“NJ Transit and Alstom are committed to providing safe and reliable service for our customers on the River LINE,” said a joint statement from the two agencies. They began transitioning responsibility on Sept. 3.
In efforts to “strengthen and enhance the future” of the River LINE light rail system, NJ Transit has assumed all responsibility for the operation of the service by the end of the year.
NJ Transit and Alstom – the current River LINE operator – released a joint statement about changes that began on Sept. 3.
“NJ Transit and Alstom are committed to providing safe and reliable service for our customers on the River LINE,” the statement noted, adding that the two agencies have worked closely together to assess the line’s conditions.
“This mutually agreed decision reflects the evolving investment needs of the service,” the statement added, “which have grown beyond the current scope of Alstom’s contract covering River LINE operations and maintenance. This transition will enable NJ Transit to be best positioned to shape and implement the next steps that will strengthen and enhance the future of the service.”
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.
“For years, my office has heard from frustrated commuters about the lack of communication, poor conditions and unreliable service on the River LINE,” said state Sen. Troy Singleton. “Specifically, riders here in Burlington County and beyond have had to endure inconvenient cancellations and delays; little to no communication; dirty and unkept stations and trains, and more.”
Some 150-plus Palmyra residents filed into the community center last October for a public meeting to question NJ Transit officials about safety and other issues on the River LINE. The borough and Riverton were still reeling from the August death of Matthew Dickinson, a 15-year-old who was struck and killed by a River LINE train while heading to soccer practice.
Another fatality occurred on Oct. 14 of last year, when train operator Jessica Healey, a 41-year-old from Levittown, Pennsylvania, was killed and 23 others injured as her train struck a fallen tree on the tracks in Mansfield Township.
In December 2024, the Burlington County Sheriff’s Office provided special details through a legislative grant in towns along the River LINE to combat property crimes like shoplifting, burglaries and package theft.
Alstom remains committed to ensuring a safe and efficient transition, it said, while continuing its support of NJ Transit’s success through other ongoing projects, including the manufacture and delivery of hundreds of new multi-level commuter rail cars, the first of which are expected to arrive in the middle of next year.
Both NJ Transit and Alstom value the strong partnership built over many years and look forward to continuing to work together on projects that deliver safe, reliable and innovative public transportation for New Jersey and the region, the agencies noted in their statement.
Singleton called the announcement “a welcome one if it means that we will see tangible progress in modernizing service, making needed investments, implementing real-time updates, enhancing safety measures and improving the overall rider experience.”
“Efficiency, reliability and safety aren’t luxuries,” he added. “They are the foundation of a transit system. I will continue to hold NJ Transit accountable to those standards.”
NJ Transit is the nation’s largest state-wide public transportation system, providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 263 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service.
It is the third largest transit system in the country, with 165 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
