South Jersey Business Trends

Business Trends
Local businesses and organizations have gathered to support a proposed light rail system and mass transit improvements in South Jersey.
The plan calls for the implementation of a light rail system from Camden to Glassboro along an existing right of way. Also included in the Delaware River Port Authority plans are improvements to the Atlantic City Rail Line, which runs from the gaming mecca to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, and improved mass transit from Routes 42 and 55 to Camden and Philadelphia.
Everyone from senators to CEOs are hailing the proposed plan. Work can begin on the line upon completion of a federally mandated environmental impact study, that will take two years to finish.
In a letter to the DRPA, Debra DiLorenzo, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey, said the plans will “create thousands of jobs, reduce traffic congestion, revitalize our business community and provide much needed increased mass transit options in our area.”
The DRPA plans to start construction three years from now and finish the line sometime before 2017.
Though it’s a long way away, local officials are excited about the economic prospects of the improvements. Most of the hospitals and schools in the Camden are  in support of the project.
“The current success of light rail service in Burlington County has provided incredible economic advantages to the area and we look forward to that same success in the Camden/Gloucester region,”  said Chet Kaletkowski, president and CEO of South Jersey Healthcare.
The state has committed $500 million in support of the project from the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund. The total project will cost an estimated $1.3 billion.
In a letter to John Mattheussen, the CEO of the DRPA and president of PATCO, Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, both Democrats, call the DRPA’s plan one that “promotes a healthy environment and economy.”
“It is important to consider that nearly one-third of our emissions come from transportation. Moving more commuters by mass transit than by car will lower harmful greenhouse emissions, as well as reduce congestion and stress on our roads,” the senators said.
Besides the rail line, local businesses are looking forward to improved connections to the Atlantic City area, which DiLorenzo said is “essential to the economic viability of New Jersey.”
The DRPA is considering the development of a transfer station at the PATCO Woodcrest Station to connect PATCO and New Jersey Transit. The DRPA also hopes to provide more frequent rail service to Atlantic City.
“The Atlantic City Airport has untapped capacity to relieve traffic at some of the regions larger airports, and properly planned, we’ll help grow the region’s economy in leaps and bounds,” said Matheussen, in a PATCO release.