NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line officially returned to service on Sunday with Executive Director Kevin Corbett on board the first train.

The rail line has been out of service since Labor Day when it was shut down to allow for positive train control installation (PTC). The Princeton Shuttle (the "Dinky") and weekend one seat service into Penn Station Newark on the Raritan Valley Line also were suspended at the time.

The Dinky, which carries passengers from Princeton to the Princeton Junction station also resumed service on Sunday.

There's been no announcement as to when the Raritan Valley to Newark direct service will return.

NJ Transit initially said service on the lines would be restored at the beginning of the year but never offered a date. Political pressure increased to bring service back as rumors swirled that the line would never reopen. Corbett often pointed out that the PTC work would not have been done if that was the plan.

Corbett was on board the first train to carry passengers on the Atlantic City Line early Sunday morning and spoke to riders about the line's return. He will greet customers at the Atlantic City station at 5:15 a.m. Monday morning.

The executive director, who regularly rides the Morris & Essex Line, said in a statement that the ACL will have the same number of trains will run on its single track as before the suspension.  Two trains were shifted to mornings to run from Atlantic City to Philadelphia at the expense of a late night departure.

Corbett said earlier the schedule change was made after feedback from customers and businesses at information sessions in Atlantic City, Lindenwold and Cherry Hill.

Corbett told Philly.com that the past year has been tough for the agency because of a "decade of neglect" and a lack of investment in NJ Transit.

NJ Transit said during the suspension it installed 266 transponders, 17 poles, 20 wayside interface units, and nearly 60 miles of ground based network, including fiber optic cable to link all signal bungalows. 7.5 miles of track were also replaced.

Previous reporting by Michael Symons was used in this report

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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