Princeton Junction in need of some TLC

I was surprised to notice the last time I was at Princeton Junction that the cones that have been on the platform forever now are presumably there to keep people from leaning against the railings, as the supports are completely rotted through and you're likely to fall off the edge if you're not careful! For one of the busiest stations in such an affluent area, I'm surprised that the station has been allowed to fall into disrepair. Any plans for refurbishment?

Also, is the building on the Dinky side ever open anymore, or did it become too much of an attractive shelter for homeless/long-term loiterers? Seems to be permanently closed from what I've seen.

What does the affluence of the area around the station have anything to do with it? It's not like funds for its refurbishment are coming from the local property taxes.

NJT has been busy completely rebuilding Elizabeth and Metropark. Additional work was being done at Rahway. There's only so many stations on the corridor that can be done at the same time to minimize disruption to trains running on it. New Brunswick has some stuff planned already.

Not living in the area anymore so I don't have the eye on things I used to - wasn't Metropark extensively renovated less than ten years ago? What are they doing now?

Elizabeth was still under construction at the end of 2023. I have not had a window seat this year yet to see whether they finished.

Multiple stations on the corridor have advisories. They are easily accessible on transit's website.

https://www.njtransit.com/travel-alerts-to

https://www.njtransit.com/station-advisory/1614725
https://www.njtransit.com/station-advisory/1594918
https://www.njtransit.com/station-advisory/1575048

So MetroPark is not a complete rebuild but just repairs to one staircase.

I was under the impression that Metropark was renovated more recently based on how it looked, but I guess it was a while ago.

Point remains, however, that only so many stations can be under construction on the corridor given the number of train movements on it. Furthermore, NJT is obviously prioritizing stations that still have low level boarding elsewhere in their system. All the catenary poles have been getting replaced on the southern section of the corridor in NJ as well.

That said, has anyone actually reported this to NJT? They don't have someone dedicated to reading this board, but they do have a proper feedback mechanism on their website.

lensovet wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:38 pm What does the affluence of the area around the station have anything to do with it? It's not like funds for its refurbishment are coming from the local property taxes.

NJT has been busy completely rebuilding Elizabeth and Metropark. Additional work was being done at Rahway. There's only so many stations on the corridor that can be done at the same time to minimize disruption to trains running on it. New Brunswick has some stuff planned already.

I think what he meant about Princeton Jct. being an affluent area is that they might have enough political clout to influence NJT to renovate their station sooner instead of later.

lol if only things were that simple.

I'm also going to go out on a limb here and say that most people probably don't care or even notice.

lensovet wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:06 pm lol if only things were that simple.

I'm also going to go out on a limb here and say that most people probably don't care or even notice.

Have you heard of Witherspoon St? Lol.

The OP's point is very valid, re Princetonians and nimby pressure. It's not a fiscal thing as such - roads get fixed as much as schools and the tax sources differ - but a general rich people influence thing.

It's also a busier station, more Amtrak calls now etc - DINKY being run into the ground, will matter more in time.

Princeton Junction = West Windsor Township. Bedroom community of New York, Philly, and Princeton. Rich, but in a very upper middle-class way, not Princeton proper way. The train station is the town's lifeblood, but I don't know how much they really care about the esthetics of it beyond safety and functionality. They likely don't give two hoots about the Dinky as, other than nannies taking their charges on an excursion, they would most definitely drive into Princeton.

Students use the Dinky. Nostalgic alumni, of Mr. Norman's generation, use the Dinky. Princeton locals use it to avoid Route 1 and get to the city. They support it very much but maybe not enough. They were not a strong enough lobby to overcome the municipal powers that be or NJT in fighting the University which is decidedly unsupportive of it. Instead of supporting the Dinky in place via renovations and accommodating future extension into town proper they pushed for and won a cut back of the line placing it much further from town.