After a long wait for results, a three-judge panel in the New Jersey Appellate Division issued opinions on February 17, 2016 ruling in favor of New Jersey Transit in both of our appeals and upholding the lawfulness of the station relocation. A copy of the opinion in the contract case can be found here, and a copy of the opinion in the administrative case can be found here.
Save the Dinky President Anita Garoniak issued the following statement: We respect the legal process, but are obviously disappointed by today’s rulings. If the law permits NJ Transit to transfer important public transportation assets to a private developer without a hearing to show the transfer serves the best interests of NJ Transit’s riders, the law should be changed. Princeton has lost an historic in-town operating train station with pedestrian access from a public street. In return, we have a park and ride station farther from town and a resulting significant loss of ridership on the Dinky. It is unfortunate that the court has shown so little sensitivity to the vital public interests at stake in these cases. We fought this battle to give voice to those interests, and we are grateful to our supporters who have recognized that this was one of those battles worth fighting, win or lose.
For news coverage, see these stories in Planet Princeton and NJ.com.