The old and the new: with construction moving along, the distance between the new and old Princeton Dinky train stations can be seen in real life. (click to expand)

As construction continues on Princeton University’s new addition on Alexander Street, local residents can now see for themselves how far apart the new Princeton rail station will be from the old station at University Place. The relocation of the ‘Dinky’ station has been controversial in the town, in part because moving the station further away from downtown will mean a longer walk for people accessing the station by foot or bicycle. On the other hand, supporters of the project have argued that the extra distance is not particularly burdensome.

During construction, the Princeton branch line has been running to a shed-like structure, while the University works to build a new ‘Transit Plaza’. With the exterior structure of this new Dinky station complete, we can see for ourselves how great the distance is. Here are two views of the ongoing construction zone. (If you don’t go down Alexander Street often, you might be surprised at the changes that have gone on there. This post has a couple of photographs of the old houses that used to stand at this site, from April 2013.)

Dinky construction zone from Alexander Street (click to expand).

Dinky construction zone from University Place. (click to expand).

We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether this looks like a large distance or a slight distance. Princeton University has also put up a sign on the hoardings surrounding the construction zone, showing what the final site will look like, and promising that construction will be completed by ‘late fall 2014’:

Impression of new Transit Plaza and Arts campus at Princeton University. (click to expand.)

More details on the project can be found on Princeton University’s website. The ongoing case against the development is being led by the Save The Dinky group.

Please leave your comments about the Arts and Transit construction using the form below. Note: This website (Walkable Princeton) is not affiliated with Princeton University, any municipal Princeton entity, or any of the groups who have brought legal action regarding the ‘Arts and Transit’ development.