It was in 1995 that the Burlington County freeholders initiated an unprecedented effort to develop a strategic plan for revitalizing 12 communities along Route 130 and the Delaware River. About three years later, the municipalities and the county completed a plan that established the framework and course of action for that rebirth.
One of the key recommendations was to bring back passenger rail service along the corridor, connecting the county with Camden, Trenton and points beyond. The goals were to improve mobility for residents and workers, provide a transportation option available to everyone, increase pedestrian traffic in and to the communities, attract new residents and businesses, and encourage the redevelopment of dilapidated and obsolete buildings. All of this would add up to economic development that would help revitalize the corridor.
Fast-forward to this month, about 1 1/2 years after the River Line's inaugural run, and much has happened. An investment of about three-quarters-of-a-billion dollars is being made along the corridor. Clearly this is the result of renewed interest in the area, which can be attributed to the implementation of the strategic plan - including rethinking and marketing the corridor - and a robust economy.
This investment comprises about 3,000 new housing units and more than seven million square feet of commercial and industrial space that will provide several thousand jobs. That's just the beginning; much more is to come. Certainly, the River Line figures into this equation of success.
