The trains, once known as the Gamblers Express, connect Philadelphia with Atlantic City. When the service began a few years ago, officials envisioned trains packed with casino patrons.
Instead, the line had a $9.9 million operating deficit in 2000 and ridership has decreased in each of the last two years. During that same period, ridership on NJ Transit's other lines has grown by more than 10 percent.
These bleak numbers, combined with NJ Transit's reports of potential budget shortfalls by 2005, have critics calling for an end to the service. But NJ Transit officials say that won't happen.
"We're going to make our stand on the Atlantic City rail line and we're going to continue to demonstrate our commitment to the region," Jeffrey Warsh, NJ Transit's executive director, told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Thursday's editions.
Proponents are thankful for the support, saying the service is needed. They say a variety of problems, such as aging infrastructure and no direct train links from northern areas, are to blame for the line's poor financial performance.
"No way should we be talking about taking away this service," said Doug Bowen, president of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers. "The conventional wisdom has always been that Atlantic City is the dog of the system. But we don't accept that."
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