Lindenwold High Speed Line

Abstract: Abstract
Lindenwold High Speed Line
Murthy V. A. Bondada, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
President, Atlantic Transportation Engineers, LLC
Tavares, FL 32778

The Port Authority of Transit Corporation (PATCO) of the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) operates the Lindenwold High Speed Line (LHSL). The 55-year-old commuter rail system opened on January 4, 1969, and is the earliest Automated Transit System (ATS) in the USA. The earliest heavy rail systems, which are more popularly known as Metro systems in Chicago (1892), Boston (1901), New York (1904), Philadelphia (1907), and others, are conventional heavy rail systems. This Lindenwold System is the precursor of the automated metro systems of San Fransico (1972) Washington, DC. (1976), Atlanta (1979), Baltimore (1983), Miami (1984), and Los Angeles (1993) and other recent Metro systems.
The Lindenwold Line is an Automated Transit System because it has Automatic Train Operation (ATO), Centralized Control, Automated Fare Collection, and one operator with minimal responsibility in operating the train. It is 14.2 miles connecting Lindenwold in New Jersey with Philadelphia downtown in Pennsylvania across the Delaware River. The annual ridership in the year 2023 is 5.5 million. This presentation will include the details of the system and how it has changed the travel patterns of commuters, and land use at the NJ stations, now popularly known as Transit Oriented Development (TOD).