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RIVER LINE ALREADY A SUCCESS, RAIL GROUP DECLARES
For Once, Passenger Rail Arrives 'Ahead of the Curve';
Real Estate Forces on the Move;
Burlco Planning and Zoning Boards Prep for a Better Future, NJ-ARP Says
CHATHAM, N.J., March 13, 2004 -- Burlington County has a fighting chance
to shape development, not succumb to it, thanks to the debut of the River
Line, the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers (NJ-ARP) said as
it celebrated the latest addition to New Jersey's rail network.
Moreover, real estate interests already have pounced on opportunity as shaped
in part by savvy Burlington County planners, NJ-ARP President Douglas John
Bowen noted -- even as rail critics and various media ponder looming "failure"
of the 34.5-mile line linking Camden with Trenton and Amtrak's Northeast
Corridor.
"For once, passenger rail service arrives ahead of the development curve,"
Bowen declared. "Too often, rail is applied as a Band-aid, a stopgap, and
then accused of being too ineffectual to 'solve' the problem. Not this time
-- the River Line is a proactive tool to shape and tailor development and
land use."
NJ-ARP has been an early and staunch supporter of the River Line since the
idea was advanced in 1996 by the late Sen. C. William Haines and Burlington
County officials. NJ-ARP has lauded county officials that have studiously
prepared for the River Line's arrival, from adding connecting bus service
to assisting municipalities in developing transit-friendly zoning changes.
"And the private sector is already on the move, NIMBY denials to the contrary,"
Bowen enthused. "Local merchants are upgrading facilities; new housing and
commercial interests are flocking to Burlington County -- specifically citing
light rail transit (LRT) as a reason for investing." Bowen noted such quotes
have surfaced in local reporting "even within news organs with a declared
anti-rail position."
The River Line is the first diesel light rail transit (DLRT) line in the
United States -- offering a genuine "first" for New Jersey politicians to
boast about. "But when true innovation is at hand, too many Garden State
'leaders' try to deny its existence," Bowen observed. "So we'll say what
they won't: This line's a success already."
NJ-ARP is the statewide rail passenger advocacy lobby, a not-for-profit group
established in 1980 to preserve and expand rail transit options and improve
rail services and quality.
These files were created by Bob Scheurle.
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