What are the best commuting options from South Jersey to the Philadelphia Navy Yard?

South Jersey professionals working at the Philadelphia Navy Yard typically use a two-leg commute: PATCO Speedline or NJ TRANSIT into Philadelphia, then the Navy Yard’s free NRG Station Loop shuttle or SEPTA Route 45 for the last mile. Towns along the PATCO corridor, Collingswood, Haddonfield, and Lindenwold, offer the most direct transit access, while Cherry Hill, Voorhees, and Marlton are strong options for drivers or hybrid commuters.

Key Takeaways

• The Navy Yard offers two free weekday shuttle routes: the NRG Station Loop (5:20 AM–7:20 PM) and the Center City Express (morning and afternoon windows), both published at navyyard.org.
• SEPTA Route 45 serves the Navy Yard daily, including weekends, making it the more flexible transit option for hybrid schedules.
• PATCO connects South Jersey to Philadelphia at Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden or Lindenwold, giving riders a direct path to the Broad Street Line and Navy Yard shuttles.
• Recent local market data shows South Jersey area medians ranging from $459,000 in Collingswood to $642,000 in Medford, with most areas selling in under 60 days, competitive inventory for Navy Yard professionals relocating to the region.
• Drivers from South Jersey use either the Walt Whitman Bridge or the Commodore Barry Bridge and converge on the same final approach: I-95 South to Exit 17 (Broad Street) into the Navy Yard’s Main Gate.

How does the transit connection from South Jersey to the Navy Yard actually work?

The Navy Yard doesn’t sit on a direct South Jersey rail line, so the commute is almost always a two-step. That’s not a dealbreaker, it’s just the pattern you plan around.

Here’s how the pieces connect, based on the Navy Yard’s own transit guidance and NJ TRANSIT’s connecting services page:

Step 1: Get from South Jersey into Philadelphia. Your two main options are the PATCO Speedline or NJ TRANSIT bus or rail. PATCO is the faster choice for most Camden County towns, it runs directly into Philadelphia with stations in Collingswood, Haddonfield, Westmont, and Lindenwold, among others.

Step 2: Get from Philadelphia to the Navy Yard. Once you’re in the city, you have three options:

• The NRG Station Loop, a free weekday shuttle between NRG Station (Broad Street and Pattison Avenue) and locations throughout the Navy Yard, running 5:20 AM to 7:20 PM.
• The Center City Express, a free weekday shuttle with morning service (6:10–10:33 AM) and afternoon/evening service (2:40–7:28 PM).
• SEPTA Route 45, daily bus service between Center City and the Navy Yard, confirmed by the Navy Yard’s SEPTA page. This is the one option that runs on weekends, which matters if your schedule isn’t strictly Monday–Friday.

The practical implication: if you’re on a hybrid schedule and occasionally need to be on campus Saturday, SEPTA Route 45 is your fallback. The NRG Loop and Center City Express are weekday-only.

Which South Jersey towns sit closest to the PATCO line?

PATCO is the reason certain South Jersey towns get mentioned in the same breath as Philadelphia commuting. The stations most relevant for Navy Yard workers are Collingswood, Westmont, Haddonfield, Woodcrest, and Lindenwold. PATCO’s travel links page also notes that the River LINE connects at Walter Rand Station in Camden, and that NJ TRANSIT bus customers can connect to most PATCO stations, so even if you’re not walking distance from a PATCO stop, you can often bus to one.

One note on the River Link Ferry: PATCO mentions it as a seasonal option connecting the Camden Waterfront to Penn’s Landing. It’s a nice warm-weather option, but it’s not a year-round commuting baseline, plan your housing decision around the transit that runs in January, not July.

What about driving?

Plenty of Navy Yard professionals drive, especially from towns like Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Marlton, and Medford that sit a bit further from the PATCO corridor. According to Penn State Great Valley’s Navy Yard directions, both the Walt Whitman Bridge and the Commodore Barry Bridge routes funnel onto the same final approach: I-95 South to Exit 17 (Broad Street), then into the Navy Yard’s Main Gate. So regardless of which bridge you prefer, the Philadelphia-side driving pattern is consistent.

The tradeoff with driving is what you’d expect, bridge and highway traffic is variable, and you’re absorbing fuel and toll costs daily. For a lot of my clients who work at the Navy Yard, the decision comes down to shift timing and how often they need to be on-site. Standard office hours line up well with the shuttle windows; irregular schedules often tip the balance toward driving or SEPTA Route 45.

Which South Jersey areas make sense for Navy Yard professionals?

The answer depends on whether you’re optimizing for transit access, budget, or a mix of both. Here’s a look at recent area market data to frame the decision:

Recent aggregated public listing data, trailing ~90 days, as of September 2026. Area-level medians, individual home values vary by condition, street, and timing.

A few observations worth flagging:

Collingswood comes in at the lowest median of the group and sits directly on the PATCO Speedline. For Navy Yard professionals who want to maximize transit access and keep housing costs down, it’s a natural starting point. Homes here are moving fast, 39 days on market means you need to be ready to act.

Cherry Hill offers a broader inventory, a competitive median, and strong highway access to both the Walt Whitman and Ben Franklin bridges. It’s one of the most popular landing spots for Philadelphia-area relocations I work with, and for good reason, the commute options are flexible whether you drive or connect via transit. I’ve written more about what’s happening in the Cherry Hill market in Cherry Hill Retail Growth: A Buyer’s Guide.

Voorhees and Marlton are better fits for drivers or hybrid workers who only need to be at the Navy Yard a few days a week. Both have more suburban square footage per dollar than Collingswood, and both are a reasonable drive to either bridge corridor.

Medford sits at the top of the price range here and is the furthest from the PATCO line. It makes more sense for someone whose primary commute is by car and who wants more land or a quieter setting.

Every situation is different, and the right town depends on your schedule, your budget, and how much commuting flexibility you need. That’s exactly the kind of conversation I have with relocation clients before we start touring, if you’re weighing these tradeoffs, let’s talk through your specific situation.

If you’re still working through the financing side of a relocation purchase, the post on how much you need to buy a house in South Jersey is a good grounding point before we get into neighborhood specifics.

Ready to find a South Jersey home that fits your Navy Yard commute? I work with relocating professionals across Cherry Hill, Collingswood, Voorhees, Marlton, and every town in between. Reach out to start the conversation.

You can read what past clients have said about working with me on Google or Zillow.

FAQ: Commuting to the Philadelphia Navy Yard from South Jersey

What is the easiest way to commute from South Jersey to the Philadelphia Navy Yard?

The most direct transit route is PATCO Speedline into Philadelphia, then the free NRG Station Loop shuttle from NRG Station (Broad Street and Pattison Avenue) to the Navy Yard. NJ TRANSIT confirms that rail and bus customers can connect to PATCO at Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden or at Lindenwold. The NRG Loop runs weekdays from 5:20 AM to 7:20 PM, making it well-suited to standard office hours.

Can you take PATCO to the Philadelphia Navy Yard?

PATCO takes you into Philadelphia, but not directly to the Navy Yard campus. From a PATCO station, you transfer to the Broad Street Line to reach NRG Station, then board the Navy Yard’s free NRG Station Loop for the final leg. The full chain is practical and well-documented, it just requires that one transfer on the Philadelphia side.

Is there a free shuttle from NRG Station to the Navy Yard?

Yes. The Navy Yard’s NRG Station Loop is a free weekday shuttle running between NRG Station (Broad Street and Pattison Avenue) and stops throughout the Navy Yard campus, with service from 5:20 AM to 7:20 PM. The full schedule is published on the Navy Yard’s website. Note that this shuttle does not run on weekends, for weekend access, SEPTA Route 45 is the transit alternative.

Does the Navy Yard shuttle run on weekends?

The NRG Station Loop and Center City Express shuttles are weekday-only. For weekend access, SEPTA Route 45 provides daily service between Center City and the Navy Yard, including weekends. Professionals on hybrid or non-standard schedules should factor this into their commute planning when choosing where to live.

Which South Jersey towns are best for commuting to the Navy Yard?

For transit-focused commuters, towns on the PATCO Speedline, Collingswood, Haddonfield, Westmont, and Lindenwold, offer the most direct path into Philadelphia. For drivers or hybrid workers, Cherry Hill, Voorhees, and Marlton provide strong highway access to the Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry bridges, both of which route to the same Navy Yard entrance via I-95 South, Exit 17 (Broad Street). The right town depends on your schedule and budget.

What’s the difference between PATCO, SEPTA Route 45, and the Navy Yard shuttle?

These are three separate systems that work together as a commute chain. PATCO is the rapid-transit line connecting South Jersey to Philadelphia. SEPTA Route 45 is a Philadelphia city bus that runs daily (including weekends) between Center City and the Navy Yard. The Navy Yard shuttles (NRG Station Loop and Center City Express) are free, weekday-only services operated by the Navy Yard itself for the last mile onto campus. Most South Jersey commuters use PATCO or NJ TRANSIT for the river crossing, then one of the Philadelphia-side options to reach the campus.

Equal Housing Opportunity. This post is general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice, confirm your specific numbers with your title company, tax advisor, or lender.