PATH’s new boss is a commuter, just like you -- and says she’s logged the hours that go along with it. Part of her 120-minute daily commute includes a PATH ride to Jersey City.

And when a PATH alert about a delay shows up on her phone, Clarelle DeGraffe, PATH’s new general manager, said she feels the same frustration other riders do, and gets on the phone to find out what happened.

“I don’t just ride, I read the tweets,” said DeGraffe, 57, during an interview on Monday, her first day on the job. “I’m a rider. I understand the frustration. The most important thing is reliability.”

What’s going on with the path train? Is one coming to Hoboken? It’s been over 35 minutes, board now posting a delay? Get your act together. — Jenna eve Smolinski (@EveSmolinski) March 17, 2019

In an interview with NJ Advance Media, DeGraffe outlined what she says she’ll do as the PATH’s new boss:

Make it reliable.

Car equipment issues, signal and track problems often cause delays, DeGraffe said. To help fix them more quickly, she said, mechanics should be stationed at strategic locations along the line during rush hour. Mechanics are currently based at Journal Square in Jersey City, so travel to a trouble spot slows down response time, she said.

Other reliability strategies include projects to replace electrical substations that help power trains, as well as the ongoing, federally-funded rehabilitation of the track and other infrastructure in the tunnels between the World Trade Center and Jersey City, she said.

To her, reliability means a train should leave on time and arrive when it is scheduled to, especially if commuters have to catch a connecting train on another railroad, DeGraffe said.

Communicate better.

Information is power. That means getting information to riders so they can decide how to commute. Last year, countdown clocks were installed in stations that tell when the next train is coming. The service also launched the “Ride PATH” app. Later this year, riders will see digital station kiosks similar to those on the New York subway system to provide more information for passengers, she said.

“Our riders are looking for as much information as they can get: is there a problem, what is the problem? People need that as they travel,” DeGraffe said. “It gives them options.”

PATH passengers will see more people on the platform to help, too, she said.

Talk to riders.

DeGraffe said she plans to talk to riders, in person, at the twice-a-month PATH Thursdays forums and by starting a director’s series. Both will take place at various PATH stations.

“I invite them to please come and talk….I’ll explain what happens behind the scenes,” she said. “I’d love to hear what their concerns are. I’ll have a pen and paper.”

Address overcrowding.

PATH helped fuel the residential development boom in Hudson County by providing train access to and from New York. Now, record ridership has resulted in overcrowded trains and stations. Commuters complain they can’t get on packed trains and of New York subway-like crowding.

The answer is to increase capacity, she said. But, adding more trains is a longer-term solution.

Computer Based Train Control -- a system that lets trains run closer together so more of them can be added -- was installed last year, simultaneously with Positive Train Control, a federally-mandated safety system, she said. But, reaping all the benefits of the new technology is still several years away.

“Now, we are operating on CBTC, but the entire project is not completed,” DeGraffe said.

A back-up system has to be installed. That will take a year or two, and cause service disruptions, she said.

Commuters won’t see the full benefit of CTCB until 72 new rail cars that were ordered in December 2017 are delivered, she said. The first new cars could be delivered in 2021.

PATH officials are currently running computer models to determine the best times to add a few more trains to the schedule, DeGraffe said. Putting a train in the wrong place in the schedule could “upset the entire circuit of trains,” she said.

Once it’s all done, officials estimate that 7,480 more passengers could be moved per-hour during the commuting rush with the additional rail cars.

The agency also is trying to work with developers and municipalities, including Jersey City and Harrison, DeGraffe said, to address the additional strains population increases put on the rail system. Real Estate developers have been taken on tour of PATH to help them understand what the system’s challenges are, she said.

“We have a dialogue about the demands it puts on the system,” she said.

The idea of having developers fund projects to offset the additional riders they put on the system may take more time. PATH is working with municipal officials on that idea, in addition to other Port Authority departments, she said.

“The route we picked is to stay with our municipal partners and dialogue with them,” she said.

Projects to extend the length of some station platforms to allow longer trains to be run and help with overcrowding are waiting for funding.

Weekend Service.

“Round-the-World” is the nickname for the disliked weekend service that sends 33rd Street-Journal Square trains through Hoboken. Though DeGraffe said she shares riders dislike for it, it’s probably not going to change anytime soon.

The World Trade Center line is closed on weekends to rehabilitate tunnel infrastructure. Riders asked why direct 33rd Street service isn’t offered and complained that weekend trains are usually packed by the time the get to Hoboken.

“We did look at direct 33rd Street service. The reason we can’t have direct service is it reduces the amount of time for maintenance,” she said. “We still need to do heavy maintenance on the uptown lines."

Her background.

DeGraffe has been deputy director of PATH and she makes history as the PATH’s first female general manager. She inherits a system that was built 109 years ago.

Her resume is impressive. A 29-year Port Authority veteran, DeGraffe oversaw PATH’s $3.5 billion capital program and was responsible for the development, funding, and delivery of PATH’s Hurricane Sandy Recovery Program.

DeGraffe’s salary is under negotiation, said a Port Authority spokeswoman.

“We looked at potential candidates…no one was better equipped for the position,” said Rick Cotton, Port Authority executive director.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.