TRENTON STATION RENOVATION MOVES FORWARD WITH AWARD OF CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT

NJ TRANSIT Board approves $53.2M for new station

NJT-05-056
May 11, 2005

NEWARK, NJ ¿ The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors today approved a $53.2 million contract for the rehabilitation and expansion of Trenton Station that will give the city a landmark building representative of a state capital.

The project will produce a station nearly triple the size of the current structure, expanding the building to 46,000 square feet from 19,000 square feet today. New restrooms, waiting areas, retail shops and dining options will provide customers with an improved commuting experience. The heating and air-conditioning systems will be replaced, in addition to all elevators and escalators.

The entrance on Walnut Street, commonly referred to as ¿the back door¿ because it was not originally intended for its current level of use, will be transformed into a true building entrance, complete with its own set of restrooms, retail space and waiting area.

¿This is a great day for the City of Trenton,¿ said Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer. ¿The modernization of the train station not only will improve the transportation services at the heart of the city, but, even more importantly, this new station will help drive economic development activity downtown. We all look forward to the day that we put the first shovel in the ground.¿

¿When the project is completed, we will have a station that is worthy of our state capital,¿ said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman Jack Lettiere.

¿The new Trenton Station will serve as an anchor for future economic development and urban renewal,¿ said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director George D. Warrington. ¿We worked closely with Mayor Palmer, as well as Congressmen Rush Holt and Chris Smith, to turn this vision into reality.¿

The new station will provide a total of 6,600 square feet of retail space, including space for an upgraded restaurant, a new tenant on the concourse and a new tenant in the Walnut Avenue entrance. The current 2,200 square feet of retail space is occupied by a fast food restaurant, a newsstand and a coffee stand.

The addition of a mezzanine level will provide space for NJ TRANSIT support services, making room for expanded waiting areas and a new ticketing hall on the passenger concourse below. Available waiting areas will nearly triple in size, with 2,000 square feet in the Wallenberg Ave. station building, 1,700 square feet on the concourse and an additional 700 square feet in the new Walnut Avenue entrance.

The plaza areas surrounding the station will also be redesigned with an emphasis on improving passenger connections with River LINE light rail service, as well as NJ TRANSIT¿s Capital Connection buses to Trenton¿s Central Business district and the State House complex. The entire project is expected to take about two years.

NJ TRANSIT has developed a detailed plan to minimize the impacts on its customers. Customers will be kept updated via the Corporation¿s website, njtransit.com, and through notices and posters. Customer service representatives also will be on hand to assist travelers.

Trenton Station is an overpass/concourse structure of approximately 9,700 square feet attached to a station building of approximately 9,400 square feet that faces Wallenberg and Clinton avenues. Built in 1891, the station was renovated to its current configuration in 1972. The major functions of the station take place along the overpass/concourse. The lower ¿track¿ level consists of two high-level island platforms with 1,000 linear feet of canopies and 2,000 square feet of enclosed shelter space, as well as one low-level platform.

The station is the fourth busiest rail station in New Jersey, serving 5,547 NJ TRANSIT rail customers, as well as 800 NJ TRANSIT bus customers and 1,650 Amtrak passengers on a typical weekday. Three daily Greyhound buses also serve the station.

The station is owned and operated by NJ TRANSIT and is also used by Amtrak, who controls all train operations below the station on the Northeast Corridor Line. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) trains also operate from the station.

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 779,200 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.