The Glassboro–Camden Line (GCL) is a planned

hybrid rail Hybrid rail, also known as diesel light rail transit (DLRT), is a mode of Passenger train, passenger rail service unique to North America that uses lightweight Multiple unit, multiple unit trains—typically Diesel multiple unit, diesel multiple u ...

(

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

with some features similar to

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

) service to be located in

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

. At the northern terminus, the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden, it will connect with the

River Line The River Line (stylized as River LINE) is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) service in South Jersey, southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden, New Jersey, Camden and Trenton, New Jersey, Trento ...

with which its infrastructure and vehicles will be compatible, and paid transfers will be possible to the

PATCO Speedline The PATCO Speedline, signed as the Lindenwold Line in Philadelphia and commonly referred to as the PATCO High Speed Line, is a rapid transit route operated by the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...

. The route will generally follow the

right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

(ROW) of

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

's South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Assets Operations Vineland Secondary freight rail line, which continues beyond the light rail terminus in Glassboro. The project is part of a greater plan to expand public transportation in the

Delaware Valley The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...

metro area.

History

In the early 1990s,

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

(NJT) commissioned a major investment study to examine mass transit options for the South Jersey region in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester. A passenger rail connection from Camden to Glassboro was among the proposals in the report released in 1996. In May 2009,

New Jersey Governor The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

Jon S. Corzine and the

Delaware River Port Authority The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the state governments ...

announced the project, which was expected to cost $1.8 billion and be completed in 2019. However, due to lack of funds, local opposition, and other setbacks, construction has yet to begin . An environmental impact report was completed and released in February 2021. In October 2022, the project entered the design phase and engineering phase, expected to take three years, with the project anticipated to be completed in 2028. In November 2023, residents in Mantua Township held a non-binding referendum on the proposed rail line, voting 68.77% against the proposal. In August 2024, NJ Transit became the "agency of record" for the project.

Funding

In July 2012, NJT received $2.6 million in federal funding to advance the project. In July 2014, the

Federal Transit Administration The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administration ...

said it would not proceed with a required environmental study because no owner or operator had been identified. While the

(DRPA) was overseeing the $8.1 million environmental study, the agency had not agreed to build or run the line. NJT agreed to fund the study, but had also not committed to building or running the line. In August 2024, NJ Transit became the "agency of record" for the project. As New Jersey raised its gas taxes in 2016, the line was targeted to receive funding for construction. Any possible advancement of the project is unlikely to take place until after 2025 according to the vice chairman of DRPA. When the environmental report was released in February 2021, it was announced that the

South Jersey Transportation Authority The South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) is a quasi-private agency created by the New Jersey Legislature in 1991 to manage transportation-related services in the six South Jersey, southern New Jersey counties: Atlantic County, New Jersey, ...

would be contributing $200 million to the project. This funding will cover preliminary engineering and design, project management, and professional services for the pre-construction phase of the light rail line.

Route and stations

The Glassboro–Camden Line is located within Camden County and Gloucester County. Within Camden, it will follow a newly constructed viaduct south from the Walter Rand Transportation Center to South Camden. It would then utilize the Conrail-owned Vineland Secondary right-of-way (ROW) to Glassboro. , plans call for 14 stations: three in Camden; one each in Gloucester City and Westville; two in Woodbury, one each in Woodbury Heights,

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

, Sewell, Mantua/Pitman, and Pitman; and two stations in Glassboro. In a non-binding referendum, Wenonah citizens voted against allowing a station in town. The town council also passed such a resolution. Other towns have expressed concern over the route through them.

Regional transit plans

The Glassboro–Camden Line is part of a broader plan to expand a regional

multimodal transport Multimodal transport (also known as combined transport) is the transportation of goods under a single contract, but performed with at least two different modes of transport; the carrier is liable (in a legal sense) for the entire carriage, even t ...

ation network in

metro area including service across the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Other elements of network would include additions and adjustments to

and

Atlantic City Line The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage ...

and the development of new system of

bus rapid transit in New Jersey Bus rapid transit (BRT) in New Jersey comprises limited-stop bus service, exclusive bus lanes (XBL) and Shoulder (road)#Bus bypass shoulder, bus bypass shoulders (BBS). Under the banner ''Next Generation Bus'' NJ Transit (NJT), the New Jersey De ...

. The region is served by NJT buses 400– 499. The bus rapid transit component would be developed along the heavily traveled corridor comprising I-676, Route 42, and Route 55 The southern end of the system would be a newly constructed

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

on New Jersey Route 55 and an expanded one in Winslow Township with peak-hour buses running at 10–15 minute intervals. Travelling northwest, the two lines would converge to pass through downtown Camden, where transfers would be possible for other components of the network, including at the Walter Rand Transportation Center. They would then continue over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, equipped with reversible or contra-flow lanes to a point near

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the office ...

References

External links