This treat is no trick for commuters. That shiny new PATH station under construction for the past five years in Harrison is scheduled to open next week.

The long-awaited glass and metal station that's been under construction next to the old PATH station will open to riders on Oct. 30, following a mid-morning ceremony, PATH officials said.

The modern station replaces an 80-year-old-plus structure that was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad when it also constructed the rail line for the company that later became PATH.

Construction of its replacement was announced in 2013 by Gov. Chris Christie.

The new station was built to serve a former industrial area of Harrison that has been redeveloped with newly-constructed residential town homes and apartments. The station also serves the nearby Red Bulls soccer stadium.

What do PATH passengers get for the $256 million price tag to build the new station?

New glass-enclosed, weather-protected station entrances; modern elevators, widened stairs and escalators to platforms; and, possibly the most important feature, extended platforms to accommodate longer, 10-car trains.

Increasing PATH ridership has resulted in long lines of commuters and crowded platforms at the old station.

Harrison NJ Path train pic.twitter.com/kNB5orL2Tf — DdPete (@DdPete2) June 18, 2018

Naturally, the new station didn't happen without some typical Jersey controversy.

The original finish date was pushed back from 2017 to this year due to negotiations with Amtrak. (Amtrak owns the Northeast Corridor line, which PATH tracks pass on the sides of that rail line.)

There was also political controversy involving the new station. The project was authorized in March 2012 by the Port Authority Board of Commissioners, led by then-Chairman David Samson, who narrowly avoided jail last year for shaking down United Airlines for a weekly direct flight from Newark to his South Carolina estate.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.