The Port Authority recently unveiled its PATH Improvement Plan, a three-year plan designed to increase rush hour capacity on the PATH trains. The agency says its plan will bring “monumental changes” for the 300k commuters who rely on the PATH train.
Eyewitness News has a video of the 39-minute press conference here, but below is a quick rundown of the highlights.
(Rush hour is defined as 6am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm).
PATH Will Increase Capacity During Rush Hour by 10% (September 2019)
- The Nwk-WTC line will see a 10% increase in rush hour capacity by September of 2019.
- The JSQ-33rd line will see a 10% increase in rush hour capacity by September of 2019.
The Port Authority plans to hit those September goals thanks to its new signal system, which will allow trains to run as few as 3 minutes apart during rush hour. (They currently run every 4 minutes). This means that there will be an additional two train sets (for Nwk-WTC and JSQ-33rd) running during the the am/pm rush.
The PATH focused on theses lines only because they’re the busiest lines.
PATH Will Increase Capacity During Rush Hour by 40% (2022)
- By Q4 of 2022, there will be a 40% increase in rush hour capacity on the Nwk-WTC line.
- By Q4 of 2022, there will be a 20% increase in rush hour capacity on all other PATH lines (JSQ-33rd, Hob-WTC, and Hob-33rd).
- $1B investment in the PATH system will allow for improved signal system, the purchase of 72 new rail cars, and station modifications at Grove and Exchange Place.
- The new cars will be phased in gradually starting Q1 2021 to Q4 2022.
- Every train on Nwk-WTC will have 9 cars (up from the 8 current cars).
- $80M investment in the PATH system will allow for modifications at Grove and Exchange Place. The corridor exit at Grove (the exit that leads to Marin) will be closed (during evening hours) and modified to fit 9 subway cars. Exchange Place will get additional exit points.
- Beyond 2022, PATH is looking to run 10-car trains (Exchange Place can already fit 10-car trains).
There’s no mention of when construction/modifications will start at the Grove or Exchange Place stations.
New Fare Payment System Coming in 2021/2022
All PATH stations will adopt MTA OMNY technology, which lets turnstiles accept tap-and-go payments made with digital wallets (smartphones/smartwatches) and contactless credit cards. SmartCards will be accepted through 2023 at which point they’ll be phased out.
In addition to the above news, PATH is also working to enhance the commuter experience. This means improving station announcements, installing digital information kiosks at every station, and displaying next-train arrival info on all PATHVision screens. However, the PATH Improvement Plan makes no mention of improving weekend service.
The full PowerPoint is available as a PDF here.
