New Jersey transportation officials provided new details about advanced ticket sales, altered service schedules and closed roads around Camden during the pope's visit to Philadelphia at a Thursday press conference.
Their announcement emphasized what other officials in Philadelphia have said before - for those trying to see the pope and get to the city's downtown, expect a physically exhausting journey.
"People have to be prepared to walk," said Jamie Fox, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation behind a podium at a NJ Transit station in Camden. Many coming from New Jersey will have to walk several miles from New Jersey over the Ben Franklin Bridge into Philadelphia's downtown. If that is too much for some, then they should consider making other travel plans, Fox said.
People are asked to find a place to stay overnight and to bring extra medicine if they are on a prescription. Walking could take so long that officials advise pilgrims to bring along a flashlight for when night falls.
Officials released statistics aimed at demonstrating the scale of the event and its organizational hurdles. A little over half of those traveling to see the pope are expected to be elderly, officials said. Parking will be extremely limited - no private parking will be available in Camden, for example. Tour buses registered with the World Meeting of Families, however, will be able to park on the Waterfront - until capacity is reached at about 10,000 spots.
As far as how bad traffic will be? A high estimate of 250,000 cars might be arriving through New Jersey - enough to create 110 to 430 lane miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic each day. For comparison, Buffalo, New York is just over 400 miles from Philadelphia.
While it will be difficult if not impossible to drive and park near the Ben Franklin Bridge, NJ Transit also expects the region's public transportation system to fulfill only part of the public's demand for travel options during the pope's visit September 26 to 27.
“With nearly two million people expected to attend the World Meeting of Families and papal visit in Philadelphia, NJ TRANSIT will accommodate as many passengers as its system safely allows. Unfortunately, these safety and capacity limitations mean only a fraction of the anticipated passenger demand can be met," said Veronique "Ronnie" Hakim, NJ Transit’s Executive Director, in a statement. "We have put forth a transportation plan that will get as many people as possible, as close as possible to Philadelphia, all with an eye on safety.”
"It's also important to note for people new to our system and especially our regular customers that this will not be a typical weekend travel experience, and we urge everyone to plan accordingly," Hakim added.
Information is now up on NJ Transit's website detailing what to expect.
According to officials:
• During the weekend of September 26 and 27, 2015, NJ TRANSIT will NOT be operating regular weekend service on either the Atlantic City Rail Line or the River Line.
• Special tickets will go on sale at 12 noon on Saturday, August 15, 2015 for people planning to ride the Atlantic City Rail Line and River Line as the lines will operate on a limited schedule only on both days.
• Customers will need to purchase their tickets in advance of this weekend. No one will be allowed to ride without a SPECIAL EVENT ticket and no tickets will be sold on Saturday, September 26 or Sunday, September 27. Atlantic City Rail tickets can be purchased either at an Atlantic City Rail Terminal or online at njtransit.com/papal, where tickets for the River Line can also be purchased. Both tickets will go on sale on August 15 at noon.
• No other fares, including monthly passes, Family SuperSaver or cash, will be accepted on the Atlantic City Rail Line or River Line.
Here are more specific details provided by NJ Transit about road closures around Camden and changes to its service:
ROAD CLOSURES:
The Ben Franklin Bridge between Camden and Philadelphia will be closed to vehicle traffic 10 p.m. Friday, September 25 to noon the following Monday. Because of this closure, I-676 westbound from Exit 3 to the Bridge as well as Route 30 westbound from Airport Circle (Route 38/Route 130) to the Bridge.
Increased traffic will likely impact I-295 as well as Routes 38, 42, 45, 47, 55, 70, 73, 90, 130, 168 and 322. Expect I-95, I-195 and US 1 to be closed as well. Officials say that if you are traveling in the area, it is wise to draw a 50-mile radius around the Philadelphia area to avoid driving near.
There will be detour and electronic message in operation to announce traffic changes on US Route 130.
ATLANTIC CITY RAIL:
NJ TRANSIT's Atlantic City Rail Line will operate hourly trips from the Atlantic City Rail Terminal which will express to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia only beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The trains will NOT stop at Absecon, Egg Harbor City, Hammonton, Atco, Lindenwold, Cherry Hill, and Pennsauken. The last train to leave Atlantic City bound for Philadelphia will be at 3 p.m. Travel time will be about one hour and 25 minutes.
A total of 4,140 tickets will be available for this eight-hour rail service to 30th Street Station.
Following the papal event on Saturday, September 26, trains will leave 30th Street Station expressing to Atlantic City at 10 p.m. and operate every half-hour. After the papal event on Sunday, September 27, trains will leave 30th Street Station expressing to Atlantic City at 7 p.m. and operate every half-hour.
Please note: No bicycles will be allowed on the Atlantic City Rail Line during papal week.
RIVER LINE:
The River Line will offer limited service starting at 6 a.m. from Trenton, only making stops at Bordentown, Florence, Burlington South, Route 73/Pennsauken, Pennsauken Transit Center and the Walter Rand Transportation Center. Trains will NOT stop at Hamilton Ave., Cass Street, Roebling, Burlington Towne Centre, Beverly/Edgewater Park, Delanco, Riverside, Cinnaminson, Riverton, Palmyra, and 36th Street.
Trains will not operate beyond the Walter Rand Transportation Center in downtown Camden due to expected crowded road conditions. Following the papal Event, River Line trains will leave the Walter Rand Transportation Center, Camden, on a load-and-go basis. In an attempt to increase overall seating capacity, no bicycles will be allowed on River Line trains that weekend. And, an advanced purchased Special Event ticket will be required to board a River Line train.
BUSES:
All bus routes that normally travel to Center City, Philadelphia will terminate at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden.
Extra bus service will operate on Route 419 which runs along the River Line between Burlington Towne Centre and Camden.
Enhanced service will be provided on Route 554 from Atlantic City to Lindenwold.
No special ticketing is needed for regular bus route service.
ACCESS LINK:
For Access Link service to and from Philadelphia: All trips must be returned from Philadelphia by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 24. All Service will be suspended all day Friday, September 25 up to and including Monday, September 28. Service will resume on Tuesday, September 29.
On Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 all service into and out of Camden County will be suspended.
Service in Camden County on Friday, September 25 and in the adjacent Gloucester County cities of Woodbury, Paulsboro, Bellmawr, and parts of Burlington County may experience delays due to congestion and road closures during the event and will be operationally managed on the day of service.
Full regular service is expected to resume on Tuesday, September 29.
PURCHASING TICKETS:
NJ TRANSIT will offer special limited reserved tickets for people taking the Atlantic City Rail Line and River Line. No one will be allowed to board without a reserved ticket. Regular Atlantic City Rail Line and River Line tickets will NOT be accepted on Saturday or Sunday.
The Atlantic City Rail Line:
Reservation-only tickets will be available for each train leaving on the hour from Atlantic City– for example customers can buy tickets for the 7 a.m. train or the 10 a.m. train etc., from Atlantic City. Travel time is approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes. Special tickets go on sale at 12 noon on Saturday, August 15th.
No bicycles will be allowed on the Atlantic City Rail Line during papal week.
Tickets are $30 for the round-trip travel and are non-refundable. No other fares, including monthly passes, Family SuperSaver or cash, will be accepted on the Atlantic City Rail Line.
Up to four tickets can be purchased in one transaction.
A total of just 4,140 tickets will be sold each day for customers traveling on the Saturday and Sunday. Each train can accommodate 690 customers.
Tickets can be purchased at the Atlantic City Rail Terminal or on-line at njtransit.com/papal. Customers purchasing tickets on-line must show identification with the web ticket before boarding. Each ticket also will have a unique barcode and serial number for authenticity.
The last day to purchase tickets for the Atlantic City Rail Line service will be Friday, September 25th at 11:30 p.m., or earlier should these tickets sell out.
River Line:
Reservation-only tickets will be available for each train leaving within a two-hour window from Trenton – for example, customers can buy tickets for the 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. trains or the 10 a.m. to 12 noon trains from Trenton. Special tickets go on sale at 12 noon on Saturday, August 15th.
There will be four trains an hour which can accommodate 1,600 customers.
Tickets are $5 for the round-trip travel and are non-refundable.
Up to four tickets can be purchased in one transaction.
A total of just 7,500 tickets will be sold each day for customers traveling on the Saturday and Sunday. The last day to purchase tickets for the River Line service will be Friday, September 25th at 11:30 p.m., or earlier, should these tickets sell out.