FIRST TIME RIVER LINE CUSTOMER BECOMES ONE-MILLIONTH RIDER

Haddenfield resident gets her ¿15-minutes of River LINE fame¿

October 15, 2004
NJT-04-037

TRENTON, NJ ¿¿ When Veronica Rementer bought her ticket to ride the River LINE Friday morning, she was expecting an uneventful trip to Trenton to catch a New York-bound train. Instead, the Haddenfield resident became a local celebrity for a day when she became the River LINE¿s one-millionth rider.

Stepping off the light rail vehicle in Trenton, Rementer was greeted by local news reporters, photographers and local television crews wanting to capture her ¿15-minutes of River LINE fame.¿ Along with the balloons and confetti, she received a basket filled with gift certificates from local merchants, NJ TRANSIT collectible items and a River LINE monthly pass.

¿I admit I was suspicious about the whole thing and then surprised,¿ Rementer said. ¿This was my first time taking the River LINE. I was curious about it and I was considering starting to use it to get to work.¿

Rementer was using the River LINE service to connect to NJ TRANSIT Northeast Corridor service to midtown Manhattan. She and her best friend, Rosemary Lutz, were planning on attending a tag sale fundraiser event in Central Park.

Since its March debut, River LINE ridership has increased by 64 percent and has the highest overall customer satisfaction of any NJ TRANSIT service. At a $1.10 per ride, the system is an inexpensive alternative to automobiles.

NJ TRANSIT continues to look for ways to enhance River LINE service and customer satisfaction. In June, 15-minute departures were introduced for the morning and evening peak periods. And in September, the River LINE began early morning service at Florence and Roebling stations for customers to make earlier connections to Northeast Corridor trains.

NJ TRANSIT also enhanced its Capital Connection service to include new peak period shuttles between the River LINE station, downtown Trenton and the State House. Four morning peak trips, timed to depart Trenton Station four minutes after the arrival of River LINE trains, and six afternoon return trips, scheduled to arrive four minutes prior to the departure of River LINE trains are now available.

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 752,600 daily trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 52 light rail stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.