The junction has seen a mass of freight and passenger service throughout its existence. In 1832 the
Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad (P&T) was formed and started service with a small yard. The line extended southwest of the junction and on to destinations north. In 1871 the railroad was leased by the
Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). During this time a new branch was formed, namely the Tioga Street Branch, consisting of trackage running down the middle of Tioga Street. The branch was later sold to the
Kensington and Tacony Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad operated the
Connecting Railway (part of today's
Northeast Corridor) that carried trains to the south. Through time the junction passed from the Pennsylvania Railroad to the
Penn Central and finally to
Amtrak. During the era of the PRR they operated the
Congressional, which passed through the junction. Amtrak now operates the
Acela Express and
Northeast Regional through the junction, although the 4° turn through it imposes the second-lowest speed limit along the Northeast Corridor line of (second to only
Bridgeport, Connecticut where the tracks make a nearly 90-degree turn on both sides of the station, limiting speeds to only 30 MPH). The junction started to dwindle as a station in its older years, with the last service coming from
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in the 1990s along the
Trenton Line (formerly known as the R7 Line). The junction still sees many trains, both freight and passenger, none of which serve the station platforms that still exist. Today the original P&T line still stretches for a few city blocks, terminating abruptly at Ann Street. It is still used for local freight service. A
Conrail freight line splits from the Northeast Corridor at this location and continues to New Jersey via the
Delair Bridge.
NJ Transit maintains the
Atlantic City Line through the junction that serves
30th Street Station to
Atlantic City Rail Terminal with local service daily. Amtrak and SEPTA pass through on the Northeast Corridor. There is an abandoned track that used to be for local freight on the north side of the junction. The switching yard is still maintained with continuously decreasing service. == Accidents ==