An Advanced Transit Alternative for The Princetons

1. An Advanced Transit Alternative for The Princetons Alain L Kornhauser 24 Montadale circle Board Chair Advanced Transit Association Founder ALK Transportation Technologies, Inc. Professor, Operation Research & Financial Engineering Director, Transportation Program Faculty Advisor, Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering

2. What Exists Today • The general problem • Transportation corridors form barriers to pedestrian movements • Solutions: • Soften the barrier • Locally reduce the speed of the Transport systems and created pedestrian and vehicle crossings. That is typically the least cost solution, and tends to deliver the least value. • Eliminate the barrier • Elm Drive public road running through the campus: University bought it and closed it. • College road ran into the campus, closed it. • Original Dinky station at Blair Arch: Move it out of the way • Create a grand entrance into Princeton between the Passenger and Freight Buildings, Move it • Desire “E-W” pedestrian access from Forbes and access to Parking Garage: Move it. • Provide grade separation; Place the transport system above or below the pedestrian system • Park Avenue North of Grand Central Station was elevated above the NY central tracks • For years I’ve suggested that Washington road be placed in a cut then covered between College Walk and Williams Street. The added value tom the campus would easily outweigh the costs however, there are some that believe that Washington Road will eventually go the way of Elm Drive so that it is un

3. What Exists Today • The specific problem • Two right-of-ways, Alexander Road and The Dinky, penetrate Princeton University lands, thus forming two barriers to pedestrian and vehicular accessibility. • Because Alexander Road serves cars, little is being done about that barrier, except some distant thoughts that it should be diverted to Springdale road; heaven forbid!! • Princeton is essentially 99 & 44/100% Auto captive • What we have now is as much as we are going to do with the automobile, are there other opportunities? We are maxed out by the automobile. • Can we have substantially more visitors, more employment more commercial activity • The University is insisting that the Dinky has to move, again! Are there other solutions?

4. What Exists Today • The Opportunity • Two right-of-ways, Alexander Road and The Dinky, penetrate Princeton University lands, thus forming two barriers to pedestrian and vehicular accessibility. • Because Alexander Road serves cars, little is being done about that barrier, • except some distant thoughts that it should be diverted to Springdale road; heaven forbid!! • The University is insisting that the Dinky has to move, again! Are there other solutions?

5. The Visionary Solution • Take advantage of the 100 vertical feet of grade change between the Canal and Nassau Street. • Re-grade the tracks into a progressive cut so that it passes under Faculty Road, continues below grade to the current station and all the way to Blair Arch, tunnels under Blair Arch and between Alexander Hall/Presbyterian Church and Holder to an underground terminus under the Kiosk at Palmer Square. • The section between Blair Arch and the Lot 7 garage is covered to restore the existing pedestrian environment between 1901 and Little, and all of the pedestrian amenities of Arts Plaza and provide for all of the E-W pedestrian movement • Other sections could be covered as needed when needed further south • The vehicular technology upgraded to automated technology as exists today at JFK • Provide demand responsive shuttle 20/7 operation meeting EVERYtrain with minimal transfer time. • Readily construct an intercept parking facility at Route 1 with • Capital costs: $50 - $100M costs, with Incremental Community Benefits at least $100M. • O&M costs equivalent to today’s Dinky but serve more than twice as many riders • 2,500 users per day: 1,000 Princeton->NEC commuters (walk&ride , bike&ride, kiss&ride, park&ride); 400 reverse commuters NEC->Princeton; 300 WW/Princeton Jct ->Princeton commuters; 500 US1Parking->Princeton; 300 day-trippers NEC-> Princeton • Average fare of $2/ride generates $10k/day operating revenue; opportunities for secondary revenue of possibly $5k/day. • Incremental Benefits : • Cross-platform super-convenient minimal-delay transfer brings the Princeton Junction train station to the center of Princeton. • Places the center of Princeton within Walk access Manhattan, Newark Airport, Newark, Trenton, New Brunswick, all stops along the River Line, Philadelphia, Washington DC. • Opportunity to capture visitors and commuters at new US 1 parking facility substantially reduces congestion on Alexander Road, Washington Road, Princeton Pike and Nassau Street. • Service to Nassau Street allows system to become mode-of-choice to Princeton for those living within walk&ride and bike&ride of Princeton Jct train station. • Creates a synergy between Princeton Jct Transit Village and Princeton.