By Anne Levin

Commuters angered by the ongoing suspension of the Dinky Line and the looming shutdown of Alexander Road in advance of bridge repairs have gotten a reprieve of sorts. Riders of the NJ Transit bus that has temporarily replaced the Dinky will be given a 25 percent discount until the train line is restored. And the Alexander Road closure for utility work is now going to take place on weekends instead of during the week.

Assemblyman Roy Freiman announced the Dinky discount in a press release on Tuesday. “I would like to applaud NJ Transit’s decision to extend a 25 percent ticket discount to riders of the Princeton Dinky Line who have been inconvenienced as the line remains suspended,” he said. “While there is still work to be done, this discount will give a sense of relief to those who have had to go out of their way to find a different route to get to work.”

Freiman continued, “I would like to thank Assemblyman Dan Benson for making my constituents a priority and spearheading the efforts to address their concerns with NJ Transit. I also would like to thank Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert for being a strong advocate for her residents. I look forward to continuing to work together to get full restoration of the Dinky Line as soon as possible.”

The Dinky connecting Princeton with Princeton Junction has been out of service since October, when NJ Transit closed it in order to focus all personnel and equipment on the federally mandated Positive Train Control (PTC) in other parts of the system. Though that project is complete, the Dinky has yet to be restored and
NJ Transit has not given a date for the resumption of service. NJ Transit announced last month that the line is expected to be back in service “the second quarter of 2019” instead of the originally estimated mid-January, blaming “a continuing shortage of locomotive engineers, as well as equipment availability.”

Originally, commuters were being given a 10 percent discount during the shutdown, but that was discontinued on January 31. By reinstating it at 25 percent, NJ Transit puts the Dinky on par with a similar line in Atlantic City, where a 25 percent discount has been in place since the PTC installation began. At the meeting of Princeton Council on Monday, February 11, Lempert said a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy has been drafted requesting full restoration of the Dinky service.

Regarding the Alexander Road closure, Lempert told Council that she had met with representatives of PSE&G last Friday. The road was originally scheduled to close weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting February 14. The shutdown is now scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting the first Saturday in March. The weekend closure will remain in effect until the work is complete, at least throughout the month.

The road closure is necessary for PSE&G and other utilities to do work in advance of the replacement of the bridge over the D&R Canal by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. At the same time, Mercer County will be replacing a nearby culvert and the bridge over the Stony Brook. The projects, which will close the road completely for an expected six months, are now scheduled to begin the second week in November. The bus currently ferrying  Princeton commuters between Princeton and Princeton Junction uses Alexander Road as its route.