Press Release Article

GOVERNOR CUOMO AND GOVERNOR CHRISTIE ANNOUNCE RESUMPTION OF PATH RAIL SERVICE FROM HOBOKEN TO 33RD STREET TO BEGIN ON DECEMBER 19

Date: Dec 18, 2012

Press Release Number: 218-2012

CONTACT: 212-435-7777



Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Governor Chris Christie today announced that PATH rail service resumes at the Hoboken station with service to and from the 33rd Street station in Manhattan beginning tomorrow, December 19 at 5 a.m., following extensive, around the clock post-Hurricane Sandy repairs. Trains initially will run in both directions until 10 p.m. seven days a week.



Today’s announcement means weekday service between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. will be back at all 13 PATH stations and on three of PATH’s four regular lines: Journal Square to 33rd Street, Hoboken to 33rd Street and Newark to the World Trade Center. With the restoration of service from Hoboken, PATH travelers now can access the entire PATH system between New Jersey and New York. The return of Hoboken service provides more than 29,000 commuters with restored mass transit between Hoboken and Midtown Manhattan in time for the holidays.



The return of service to all 13 stations comes less than eight weeks after Hurricane Sandy decimated the entire PATH system, flooding the tunnels with as much as eight feet of water, and destroying critical signal and switching systems.



Thanks to the hard work of hundreds of PATH employees, the return of limited 24-hour PATH service is expected by year’s end and in time for New Year’s Eve. For the time being, service on weekends will be available between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., on both the Newark to 33rd Street and Hoboken to 33rd Street lines. There will be no service to Exchange Place and the World Trade Center on the weekends to allow work to proceed on bringing back service between Hoboken and the World Trade Center. Travelers wishing to go downtown during those times may access a downtown MTA train nearby one of the PATH Manhattan stations.



Resumption of direct service between Hoboken and the World Trade Center remains several weeks away pending ongoing work and replacement of badly damaged signal equipment. PATH workers and contractors have been working 24/7 since the storm, and will continue to do so until full service is returned on all lines. In the meantime, travelers from Hoboken may access Lower Manhattan by connecting with one of several downtown MTA trains nearby one of the PATH Manhattan stations. For a complete list of alternate routes, visit the Port Authority’s website http://www.panynj.gov/path/.



Shutting down Newark to 33rd Street weekend PATH service the past two weeks allowed workers long uninterrupted stretches to make repairs, allowing the speedier reopening of the Hoboken PATH station. Each weekend closure has meant cutting five or more days off the agency’s recovery timeline to restore both Hoboken and 24-hour service. Since the storm, PATH workers and contractors have pumped more than 10 million gallons of water from system tunnels, and fixed and replaced numerous switches and signaling equipment.



For up-to-date information, follow PATH on Twitter @PATHTweet.



Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where construction crews are building the iconic One World Trade Center, which is now the tallest skyscraper in New York. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the state of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency relies on revenues generated by facility users, tolls, fees and rents as well as loans, bond financing, and federal grants to fund its operations. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov