Conventions feel the pain of rail line shutdown

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The continued shutdown of the Atlantic City Rail Line is a headache for more than just commuters. Some conventions in the city are seeing fewer attendees, according to multiple expo leaders.

"We never really gave much thought to the value of the train until it was gone," said Jon Henderson, CEO of Good Time Tricycle Productions, which will put on this year's Atlantic City Beer and Music Fest later this month.

Atlantic City's Convention Center tends to draw industries from a more regional pool than other convention destinations, according to Meet AC CEO Jim Wood.

The effect of the shutdown of the rail line to Philadelphia on convention attendance is tough to quantify, but those who run some of the biggest events in the resort have taken notice since the line's shutdown in September of last year.

Attendance figures for the following events were provided by organizers, past reports and estimates:

Beer Fest — 28,000 (2018)

Boat Show — 38,603 (Feb. 2018)

Car Show — more than 30,000

New Jersey Education Association — 30,000

New Jersey State League of Municipalities — 17,000

Michael Cohan, director of the New Jersey Education Association, saw a clear drop in attendance numbers at his organization's yearly conference for educators in November.

"The reduction in attendance in 2018 was directly attributable to the train," Cohan said.

Attendance dropped eight percent from the year before, he said. He looked at their drop and daily ridership numbers from the year before and felt comfortable correlating the two, given his past experience.

"We know that people used to pour in from the train station when the trains arrived," Cohan said.

There were talks to run additional buses to the city but...