations as well as existing local bus service operating along the River LINE route, according to NJ TRANSIT.

“The safety of our customers and employees is always our top priority and not an area that can be compromised,” NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Kevin Corbett said. “I want to assure our customers that we are working closely with our partners at Bombardier to restore service as quickly as possible.”

State Sen. Troy Singleton (D-7) has asked NJ TRANSIT for a recent list of breakdowns and their causes, his office said in a statement. He has also expressed his disappointment with Gov. Phil Murphy’s office.

“It is no secret that NJ Transit has struggled in recent years with reliability and consistency – and unfortunately, the RiverLine is no exception. However, these breakdowns are becoming all too frequent. NJ Transit needs to do better for the thousands of people who rely on their services daily,” Singleton said. “We have been told that NJ Transit executive leadership is on the ground with its contractors to fix this latest issue. I have requested that they keep my office appraised of when service will resume as I will continue to monitor this situation.”

Special express shuttle bus service will operate between the four highest ridership stations along the River LINE (Trenton Transit Center, Florence, Beverly/Edgewater Park and Walter Rand Transportation Center). These four stations serve more than half of the daily River LINE customers. Most intermediate stations will be served by existing local bus service. Customers at Burlington South, Delanco, Cooper St. and Entertainment Center are advised to use other stations as no local bus routes service those stations.

Express bus service between Trenton, Florence, Beverly/Edgewater Park, & WRTC will operate in both directions as follows:

• Every 15 minutes between 5:45am - 8:30am
• Every 30 minutes between 8:30am - 4:00pm
• Every 15 minutes between 4:00pm - 7:00pm
• Every 30 minutes between 7:00pm - 9:30 pm

• Trenton Transit Center: Express shuttle service at "East" bus stop on S.Clinton Avenue at Raoul Wallenberg Avenue
• Hamilton Avenue: Bus No. 409 on South Broad Street at Hamilton Avenue bus stops
• Cass Street: Bus No. 409 on South Broad Street at Hudson Street bus stops
• Bordentown: Bus No. 409 on Farnsworth Avenue at Park Street
• Roebling: Bus No. 409 on Hornberger Avenue at Norman Avenue (to Trenton) and at Albany Avenue (To Camden)
• Florence: Express shuttle service inside Florence Station parking lot
• Burlington Towne Center: Bus Nos. 409 & 413 on Broad Street/High Street
• Burlington South: Service suspended; no alternative bus service
• Beverly/Edgewater Park: Express shuttle service inside Beverly/Edgewater Park parking lot
• Delanco: Service suspended; no alternative bus service
• Riverside: Bus No. 419 on Franklin Street at Kossuth Street, adjacent to station
• Cinnaminson: Bus No. 419 on River Road at Union Landing Road bus stops
• Riverton: Bus No. 419 on Broad Street at Lippencott Avenue bus stops
• Palmyra: Bus No. 419 on Broad Street at Cinnaminson Avenue
• Route 73/Pennsauken: Bus No. 419 on River Road at station entrance and across the street from entrance
• Pennsauken Transit Center: Bus Nos. 404, 417, 419 at bus stop inside station
• 36th Street Station: Bus No. 452 (service to/from WRTC) at bus stop inside station
• Walter Rand Trans. Center: Express shuttle service on Broadway, adjacent to River Line station
• Cooper Street: Service suspended; no alternative bus service
• Aquarium: Bus Nos. 452, 453 (to/from WRTC) on Federal Street at Delaware Avenue
• Entertainment Center: Service suspended; no alternative bus service

Regular River LINE fares will be charged. All River LINE monthly passes and one-way tickets, as well as any NJ TRANSIT monthly bus passes and tickets will be accepted on board the express shuttle bus and on all regular NJ TRANSIT bus services.