Newark–World Trade Center

Newark–World Trade Center is a rapid transit service operated by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH). It is colored red on the PATH service map and trains on this service display red marker lights.[1] This service operates from Pennsylvania Station in Newark, New Jersey, by way of the Downtown Hudson Tubes to the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York.[1] Operating 24 hours a day, the 8.9-mile (14.3 km) trip takes 22+12 minutes to complete.[2][3]

Port Authority Trans-Hudson Newark–World Trade Center
Train boarding passengers at Newark Penn Station
Overview
StatusOperates 24 hours
OwnerPort Authority of New York and New Jersey
LocaleNewark/Hudson County, New Jersey and Manhattan, New York
Termini
Stations6
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemPATH
Rolling stockPA5
Daily ridership30,000 (2022)
History
OpenedSeptember 6, 1910 (1910-09-06)
Technical
Line length8.9 miles (14.3 km)
CharacterElevated, surface and underground
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationThird rail600 V DC
Operating speed55 mph (89 km/h)
Route map

Newark Penn Station
Harrison
Journal Square
Grove Street
Exchange Place
World Trade Center

Much of the service's Newark-Jersey City leg is in very close proximity to the Northeast Corridor used by Amtrak intercity trains and NJ Transit commuter trains; the route crosses over the Newark Dock Bridge used by intercity and commuter trains traveling between Newark and New York. For these reasons, PATH is legally reckoned as a commuter railroad under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration even though it has long operated as a rapid transit system.[4][5] This is the only PATH route with significant above-ground sections; the Newark–Jersey City leg operates on elevated track, in open cuts, or at grade level.

History edit

H&M operation edit

The Newark–World Trade Center service originated as the Grove Street–Hudson Terminal service operated by the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M). It started operating between Grove Street in Jersey City, New Jersey and Hudson Terminal in Manhattan, beginning September 6, 1910.[6]: 3  The line was extended to Manhattan Transfer in Harrison on October 1, 1911,[7] and then to Park Place in Newark on November 26 of that year.[8] A stop at Summit Avenue (now Journal Square), located between Grove Street and Manhattan Transfer, opened on April 14, 1912, as an infill station on the Newark–Hudson Terminal line.[9][6]: 7  Another infill station at Harrison opened on March 6, 1913.[9]

In June 1937, the branch to Park Place Station was closed, and the Newark–Hudson Terminal line was rerouted to Newark Penn Station. The Manhattan Transfer station was also closed, and the Harrison station was relocated.[10]

PATH operation edit

The H&M was succeeded by Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) in 1962.[11] The Hudson Terminal station was replaced by the World Trade Center station in 1971 during construction of the World Trade Center.[12]

On April 29, 1996, three trips each weekday began running express on the Newark–World Trade Center service, cutting running time by 3+12 minutes.[13][14] The express service skipped all intermediate stops and ran only in the morning toward World Trade Center.[14] On October 27, 1996, express Newark–World Trade Center service was made permanent.[15]

When the World Trade Center station was destroyed in the September 11 attacks, which also required the closing of Exchange Place, service on the Newark–World Trade Center line had to be changed. On weekdays, trains ran between any pair of Newark Penn Station, 33rd Street, and Hoboken Terminal, making all local stops. On weekends, trains ran between Newark Penn Station and 33rd Street with Hoboken Terminal as an interim stop. Express service was suspended indefinitely.[16] During overnight hours daily, trains ran between Newark and 33rd Street via Hoboken and was the only branch operating on PATH during those times. When Exchange Place reopened on June 29, 2003, service ran between Newark and that station daily around the clock.[17] Service to World Trade Center was restored on November 23 when the temporary station opened.[18] However, the express service was never restored.

After Hurricane Sandy flooded the PATH system in October 2012, service on the line was suspended. For most of November, trains ran between Newark Penn Station and 33rd Street. The Journal Square–33rd Street line was temporarily extended to cover service on the Newark–World Trade Center line.[19] Limited weekday-only service on the line was resumed on November 26, 2012, but full service would not be restored until early 2013.[20] Starting on January 5, 2019, service on the Newark–World Trade Center line between Exchange Place and World Trade Center was to be suspended during almost all weekends through at least 2020 for Sandy-related repairs to the Downtown Hudson Tubes except on holiday weekends.[21] Passengers wanting to travel to New York City from Newark during this time must transfer to the Journal Square–33rd Street (via Hoboken) service at either Journal Square or Grove Street. However, weekend service was restored in June 2020, six months ahead of schedule.[22]

In June 2019, the Port Authority released the PATH Improvement Plan.[23][24][25] As part of the plan, every train on the NWK–WTC route will consist of 9-car trains, and the Port Authority would study proposals to extend NWK–WTC trainsets to 10 cars. To accomplish this, the platform at Grove Street will be extended at the Marin Blvd. end of the station. The train lengthenings, combined with the installation of communications-based train control and the delivery of additional rolling stock, could increase NWK–WTC capacity by up to 40%.[23]

Newark Airport extension edit

On February 4, 2014, the Port Authority proposed a 10-year capital plan that included an extension of PATH three miles (4.8 km) southwest from Newark Penn Station to Newark Liberty International Airport, after a nearly two-year study.[26][27][28] The Board of Commissioners approved the Capital Plan, including the airport extension, on February 19, 2014.[29][30][31][32] Plans call for the extension to follow the existing Northeast Corridor Line used by Amtrak and NJ Transit to the Newark Liberty International Airport station, where passengers can connect to the AirTrain Newark airport monorail system.[33] In March, 2023 the plan for the extension was “being deferred to a future capital plan” due to funding issues.[34]

Station listing edit

KML is from Wikidata
Station Location Connections
Newark Penn Station   Newark, NJ Amtrak, NJ Transit Rail, Newark Light Rail
NJ Transit Bus, ONE Bus
Harrison   Harrison, NJ NJT Bus
Journal Square   Jersey City, NJ JSQ-33, JSQ-33 (via HOB)
NJ Transit Bus, R&T Bus, A&C Bus
Grove Street   JSQ-33, JSQ-33 (via HOB)
NJ Transit Bus, R&T Bus, A&C Bus
Exchange Place   HOB-WTC, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
NJ Transit Bus, A&C Bus
World Trade Center   New York, NY HOB-WTC, 1, 2, ​3​, 4, ​5​, A, ​C, ​E​, J​, N, ​R, ​W, and Z trains
NYCT Bus, MTA Bus

References edit

  1. ^ a b "PATH Maps". The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  2. ^ "PATH Full Schedules". The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  3. ^ "PATH Facts & Info". The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  4. ^ "Siemens lands PATH CBTC contract – Railway Age". Railway Age. October 27, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "Amtrak's Northeast Corridor: Information on the Status and Cost of Needed Improvements". U.S. Government Publishing Office. April 13, 1995. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Chiasson, George (July 2015). "Rails Under the Hudson Revisited - The Hudson and Manhattan". Electric Railroaders' Association Bulletin. 58 (7): 2–3, 5. Retrieved April 10, 2018 – via Issuu.
  7. ^ "Improved Transit Facilities by Newark High Speed Line". The New York Times. October 1, 1911. p. XX2. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  8. ^ "Tube Service to Newark". The New York Times. November 26, 1911. p. 9. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  9. ^ a b Chiasson, George (September 2015). "Rails Under the Hudson Revisited - The Hudson and Manhattan". Electric Railroaders' Association Bulletin. 58 (9): 2–3, 6–7. Retrieved April 10, 2018 – via Issuu.
  10. ^ "New Station Open for Hudson Tubes". The New York Times. June 20, 1937. p. 35. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  11. ^ Wright, George Cable (January 23, 1962). "2 STATES AGREE ON HUDSON TUBES AND TRADE CENTER; New York and Jersey Settle on Bill to Permit Port Authority Operation NEW TERMINAL PLANNED Downtown H. & M. Depot to Be Erected in Conjunction With Commerce Unit Rehabilitation Due ACCORD REACHED ON HUDSON TUBES Savings Expected Boundaries Defined". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  12. ^ "Air-Cooled PATH Terminal in World Trade Center Opens Tuesday" (PDF). New York Times. July 1, 1971. p. 94. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  13. ^ Pristin, Terry (April 30, 1996). "NEW JERSEY DAILY BRIEFING;Express PATH Service Begins". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  14. ^ a b "PATH to run six-month test of morning express service". The Record. April 24, 1996. p. 15. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  15. ^ Pristin, Terry (October 25, 1996). "PATH Trains Streamlined". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  16. ^ "PATH - A Subsidiary of The Port Authority of NY & NJ". panynj.gov. December 14, 2001. Archived from the original on December 14, 2001. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  17. ^ Weiser, Benjamin (June 29, 2003). "Closed Since 9/11, a PATH Station Is Set to Reopen Today". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  18. ^ Dunlap, David W. (November 24, 2003). "Again, Trains Put the World In Trade Center". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  19. ^ "Press Releases: STATEMENT OF PATH ENGINEERS AND TRANSIT EXPERT ON THE RESUMPTION OF PATH SERVICE FROM NEWARK TO 33rd STREET BEGINNING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012". Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. November 11, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  20. ^ "Maps & Schedule: PATH Partial Service Restoration". PATH website. The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  21. ^ Walker, Ameena (December 5, 2018). "World Trade Center's PATH station will close for 45 weekends for repairs". Curbed NY. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  22. ^ "SIX MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, PATH WTC STATION REOPENS ON WEEKENDS FOLLOWING EXTENSIVE TUNNEL REPAIRS NECESSITATED BY SUPERSTORM SANDY". Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
  23. ^ a b "PATH Implementation Plan" (PDF). PANYNJ. June 20, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  24. ^ "Port Authority announces plan to increase PATH capacity, reduce delays". ABC7 New York. June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  25. ^ Higgs, Larry (June 20, 2019). "PATH will spend $1B to ease overcrowding, delays that mess up your commute". nj.com. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  26. ^ "FY 2004–06 Transportation Improvement Program" (PDF). Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  27. ^ "Port authority to undertake study on extending path rail service to newark liberty international airport" (Press release). PANYNJ. September 20, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  28. ^ "Sources: Christie to back $1B PATH extension in Newark". Crain's. September 11, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  29. ^ "Port Authority Board Approves Historic $27.6 Billion 10-year Capital Plan That Focuses the Agency on Its Core Transportation Mission". Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. February 19, 2014.
  30. ^ Boburg, Shawn (February 4, 2014). "Port Authority plans to extend PATH to Newark airport". The Record. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  31. ^ "Port Authority Unveils Comprehensive, Proposed $27.6 Billion Capital Plan to Revitalize Region's Transportation Assets" (Press release). PANYNJ. February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  32. ^ "Press Release Article - Port Authority of NY & NJ". panynj.gov. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  33. ^ "PATH Extension Project". panynj.gov. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  34. ^ NJ.com, Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for (March 14, 2023). "New rail station to be built ahead of delayed PATH Newark Airport extension". nj. Retrieved March 20, 2024.