‘There are problems’

Some 150 plus residents filed into the Palmyra Community Center for a public meeting on Oct. 22 to question NJ Transit officials about issues on the River Line and how to make it safer for riders and pedestrians.

After opening remarks by State Sen. Troy Singleton, who organized the session, and a brief presentation by NJ Transit officials, residents lined up to speak from the back of the center. One of them was James Dickinson of Palmyra, whose 15-year-old son Matthew was struck and killed by a River Line train while heading to soccer practice on the morning of Aug. 8.

His father wanted to know if “the line’s speed through area communities” coud be reduced.

Singleton noted that he has recommended NJ Transit reduce speeds and add fencing along the tracks, ideas that were part of the meeting’s dialogue.

“I think they could slow down when they’re in between stops,” resident Gail Marquis said. “They go – I don’t know – how many miles per hour?”

“There are problems with the signals,” Riverton resident Charles Williams observed. “The gates come down when there’s no trains, and then they don’t come down when there are trains.”

Williams’ statement was followed by a big round of applause from residents, many of whom have experienced waiting at a crossing for a train that didn’t come, or almost getting killed because of one that did. Another resident asked if the tone of the train horn could be changed occasionally so people don’t get familiar enough with it to ignore the warning.

Meanwhile, the River Line communities of Palmyra and Riverton are still reeling from Matthew Dickinson’s tragic death.

“There have been some tragedies here that are hard for the community,” Riverton Police Chief Andrew Beuschel acknowledged.

“It is difficult for such a small community to have a situation like this,” Palmyra Mayor Gina Ragomo Tait noted.

Another River Line fatality occurred on Oct. 14 when train operator Jessica Haley, a 41-year-old from Levittown, Pennsylvania, was killed and 23 others were injured as her train struck a fallen tree on the tracks in Mansfield Township.

“We would like to express our condolences to Matthew’s and Jessica’s families,” offered NJ Transit Police Chief Christopher Trucillo, whose officers have been able to partner with and assist local police chiefs and are investigating the two accidents.

“Our hearts are with you,”

NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett started his remarks with a moment of silence and extended his condolences to Matthew Dickinson’s family. He and Singleton explained that they would not be able to answer questions about the two fatal accidents until related investigations are done.

Some people in the room were extremely upset with River Line delays and cancellations, especially in the last two summers. A Cinnaminson resident recalled working in Trenton this past summer, and sometimes, “I was waiting almost one hour to one-and-a-half hours” for a train to get home.

“When the train is late it is very frustrating,” reported another resident, adding that times listed on the NJ Transit app are often incorrect. Several people recommended it be updated continually. One resident described the danger of walking to the Cinnaminson station at Bernard Street and Industrial Highway, where drivers speed through the yellow or even red light as he tries to cross Broad Street.

“For the past several summers, I have held the agency accountable for its track record,” Singleton told The Sun ahead of the meeting. “This July, I wrote a letter calling for accountability for the repeated delays and cancellations that negatively impacted the commutes of thousands of residents that rely on the River Line in their daily lives.”

The 150-plus residents who packed the community center want changes to come soon. There are 11 River Line stations in the county that run along Bordentown City, Bordentown Township, Florence, Burlington City, Burlington Township, Beverly, Delanco, Edgewater Park, Delran, Riverside, Riverton, Cinnaminson and Palmyra.