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Commuter rail line in New Jersey

The Princeton Branch is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) in the U. S. state of New Jersey. The line is a short branch of the Northeast Corridor Line, running from Princeton Junction northwest to Princeton with no intermediate stops (the line had an intermediate stop, Penns Neck, until 1971). Also known as the Dinky, or the Princeton Junction and Back (PJ&B), the branch is served by special shuttle trains. Now running 2.7 mile (4 km) along a single track, it is the shortest scheduled commuter rail line in the United States. The run takes approximately 5 minutes in each direction. At the initiative of Princeton University, the line was shortened by 460 feet (140 m) in order to construct a new University Arts Center. A new station opened on November 17, 2014. Service on the Princeton Branch was temporarily suspended and replaced by shuttle buses from October 14, 2018, through May 11, 2019, as part of NJT's systemwide service reductions during the installation and testing of positive train control. The line is served by a two car set of GE Arrow III self propelled electric coach cars.

In September 2018, New Jersey Transit announced that it would be suspending all service on the Princeton Branch from mid October 2018 until mid January 2019, and providing shuttle bus service instead. Restoration of train service was later postponed until May 12, 2019. Systemwide service reductions were attributed to the installation and testing of positive train control, compounded by a shortage of train engineers. The automatic braking system will not be installed on the Princeton Branch itself.

When the Camden and Amboy Rail Road and Transportation Company (C&A) opened its original Trenton–New Brunswick line in 1839, completing the first rail connection between Philadelphia and New York Harbor, the line was located along the east bank of the newly completed Delaware and Raritan Canal, about one mile (2 km) from downtown Princeton. A new alignment (now the Northeast Corridor Line) opened on November 23, 1863, but some passenger trains continued to use the old line until the Princeton Branch opened on May 29, 1865, at the end of the American Civil War. The branch's first train used a Grice & Long wood burning steam dummy for passenger service, and took about 20 minutes each way. The Pennsylvania Railroad leased and began to operate the C&A, including the Princeton Branch, in 1871. The branch was re aligned and double tracked in 1905 to handle popular college football weekends, upgraded from coal to a gasoline electric train in 1933, fully electrified in 1936, and single tracked again in 1956. The 1956 rail bridge over U. S. Route 1 was replaced in 1994 to allow further widening of the highway. Penn Central Transportation took over operations in 1968, and discontinued the little used Penns Neck station in 1971.

In 2006, Princeton University announced its intention to construct a new arts center, calling for the replacement of the 1918 Princeton station house, the shortening of the trackage right of way, and the creation of a new terminus 460 feet (140 m) to the south. Rail advocates opposed the relocation, fearing that access to the new station would be less convenient, resulting in decreased ridership that could "threaten the train's existence." The proposal prompted protest from residents, students, faculty and alumni, and led to the creation of the organization Save the Dinky and a lengthy series of legal challenges. In October 2010, the Princeton Regional Planning Board passed a resolution supporting the continuation of train service. The new Princeton station opened on November 17, 2014, with construction continuing on a complex of arts and dining buildings in the surrounding area. as of 2017, weekday ridership was down 20 percent from 2012, the last full year of the old station. In April 2012, the university submitted a revised plan for the arts and transit center, calling for the extension of the station's freight house onto the right of way for possible use as a restaurant. The Regional Planning Board introduced an ordinance requiring the land be preserved for a transportation right of way that could eventually extend farther into Princeton's central business district at Nassau Street. According to the university, ownership of the trackage would have to change hands in order for the transitway to be implemented. Approvals were subsequently issued for converting the station house and the extended freight house into a pair of restaurants.

ZoneLocationStationMiles (km)from NYPDate openedDate closedConnections / Notes19West WindsorPrinceton Junction 48.4 (77.9)1864 Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Keystone ServiceNJ Transit Rail: Northeast Corridor LineNJ Transit Bus: Penns Neck49.7 (80.0)1865–1875January 31, 1971demolished, just southeast of U. S. Route 1PrincetonPrinceton 51.1 (82.2)1865, 1918, 2014NJ Transit Bus: Princeton Tiger Transit: Free B Commuter, West Line, Stanworth Line