By MICHAEL T. BURKHART
Courier-Post Staff

It was standing room only aboard the River Line.

NJ Transit's new light rail service launched passenger service Sunday, with trains so crowded that several riders were forced to stand in the aisles.

And lines up to a dozen people deep gathered to use the ticket vending machines on the platforms of many of the rail's 20 stations between Camden and Trenton.

Considering the rail debuted on a weekend, most of those who rode the 34-mile line on its first day did so because they were curious.

The line will face its first rush-hour commuter test today.

If early indications mean anything, it should pass with flying colors, said Samantha Savage of Florence.

"It was so frustrating to take the bus. This is so much easier," said Savage, 20, a junior at Rutgers-Camden who rode the rail from her home to work at the university's library.

The bus costs twice as much as the light rail and takes twice as long, Savage said.

She predicts the line will have success, but it may take time, she added.

"South Jersey doesn't have a mass-transit culture," she said. "I think a lot of people are kind of afraid."

Bob and Janet Fisher-Hughes of Pennsauken weren't afraid.

They boarded the train at its 36th Street station, where they had no trouble figuring out how to use the ticket machine and validating their fares.

They intend to use the light rail to get to minor league baseball games in Trenton or events at the Tweeter Center in Camden.

"Today, we don't have a destination in mind," said Bob Fisher-Hughes.

After taking an hourlong ride to Trenton on Sunday, the couple said they noticed several things they'd like to do in towns along the line. They now plan to visit historic Bordentown, for example.

"Some of the areas on the trip are scenic," Bob Fisher-Hughes said. "There are other areas that could use some work."

In the space of three counties, the River Line winds from the streets of Camden through vibrant industrial parks, over creeks and wetlands. It passes a pair of industrial locomotives at the old Roebling Steel mill, as well as stately homes and modest developments.

The line recorded 10,000 passenger trips, or about 5,000 people, as of 6 p.m. on its first day, said Penny Bassett-Hackett, a NJ Transit spokeswoman.

"We are encouraged by these early numbers," Bassett-Hackett said. "But the success of the line is not going to be measured on day one or week one or even six months down the line. We hope people who are trying us out will continue to ride the line."

The $1 billion line - the largest-ever public sector investment in South Jersey - debuted 14 months behind schedule and several hundred million dollars over budget.

But there were no signs of trouble on the first day of public operation, said Joseph North, general manager of NJ Transit's light rail operations.

"Trains are running on schedule or very close to schedule," North said as he surveyed the scene from a station platform in Trenton.

A one-way River Line fare is $1.10. No one was checking tickets Sunday, leading many people to ride without paying.

Commuters make up the bulk of ridership on most mass transportation routes.

Ridership has long been the nagging question about the South Jersey light rail line, which is projected to carry fewer than 6,000 fares on an average weekday in its first year of operation.

State officials turned to the riverfront route in the mid-1990s after other more congested and longer studied corridors ran into local opposition.

Because the ridership projections were so low, the state did not even apply for the federal financing almost always involved in mass transit projects of this magnitude.

Forced to fund the line itself, the state borrowed heavily to do so, adding interest to the cost.

While acknowledging that ridership will be low, supporters of the line see it as an "economic engine" that will encourage both residential and commercial growth in Camden, Trenton and the old riverfront communities in between.

Passengers interviewed Sunday seemed more interested in the rail's practical benefits.

Earl White, 61, of Camden, was on board Sunday "just to be on the maiden run." He said he plans to use it again to visit his daughter in Trenton.

Rowland and Mary Lynn Ricketts, and Margot Fowles, all of Merchantville, also said they plan to be return passengers.

Snapping photos as the train rolled north, they noted the artwork at each station and admired the view from the large windows.

"There's something exciting about it," Fowles said. "Everything is new and fresh."