By Anne Levin

There is still time to weigh in on NJ Transit’s recently announced alternatives for upgraded transit along the Princeton “Dinky” railway corridor. According to a spokesperson for the agency, members of the public have until December 29 to take a survey on the four different options, which were issued early this month on the NJ Transit project website.

One alternative for the future of the corridor, which runs between Princeton Junction and Princeton, keeps the existing trains, which date from the 1970s. Another alternative would use bus rapid transit, a bus-based system designed to have better capacity and reliability than a conventional system. Another two alternatives would replace the existing trains with a combination of bus rapid transit and light rail.

The options have been developed as part of NJ Transit’s Princeton Transitway Study, which  “will evaluate existing conditions and estimate future demand, considering planned developments, as well as how new and emerging transportation technologies and other trends are changing how and when people travel,” according to the agency’s website.

The study also “presents the opportunity to evaluate the potential for the corridor to become a multi-modal backbone that could be used to improve local and regional connections for bus and rail transit, as well as pedestrian, bicycle, and other micro-mobility modes,” it continues. “A potential extension of service into downtown Princeton and the potential to add new stops along the corridor will also be evaluated.”

Trains have taken travelers and commuters between Princeton and Princeton Junction for the past 150 years. The trains currently in use are aging, and ridership has declined from 1,095 average weekday boardings in 2009 to 515 a decade later, according to the website. But new development along the corridor by Princeton University and West Windsor is anticipated to create new demand.

NJ Transit first conducted a survey this past summer, and received more than 1,300 responses. Priorities from the public included improved reliability, improved frequency, and access to downtown. There was also interest in new and improved bike and pedestrian connections along the corridor.

For details on the four alternatives, and to take the survey, visit njtransit.com/princetontransitway.