The Exchange Place and World Trade Center PATH stations will close this weekend as the Port Authority begins 16 consecutive weekends of station closures for federally mandated safety upgrades.

The closures are needed to allow crews to install a new signal system within the PATH system as part of the Positive Train Control program.

The stations at Exchange Place and WTC will close at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow and reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.

On July 13, PATH will begin 15 consecutive weekend closures of stations along the 33rd Street line in Manhattan, with the exception of Labor Day weekend. The stations at Christopher, Ninth, 14th, 23rd, and 33rd streets will remain closed from 11:59 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. the following Monday.

During the 33rd Street line closures, there will be direct train service from Hoboken to the WTC on Saturdays. On Sundays, Hoboken-WTC riders will use the normal weekend schedule, which requires a transfer at Grove Street for the Newark-WTC train. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will be cross-honoring passengers between Exchange Place, Newport and Hoboken.

The Hoboken PATH station will remain open during all of the affected weekends, except for three Sundays when it will be closed due to signal-related work: Sept. 16 and 23 and Oct. 14.

While the 33rd Street line stations are closed, free 2-trip MetroCards will be available at the WTC station, usable only for the weekend they are distributed.

The Port Authority says once the PTC program is complete, the PATH system will become safer and more efficient. The upgrades will also help increase train frequency and capacity.

PATH conducted a similar weekend closure program in 2016 during the first phase of PTC implementation, primarily for initial equipment and signal installation.