I’m from London, but visited several times between 2002 and 2010. The first time I was there the WTC branch was still closed, and I didn’t even realise that it existed. What about the closed Stations? As far as I am aware these are: Hudson Terminal 28 Street 19 Street Manhattan Transfer Newark Park Place 19 Street is the most interesting as it can still be seen from a passing train. It has the typical H&M columns and arches as exist at several other PATH stations, painted white when I saw them, which seems somehow appropriate fora ‘ghost’ station, and there were some items of plant in the station, but I don’t know exactly what they were. I don’t think anything remains of the other closed stations. I have also ridden round the City Hall loop on the NY Subway, but the lights were off so I couldn’t see much. There are many closed stations on theLondon Underground and the London Transport Museum do tours of some of them.
So nice that a system that crosses state boundaries is 24/7, just like the PATCO Speedline! Having multiple 24/7 systems like the NYC area (NYC Subway, SIR, LIRR, PATH) does is a wonderful thing, and you don't how important having 24/7 service is until you're in an area without it. Not mentioned here, but a cool thing about Journal Square is the Journal Square Transportation Center's covered bus lane platforms each have an exit that go down to the PATH, so it's an easy connection to/from the NJT buses and jitneys that serve JSQ. The neon above the Exchange Place escalators at 3:39 was made by Stephen Antonakos. He's done neon work for stations in Los Angeles (Pershing Square, to honor the square having the first neon sign in the US in 1924), Detroit (Greektown), Athens (Ambelokipi), Buffalo (University), Boston (the neon at Back Bay's Orange Line platform), and Charles Center in Baltimore. He's also done work for Hartsfield Jackson Airport and for a power station in Tel Aviv. He was a WWII veteran, serving in the Philippines. He died at age 86 back in 2013. I'm so glad you mentioned that moving walkway fact about Newport, yup you usually think of airports when it comes to moving walkways, but the first in the US to get a commercial moving walkway was indeed Newport station in 1954, built by Goodyear, it was 84.5 meters (277 feet) long and moved at a speed of 1.5 mph (2.4 km/h)! If you go up from the platforms after getting off the train, you can see that there's a slope to go up (a ten percent grade), so the moving walkway made a lot of sense! The world's first moving walkway debuted at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. Designed by architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee, it had two sections, one where passengers were seated, and one where they could stand or walk. It ran in a loop down the length of a lakefront pier to a casino. The first one at an airport was installed at Dallas Love Field in 1960. The former site of Park Place in Newark is now NJPAC or the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, served by NJPAC/Center St on the Newark Light Rail. In Jersey City, the H&M wanted to extend a branch south down Marin Blvd, cross under the Morris Canal Basin, and curve east to reach the Communipaw Terminal. If this was built and it existed today, that meant Liberty State Park would've had its own PATH station! Today, the Liberty Landing Ferry offers service across the Morris Canal Basin between downtown at Warren St (a walk from Essex St HBLR and Marin Blvd HBLR) and a marina at the park. During 9/11, a seven-car PATH train was left under the WTC. Though five of the cars were destroyed, cars 745 and 143 were not positioned directly beneath the tower and survived the collapse relatively intact. These two cars were cleaned and placed in storage while the remains of the rest of the train had been stripped of usable parts and scrapped. The cars were intended to be displayed in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. However, they were deemed too large to be displayed there. As a result, car 745 (a PA3) was instead donated to the Shore Line Trolley Museum in Connecticut, while car 143 (a PA1 trailer) was donated to the Trolley Museum of New York in Kingston, Ulster County. I'm a fan of Calatrava's WTC Hub! I know Calatrava's Oculus is controversial, but honestly, I think it's stunning. Whenever I walk into Grand Central, it's a breathtaking experience, and I get that same feeling walking into the Oculus. And that was the inspiration for Calatrava, he wanted to emulate Grand Central Terminal. He wanted to give a building to the community for a place like Ground Zero, a monument to the community, something that celebrates the day-to-day with the people, not to think this part of NYC is a somber place, but a place that keeps moving forward. It's meant to resemble “a bird flying from the hands of a child,” bringing a sense of hope to a site of tragedy. The model for the construction of the Oculus is said to have been the Pantheon in Rome and, specifically, its oculus, which gave the station its name. But the Pantheon in Rome was not Calatrava’s only model. Another important reference is said to have been the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II of Milan, which inspired the architect to conceive and design the urban space in a different way, the architect’s intention was to make those who use the Hub feel protected but, at the same time, an active part of New York’s civil fabric. Other than the Oculus, Calatrava also worked on Lisboa-Oriente in 1998, the Turning Torso in Malmö in 2005 (which was the tallest in the Nordic countries between 2005 and 2022), the City of Arts and Sciences and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, the Milwaukee Art Museum's Quadracci Pavilion in 2001, Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Tomorrow in 2015, Auditorio de Tenerife in 2003, the Montjuïc Communications Tower for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona (built to transmit coverage of the Olympics and represents an athlete holding the Olympic Flame), Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas in 2012, Florida Polytechnic University also in 2012, and the Liège-Guillemins railway station in 2009!
in the weeks after wtc station re-opened after 9/11 the PATH ran through the wreckage of the wtc. It was so eerie as the train ran in daylight for that last portion
I've never been on path but the busses are the best in my experience when it comes to nj transit, the train lines run so slow and often break, also the types of trains you get put on are very old and dingy. The bus often goes faster then the train line if it is an express bus, it's still expensive but it still saves me money over having to pay the tolls to get into NYC and probably like 50 dollars to park.
I was a regular PATH commuter back in 2018 and have a love/hate relationship with them. When it runs properly, it was pretty reliable. But when it wasn't, oh boy. And this was before they had countdown clocks so I never knew when the next train was coming. I am glad they added those. Also late nights and weekends, PATH combines the Journal Square and Hoboken lines. It's 33rd Street-Journal Square via Hoboken. There is only one way in and out if Hoboken so the train has to change directions when leaving Hoboken.
So cool to see coverage of PATH! It's a line I never hear about (probably because of the ban on photography and filming.) It's good that there is a subway link between New York and the urban areas across the Hudson, there should be more transit in the NJ side and definitely to Newark Airport.
The system could've been a lot bigger on both the NYC and NJ sides! In 1909, the H&M announced plans to extend its Uptown Tubes northeast to Grand Central. By 1914, the H&M had not yet started construction of the Grand Central extension, and requested a delay. Six years later, the H&M submitted 17 applications for delays. Yes, seventeen, and they all said it was not the best time for construction. The Rapid Transit Commissioners declined the last one, effectively ending the H&M's rights to a Grand Central extension. In September 1910, William Gibbs McAdoo proposed another expansion, a second north-south line through midtown. It would've run from Hudson Terminal to 33rd Street and 6th Ave, underneath Herald Square and near the existing 33rd St station. The new line would've run mainly under Broadway, with a small section of the line in the south under Church Street. That November, McAdoo also proposed that the two-track Broadway line be tied into the IRT's original subway line in Lower Manhattan. The Broadway line, going southbound, would've merged with the local tracks of the IRT's Lexington Avenue line in the southbound direction at 10th St. A spur off the Lexington Avenue line in Lower Manhattan, in the back of Trinity Church, would've split eastward under Wall Street, cross the East River to Brooklyn, then head down Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, with another spur underneath Lafayette Avenue. The franchise for the Broadway line was ultimately awarded to the BRT in 1913, as part of the Dual Contracts. In 1909, McAdoo considered extending the H&M in NJ, building a branch to Montclair. A route extending north from Newark would've continued straight to East Orange, and from there, split to South Orange in the south and Montclair in the north. In 1973, the Port Authority released plans to extend the Newark-WTC line from Newark Penn to Plainfield. This would've included a stop at McClellan Street in Newark, almost on the border between Newark and Elizabeth, where passengers would've switched to a peoplemover under the then Penn Central tracks to reach the terminals (so like the current AirTrain Newark connection originally opened in 2001 though the rail station is by Haynes Ave). The plan was to extend to the airport before it became a Plainfield plan. Before the PATH extension project escalated into a line all the way to Plainfield, there had been hopes of a baggage‐check service. The extension was approved in 1975. The Federal Urban Mass Transit Administration was less enthusiastic about the extension's efficacy, and didn't want to give the Port Authority the $322 million it had requested for the project, about 80 percent of the projected cost. Eventually, the administration agreed to back it, but in 1977, the US Supreme Court ruled that the two state legislatures had violated the Constitution's Contract Clause by repealing a covenant in the 1962 bond agreements in order to make the extension possible. In June 1978, the extension was cancelled in favor of improving bus service in NJ.
There was also a pedestrian tunnel from the 33rd St Station to Penn Station that brought you into the LIRR concourse called the Gimbels Passageway. It was nice during the winter as the tall buildings tend to amplify the cold winds!
@@Thom-TRA maintenance and security costs were deemed too high at the time (this would have been in the mid-‘80s, around the time Gimbels closed upstairs). It had also once been possible to walk indoors from the IND mezzanine at Herald Square to the next one at Bryant Park, but that passage closed for the same reason.
great video, and I've ridden PATH many times, but great to see all the visual closeups. You do a fantastic job, and happy new year, Thom. Looking forward to even more videos
Another fun fact is that the 6th Avenue Subway is built around and under the 33rd Street branch. The 6th Avenue local [F and M trains] are next to the PATH tracks, at 14th and 23rd Street stations you can go into a shared mezzanine to transfer between the systems, at 33rd Street the PATH concourse leads into the huge 34th Street/Herald Square complex. Now another fun fact is that the NYCTA did a deep bore under the PATH tracks to build the Express 6th Avenue tracks between West 4th St and 34th Street, this allowed the Express trains to zoom the 3 miles between West 4th and 34th st stations.
@@Thom-TRA yeah. disappointing. These are fundamental improvement that everyone would in fact use (in lower manhattan). It's nightmare the way its currently set up...obviously intentional.
PATH doesn’t go to the EWR Airport Station. It only goes as far as Newark Penn Station. From there, then it’s a six-minute, $3.45 NJ Transit train ride to the airport station. Then it’s an $8.50 ride on the AirTrain to the terminals. But I do agree that it would be great if PATH could extend the line directly into the airport.
@@motastic1714 You're talking about a train system that began services in 1908 and an airport that opened up in 1928. One has nothing to do with the other until rather recently.
In addition to the much needed extension of the PATH to Newark Airport, I think another place the PATH should be extended to is Northern Hudson County due to the immense population density. It should run under Bergenline Avenue to Nunguessers, which is the border point between Hudson and Bergen Counties between North Bergen and Fairview. It would also provide a great way for residents of North Bergen, Guttenberg, West New York and Union City to get to the city without having to wait for a NJ Transit bus that takes a long time to come, which is also why dollar vans which are small privately owned minibuses that charge around $2 to ride operate in these areas.
When Newark Airport was rebuilt in 1973, terminals A & B were designed to have the PATH trains run in the back of terminals A & B on the ground floor of the terminal buildings. If you parked in the parking garages under the terminals, you would enter these large areas on the ground floor to take the escalators up the departure and arrival levels of the terminals. Without the PATH extension to the airport, this area was a big waste of space in the new terminals. Instead, eventually the Port Authority built the Airtrain to connect the terminals to the Amtrak NE Corridor across US 1&9 from the airport when terminal C opened up in 1988. However, the Airtrain is an elevated structure behind the terminals rather than using the ground floor area originally designated for the PATH trains.
But the reason PATH is regulated by the FRA is because it runs adjacent to tracks that service freight and Amtrak and it travels from one state to another... Happy New Year Thom & Lindsey ☮️&❤
Not quite, Patco runs along NJT Atlantic City line and into Pennsylvania and is not FRA. H&M was chartered as a railroad, the PRR owned and controlled them much the same way as the PRR owned the LIRR. H&M moved freight and mail. PRR commuter trains operated in and out of Exchange Place over H&M through Journal Square and to Penn Station Newark ( on what is now Path trackage)and down the current NEC. If you know where to look, while most of the wire is gone there are still a few catenary poles still standing from the PRR days. When the Port Authority built the World Trade Center over the original Hudson Terminal, The H&M was sold to the Port Authority and renamed Path. The PRR retained control of what little freight remained. PC/CR still crossed over and operated on a very short section in Kearny to Harrison into the 1970's. Path maintained a direct connection to NJT and Amtrak in Hudson yard unit about 2010 when the diamond and connecting was removed. Path also had (may still have) a connection to Conrail in Journal Square. Path also had connections to the NEC in Harrison which where removed many years ago. Path/H&M also had a couple of public grade crossings too which are long gone.
You were mentioning what you thought of the airport transit situation in the New York area but while you’re not exactly a huge fan of it you have to admit that it’s nowhere near as bad as it once was. Obviously it could be better and most definitely needs to be better all I can say is look at all the cities in North America that still don’t have any rail access to their airports. The worst part is that these places don’t seem to be in any hurry at all to get rail transit running to their airports. And these cities are ones that do have rail transit.
Great video, including the Cameo of the fellow littering in the middle of one of the New Jersey Path stations. It's very convenient to take path from Newark or even better. Jersey City, Jersey City has cheaper parking than Newark, in order to get into Southern Manhattan. I love the 33rd Street terminus in Manhattan; it has one of the nicest public bathrooms in the United States which has been useful for an older person like me. It's insane to me that the path has not been extended to Newark airport; instead they have that joke of a people mover that is not very useful or easy to navigate.
7:11 Exchange Place was closed partly because of water damage and partly because it wasn’t configured to be a terminal…inbound trains had always just looped through Hudson Terminal/WTC to get back to the outbound platform at Exchange Place. After reconfiguring switches west of the station to allow short turns and extending both sides of the platform to fit 10-car trains (previously the inbound side could only hold 7 and the outbound 8…despite the fact Newark-WTC was already running 8 car trains for many years before), Exchange Place reopened as a terminal station in mid-2003, a few months prior to WTC reopening in a temporary form.
Thanks for this awesome video! I often wondered how the PATH system and NYC subway systems were different and not really connected but sometimes went to the same places. It is amazing that the engineering from over 100 years ago is still in use today.
I know it’s not the focus of your channel, but would love to see how safety of passengers and ridership relate to each other. I take transit here in DFW, and based on what I’ve seen, I wouldn’t take it if I weren’t armed. I’m sure so many are in the same boat
I found your videos in the last few weeks because of your Grand Rapids coverage (where I am now living with no car and enjoying the 6 line)…. But I most recently lived in North Jersey while working in NYC. I loved the path. (And all the interesting transit up there) excited to watch this , and your content is great
The Pennsylvania Railroad built a full width 4 track El for 1 mile in Jersey City from near Journal Square to the ferry terminal in 1890. Unlike the El train lines in New York City and Brooklyn which was its own city until 1898. The train lines in those cities had to have narrow staions and train to run above the streets.
The street now called Columbus Drive was called Railroad Avenue previously, and the PRR viaduct to Exhange Place ran above it. PATH still runs under it from the portal east of Waldo yard to Exchange Place.
FYI: New Harrison Station platforms opened this year, next year Hoboken station will close for the month of February for renovation and that sad sad looking Newport Station will be renovated after.
That blue front livery is simple but very attractive .You answered the question i'd often wondered about PATH if you could ride it internally in New York City.
@@joestrike8537 cool. Maybe I go relict hunting when I travel to New York eventually. Don't get to the US that often, never was in New York. Twice in the Bay Area and Northern California/Nevada and once in Philly just 2 weeks ago.
Unfortunately path service has become terrible on the weekends. Infrequent service compared to the demand, leading to massive overcrowding. There was also a major electrical fire on the 33st line a few weeks ago. On weekdays, service tends to be better. There also is ferry service between NYC and NJ or NJ transit (trains and bus) as alternatives on the weekends.
Happy New Year to all, who are reading this comment! I wish you be healthy, wealthy and have a great holidays. I hope you'll realize all your best wishes. I am also PATH enthusiast, my first time when I found out about this unique commuter interstate subway was in childhood, I just played in computer game - World of Subways. Then I started to make a research about system history and modern times, it was breathtaking and glorious!
It’s a darn shame they’ve never been able to build PATH subway line from Christopher St. south along Greenwich St. all the way to the WTC terminal. That way PATH could also have far west side Lower Downtown service solely on the Manhattan Side, (when needed due to tunnel maintenance!) Thenafter, extend that Greenwich line north to head underneath the High Line ROW to eventually meet 34th St. Hudson yards! Or Penn Moynihan!
I feel like PATH could’ve been the core of a New York S-Bahn in an alternate timeline. There used to be connections to mainline track in New Jersey, and if it had been extended to Grand Central, it could’ve been joined up with the electrified services on the Harlem and Hudson lines. I don’t know if that would’ve been politically or even operationally feasible, but it’s interesting to think about.
Great video. I found PATH to be a pretty decent system when I rode it several years back down from 33rd Street just to see Hoboken Terminal. Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year! Hope they can work out the Newark international Airport extension!
Thom, it's a good thing you got in your $2.75 PATH fare because starting January 12, 2025, PATH fares are going up to $3.00, Happy New Year to you and Lindsey, sir!!!🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊
I use the PATH all the time to go to NYC. I wish it was better service wise. 20 minutes for the NWK-WTC line outside rush hour is criminal, especially on how packed trains are. Also not a fan of the weekend JSQ-HOB-33rd service since going through Hoboken eats up a lot of time.
Thank you for that. The problem with PATH is that it's surrounded by LIRR, MNCR and NJT grabbing all the commuter railroad glory. I don't if I'd go as far as saying FRA regs are more onerous that FTA.
They are stricter. There is a PTC requirement, staff rest requirements, they need to make sure there are certain pieces of hardware attached to all trains at all times. You can look it up.
@ No thank you. When I retired from railroad life I was the 243 designated instructor. Further, I wrote the program for submittal and acceptance of the FRA. So the only way I’m going look any further is if there’s a paycheck involved. I was never involved with FTA regs while I know they are “different” I’m sure they are just as much of a headache because, well, it’s the gub’mit.
It really was great when I headed over to the red bull stadium, we were at a hotel in Newark so I got to do touristy Manhattan stuff before heading back to see the game then back to Newark, all thanks to PATH
Now will someone explain to me the distinct PATH smell? It's been the same since at least the 90's. And I'm not talking BO or pee smell. The PATH train has a distinct odor of whatever lubricant or cleaning products they use or something.
The SIRT is also classified as an FRA line. Because they connect to actual Commuter train lines and have grade crossings in spots, they aren't considered a subway.
PATH trains are tiny, like IRT trains. It would be very difficult to make them work in LIRR stations unless you did something like use opposite sides of the platforms for each type of train (like Queensboro Plaza or some of the spots on London where deep level tube trains have cross-platform transfers to sub-surface trains)
I wish it wasn't so Manhattan-centric. Needs more coverage up and down the Hudson River's west bank to work as New Jersey's urban answer to the MTA. I know NIMBYs in Bergen County would hate the idea though
I am quite familiar with photo bans on certain trains and stations, especially military related ones. But I cannot find a reason that PATH should be considered in such way. Even filming on trains transporting South Korean army's and USFK's tanks are not banned as strictly as PATH photo
Some of the older, now retired PA-3 cars were the basis of the MBTA's now-retired Hawker-Siddley cars (known by some Bostonians as "rolling rec-rooms" on account of their seventies fake wood paneling) used on the Blue and Orange Lines, hence a very similar appearance both inside and out.
I tried taking it from WTC to EWR to see if I could save on cost n time, I regretted it BIG TIME...Never again...I'll stick to jersey transit bus for $21
@Thom-TRA I'm not against trains or even trying to compare them with buses....i love trains....it's just my bad experience trying to connect with EWR via PATH.
PATH is a great option for going between the Oculus and Jersey City. Only takes a few minutes and it's very easy to navigate. I like doing PATH one way and taking the ferry the other way, just for the views of Manhattan.
I really enjoyed your video. I still remember as a young child riding what was then called the HUDSON TUBES. The cars were greyish brown and the seats were straw woven. Large fans were located on the top of the ceiling. Again, thank you for your vdeo.
I was happy to experience PATH a number of times during my brief residence in New Jersey. I"m back in the land of BART, CalTrain et al (i.e., the Bay Area)
Ugh! I ride the PATH daily, including today. Such an awfully slow service. Traveling from Exchange Place to Newark, never exceeding 35 mph the whole way. Best part is when a westbound train stops on the Passaic River bridge just short of Newark, positioned perfectly to watch your NJT/Amtrak connection (I.e.: the train you’re now going to miss) glide by on the tracks below.
Here's an interesting fact about the PATH: since the PATH is FRA regulated, they are bounded by PTC requirements. They actually satisfy their PTC requirements using their CBTC signaling.
In July 2016, I took PATH from the WTC to Jersey City Erie RR, now Newport, and another to 9th St in Greenwich Village. I had to buy a separate ticket from my MTA card. Otherwise PATH seemed to function more or less like the MTA.
As much as I might complain about PATH's issues, it's something I can't imagine life without. It's an essential part of so many people's lives especially because of the 24 hour service, I hope to see it get even better and that starts with a Newark airport extension, the best addition was adding tap to pay. I didn't know it costs 3x more to run than MTA because of that commuter rail clause, excellent video and informative even to someone living right next to a station. Seeing the PATH run between Newark and Harrison at night is, to me, one of the best views in the Jersey area!
I love this little clip, from 4:48 - 5:00. A guy stands up and drops a small wad of paper. He doesn’t pick it up. Somehow, in the next clip, that paper appears to have been magically transported onto the train car, in a very similar spot in the frame. 😂 Great video! As a photographer, I’d love to know the rationale for the photography ban PATH has. Those sorts of bans intrigue me - they’re almost never justified nor make much sense. Happy New Years and I’m looking forward to more amazing content on this channel!
@ Ah, yes… “terrorism” is a classic so-called rationale for fearing anyone holding a camera. It hit its high point in the years following the 9/11 attacks. The comedian Nate Bargatze (sp?) has a new Netflix comedy special and he tells about working as a water meter reader during that time and how he and his fellow readers were deployed to guard their community’s water tanks. Funny and pathetic. Which is exactly what that cliche “terrorism” rationale is. As for the kind of photography I do… I’ve been photographing for 50+ years, as both avocation and vocation. At this point, I don’t have a type or genre that I feel tied to. I pretty much just walk around this amazing world, camera (either film or digital) in hand and photograph whatever catches my eye. When I was in Tokyo, I only took my Polaroid camera (and a bunch of film packs 😉) - I just love the way that camera transforms the world! I do like to engage in guerrilla photography. Keeps me on my toes. 😁
Very unlikely: photography of publicly accessible areas is a protected activity under the First Amendment. Any enforcement beyond yelling at you would almost certainly not prevail in court if challenged. PATH's policy is almost certainly illegal.
There's no such law as taking photos in public places including train stations and on trains as our tax money pays for them so technically we all own them. PATH just doesn't understand photography and the law.
OMNY isn't allowed just yet because of politics, so for now they will get TAPP which is a rebranded OMNY. Hopefully in the future it can finally be intergrated when both systems share the same fare rate and equipment.
Historically speaking though, the vast majority of people prefered to use the ferries And not only was there also service at Exchange Place and Pavonia by the B&O, Lehigh Valley, Reading, and Susquehannah but the nearby to the south and north were terminals at Communipaw (CNJ) and Weehawken (NYC and O&W).
Path would be the best way to travel between NYC and New Jersey. I don’t like how they have a strict policy of photos and that they don’t allow it. I would have to be very sneaky if I still wanted to record some footage on board and on platforms.
Fun little fact: after the attacks, a few cars were dug up, and one of them, PA-3 745 is actually sitting at the Shoreline Trolley museum in CT, almost perfectly preserved! (cosmetically, that is. i cant speak on if it's operational or not)
Another good option when visiting NYC and staying in NJ is to use the PATH then get on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) for hotels at Lincoln Harbor and Port Imperial in Weehawken.
The fact that PATH doesn't connect with EWR or GCT is absurd. The H&MRR always intended to integrate with the IRT Subway, but never was able to do that for "reasons."
I’m from London, but visited several times between 2002 and 2010. The first time I was there the WTC branch was still closed, and I didn’t even realise that it existed.
What about the closed Stations? As far as I am aware these are:
Hudson Terminal
28 Street
19 Street
Manhattan Transfer
Newark Park Place
19 Street is the most interesting as it can still be seen from a passing train. It has the typical H&M columns and arches as exist at several other PATH stations, painted white when I saw them, which seems somehow appropriate fora ‘ghost’ station, and there were some items of plant in the station, but I don’t know exactly what they were. I don’t think anything remains of the other closed stations.
I have also ridden round the City Hall loop on the NY Subway, but the lights were off so I couldn’t see much.
There are many closed stations on theLondon Underground and the London Transport Museum do tours of some of them.
I’m still planning to ride the city hall loop someday!
So nice that a system that crosses state boundaries is 24/7, just like the PATCO Speedline! Having multiple 24/7 systems like the NYC area (NYC Subway, SIR, LIRR, PATH) does is a wonderful thing, and you don't how important having 24/7 service is until you're in an area without it. Not mentioned here, but a cool thing about Journal Square is the Journal Square Transportation Center's covered bus lane platforms each have an exit that go down to the PATH, so it's an easy connection to/from the NJT buses and jitneys that serve JSQ. The neon above the Exchange Place escalators at 3:39 was made by Stephen Antonakos. He's done neon work for stations in Los Angeles (Pershing Square, to honor the square having the first neon sign in the US in 1924), Detroit (Greektown), Athens (Ambelokipi), Buffalo (University), Boston (the neon at Back Bay's Orange Line platform), and Charles Center in Baltimore. He's also done work for Hartsfield Jackson Airport and for a power station in Tel Aviv. He was a WWII veteran, serving in the Philippines. He died at age 86 back in 2013. I'm so glad you mentioned that moving walkway fact about Newport, yup you usually think of airports when it comes to moving walkways, but the first in the US to get a commercial moving walkway was indeed Newport station in 1954, built by Goodyear, it was 84.5 meters (277 feet) long and moved at a speed of 1.5 mph (2.4 km/h)! If you go up from the platforms after getting off the train, you can see that there's a slope to go up (a ten percent grade), so the moving walkway made a lot of sense! The world's first moving walkway debuted at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. Designed by architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee, it had two sections, one where passengers were seated, and one where they could stand or walk. It ran in a loop down the length of a lakefront pier to a casino. The first one at an airport was installed at Dallas Love Field in 1960.
The former site of Park Place in Newark is now NJPAC or the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, served by NJPAC/Center St on the Newark Light Rail. In Jersey City, the H&M wanted to extend a branch south down Marin Blvd, cross under the Morris Canal Basin, and curve east to reach the Communipaw Terminal. If this was built and it existed today, that meant Liberty State Park would've had its own PATH station! Today, the Liberty Landing Ferry offers service across the Morris Canal Basin between downtown at Warren St (a walk from Essex St HBLR and Marin Blvd HBLR) and a marina at the park. During 9/11, a seven-car PATH train was left under the WTC. Though five of the cars were destroyed, cars 745 and 143 were not positioned directly beneath the tower and survived the collapse relatively intact. These two cars were cleaned and placed in storage while the remains of the rest of the train had been stripped of usable parts and scrapped. The cars were intended to be displayed in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. However, they were deemed too large to be displayed there. As a result, car 745 (a PA3) was instead donated to the Shore Line Trolley Museum in Connecticut, while car 143 (a PA1 trailer) was donated to the Trolley Museum of New York in Kingston, Ulster County.
I'm a fan of Calatrava's WTC Hub! I know Calatrava's Oculus is controversial, but honestly, I think it's stunning. Whenever I walk into Grand Central, it's a breathtaking experience, and I get that same feeling walking into the Oculus. And that was the inspiration for Calatrava, he wanted to emulate Grand Central Terminal. He wanted to give a building to the community for a place like Ground Zero, a monument to the community, something that celebrates the day-to-day with the people, not to think this part of NYC is a somber place, but a place that keeps moving forward. It's meant to resemble “a bird flying from the hands of a child,” bringing a sense of hope to a site of tragedy. The model for the construction of the Oculus is said to have been the Pantheon in Rome and, specifically, its oculus, which gave the station its name. But the Pantheon in Rome was not Calatrava’s only model. Another important reference is said to have been the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II of Milan, which inspired the architect to conceive and design the urban space in a different way, the architect’s intention was to make those who use the Hub feel protected but, at the same time, an active part of New York’s civil fabric. Other than the Oculus, Calatrava also worked on Lisboa-Oriente in 1998, the Turning Torso in Malmö in 2005 (which was the tallest in the Nordic countries between 2005 and 2022), the City of Arts and Sciences and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, the Milwaukee Art Museum's Quadracci Pavilion in 2001, Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Tomorrow in 2015, Auditorio de Tenerife in 2003, the Montjuïc Communications Tower for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona (built to transmit coverage of the Olympics and represents an athlete holding the Olympic Flame), Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas in 2012, Florida Polytechnic University also in 2012, and the Liège-Guillemins railway station in 2009!
I can see the resemblance with many of those buildings!
Moving walkway was not the only innovation introduced at the Columbian Exposition, the Ferris Wheel was introduced there, too.
in the weeks after wtc station re-opened after 9/11 the PATH ran through the wreckage of the wtc. It was so eerie as the train ran in daylight for that last portion
I've never been on path but the busses are the best in my experience when it comes to nj transit, the train lines run so slow and often break, also the types of trains you get put on are very old and dingy.
The bus often goes faster then the train line if it is an express bus, it's still expensive but it still saves me money over having to pay the tolls to get into NYC and probably like 50 dollars to park.
I was a regular PATH commuter back in 2018 and have a love/hate relationship with them. When it runs properly, it was pretty reliable. But when it wasn't, oh boy. And this was before they had countdown clocks so I never knew when the next train was coming. I am glad they added those. Also late nights and weekends, PATH combines the Journal Square and Hoboken lines. It's 33rd Street-Journal Square via Hoboken. There is only one way in and out if Hoboken so the train has to change directions when leaving Hoboken.
It was so annoying when they didn’t have the departure times displayed anywhere!
So cool to see coverage of PATH! It's a line I never hear about (probably because of the ban on photography and filming.)
It's good that there is a subway link between New York and the urban areas across the Hudson, there should be more transit in the NJ side and definitely to Newark Airport.
State lines should never be the reason for transit not to be integrated, in my opinion!
The system could've been a lot bigger on both the NYC and NJ sides! In 1909, the H&M announced plans to extend its Uptown Tubes northeast to Grand Central. By 1914, the H&M had not yet started construction of the Grand Central extension, and requested a delay. Six years later, the H&M submitted 17 applications for delays. Yes, seventeen, and they all said it was not the best time for construction. The Rapid Transit Commissioners declined the last one, effectively ending the H&M's rights to a Grand Central extension. In September 1910, William Gibbs McAdoo proposed another expansion, a second north-south line through midtown. It would've run from Hudson Terminal to 33rd Street and 6th Ave, underneath Herald Square and near the existing 33rd St station. The new line would've run mainly under Broadway, with a small section of the line in the south under Church Street. That November, McAdoo also proposed that the two-track Broadway line be tied into the IRT's original subway line in Lower Manhattan. The Broadway line, going southbound, would've merged with the local tracks of the IRT's Lexington Avenue line in the southbound direction at 10th St. A spur off the Lexington Avenue line in Lower Manhattan, in the back of Trinity Church, would've split eastward under Wall Street, cross the East River to Brooklyn, then head down Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, with another spur underneath Lafayette Avenue. The franchise for the Broadway line was ultimately awarded to the BRT in 1913, as part of the Dual Contracts. In 1909, McAdoo considered extending the H&M in NJ, building a branch to Montclair. A route extending north from Newark would've continued straight to East Orange, and from there, split to South Orange in the south and Montclair in the north.
In 1973, the Port Authority released plans to extend the Newark-WTC line from Newark Penn to Plainfield. This would've included a stop at McClellan Street in Newark, almost on the border between Newark and Elizabeth, where passengers would've switched to a peoplemover under the then Penn Central tracks to reach the terminals (so like the current AirTrain Newark connection originally opened in 2001 though the rail station is by Haynes Ave). The plan was to extend to the airport before it became a Plainfield plan. Before the PATH extension project escalated into a line all the way to Plainfield, there had been hopes of a baggage‐check service. The extension was approved in 1975. The Federal Urban Mass Transit Administration was less enthusiastic about the extension's efficacy, and didn't want to give the Port Authority the $322 million it had requested for the project, about 80 percent of the projected cost. Eventually, the administration agreed to back it, but in 1977, the US Supreme Court ruled that the two state legislatures had violated the Constitution's Contract Clause by repealing a covenant in the 1962 bond agreements in order to make the extension possible. In June 1978, the extension was cancelled in favor of improving bus service in NJ.
There was also a pedestrian tunnel from the 33rd St Station to Penn Station that brought you into the LIRR concourse called the Gimbels Passageway. It was nice during the winter as the tall buildings tend to amplify the cold winds!
Why did they shut it down? Construction or too sketchy?
@@Thom-TRA I think several reasons. Sketchy and it was falling apart.
@@Thom-TRA maintenance and security costs were deemed too high at the time (this would have been in the mid-‘80s, around the time Gimbels closed upstairs). It had also once been possible to walk indoors from the IND mezzanine at Herald Square to the next one at Bryant Park, but that passage closed for the same reason.
I believe that in the new Penn station renovations they plan to bring back the connection
@@snowless456 that would be good.
great video, and I've ridden PATH many times, but great to see all the visual closeups. You do a fantastic job, and happy new year, Thom. Looking forward to even more videos
Happy new year!
Another fun fact is that the 6th Avenue Subway is built around and under the 33rd Street branch. The 6th Avenue local [F and M trains] are next to the PATH tracks, at 14th and 23rd Street stations you can go into a shared mezzanine to transfer between the systems, at 33rd Street the PATH concourse leads into the huge 34th Street/Herald Square complex. Now another fun fact is that the NYCTA did a deep bore under the PATH tracks to build the Express 6th Avenue tracks between West 4th St and 34th Street, this allowed the Express trains to zoom the 3 miles between West 4th and 34th st stations.
wish PATH would go directly into NWR airport...and not just airport station, but literally connect it to one of the terminal.
With the money port authority is throwing into the new people mover… unlikely, sadly
@@Thom-TRA yeah. disappointing. These are fundamental improvement that everyone would in fact use (in lower manhattan). It's nightmare the way its currently set up...obviously intentional.
PATH doesn’t go to the EWR Airport Station. It only goes as far as Newark Penn Station. From there, then it’s a six-minute, $3.45 NJ Transit train ride to the airport station. Then it’s an $8.50 ride on the AirTrain to the terminals. But I do agree that it would be great if PATH could extend the line directly into the airport.
@@motastic1714 You're talking about a train system that began services in 1908 and an airport that opened up in 1928. One has nothing to do with the other until rather recently.
In addition to the much needed extension of the PATH to Newark Airport, I think another place the PATH should be extended to is Northern Hudson County due to the immense population density. It should run under Bergenline Avenue to Nunguessers, which is the border point between Hudson and Bergen Counties between North Bergen and Fairview. It would also provide a great way for residents of North Bergen, Guttenberg, West New York and Union City to get to the city without having to wait for a NJ Transit bus that takes a long time to come, which is also why dollar vans which are small privately owned minibuses that charge around $2 to ride operate in these areas.
Yeah it would be great if the Jersey side had a better transit network
When Newark Airport was rebuilt in 1973, terminals A & B were designed to have the PATH trains run in the back of terminals A & B on the ground floor of the terminal buildings. If you parked in the parking garages under the terminals, you would enter these large areas on the ground floor to take the escalators up the departure and arrival levels of the terminals. Without the PATH extension to the airport, this area was a big waste of space in the new terminals. Instead, eventually the Port Authority built the Airtrain to connect the terminals to the Amtrak NE Corridor across US 1&9 from the airport when terminal C opened up in 1988. However, the Airtrain is an elevated structure behind the terminals rather than using the ground floor area originally designated for the PATH trains.
Really? That’s fascinating!
Pickled - Thank You for this info !
But the reason PATH is regulated by the FRA is because it runs adjacent to tracks that service freight and Amtrak and it travels from one state to another...
Happy New Year Thom & Lindsey ☮️&❤
Not quite, Patco runs along NJT Atlantic City line and into Pennsylvania and is not FRA. H&M was chartered as a railroad, the PRR owned and controlled them much the same way as the PRR owned the LIRR. H&M moved freight and mail. PRR commuter trains operated in and out of Exchange Place over H&M through Journal Square and to Penn Station Newark ( on what is now Path trackage)and down the current NEC. If you know where to look, while most of the wire is gone there are still a few catenary poles still standing from the PRR days. When the Port Authority built the World Trade Center over the original Hudson Terminal, The H&M was sold to the Port Authority and renamed Path. The PRR retained control of what little freight remained. PC/CR still crossed over and operated on a very short section in Kearny to Harrison into the 1970's. Path maintained a direct connection to NJT and Amtrak in Hudson yard unit about 2010 when the diamond and connecting was removed. Path also had (may still have) a connection to Conrail in Journal Square. Path also had connections to the NEC in Harrison which where removed many years ago. Path/H&M also had a couple of public grade crossings too which are long gone.
You were mentioning what you thought of the airport transit situation in the New York area but while you’re not exactly a huge fan of it you have to admit that it’s nowhere near as bad as it once was. Obviously it could be better and most definitely needs to be better all I can say is look at all the cities in North America that still don’t have any rail access to their airports. The worst part is that these places don’t seem to be in any hurry at all to get rail transit running to their airports. And these cities are ones that do have rail transit.
What’s really changed? The SBS to LaGuardia?
Great video, including the Cameo of the fellow littering in the middle of one of the New Jersey Path stations. It's very convenient to take path from Newark or even better. Jersey City, Jersey City has cheaper parking than Newark, in order to get into Southern Manhattan. I love the 33rd Street terminus in Manhattan; it has one of the nicest public bathrooms in the United States which has been useful for an older person like me. It's insane to me that the path has not been extended to Newark airport; instead they have that joke of a people mover that is not very useful or easy to navigate.
7:11 Exchange Place was closed partly because of water damage and partly because it wasn’t configured to be a terminal…inbound trains had always just looped through Hudson Terminal/WTC to get back to the outbound platform at Exchange Place. After reconfiguring switches west of the station to allow short turns and extending both sides of the platform to fit 10-car trains (previously the inbound side could only hold 7 and the outbound 8…despite the fact Newark-WTC was already running 8 car trains for many years before), Exchange Place reopened as a terminal station in mid-2003, a few months prior to WTC reopening in a temporary form.
Well yes, but that was too long to explain haha
@@Thom-TRA definitely not worth getting into in the video, just throwing in some local color!
Path should also be extended to serve NJT's Secaucus Junction!
Thanks for this awesome video! I often wondered how the PATH system and NYC subway systems were different and not really connected but sometimes went to the same places. It is amazing that the engineering from over 100 years ago is still in use today.
Isn’t it kind of crazy they’re not integrated?
I know it’s not the focus of your channel, but would love to see how safety of passengers and ridership relate to each other. I take transit here in DFW, and based on what I’ve seen, I wouldn’t take it if I weren’t armed. I’m sure so many are in the same boat
Remember you’re about 10000 times more likely to die driving your car than taking transit. And a firearm won’t help you there.
The PATH reminds me about the PATCO (Port Authority Transportation Company) that connects New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Happy New Year! Congratulations on how your channel has grown. It's awesome!
I've been on the PATH a few times. Dead convenient. If I live in NJ and had to work in NYC, that would be my route of choice.
I agree. It’s much better than driving!
I found your videos in the last few weeks because of your Grand Rapids coverage (where I am now living with no car and enjoying the 6 line)…. But I most recently lived in North Jersey while working in NYC. I loved the path. (And all the interesting transit up there) excited to watch this , and your content is great
Love the 6!!!
What an awesome PATH this is!!! Thanks for another awesome video!!!
i think they air planing a newark airport extension to patyh if true can you do a future video aboutit happy 10 yearsanivarsey.
The Pennsylvania Railroad built a full width 4 track El for 1 mile in Jersey City from near Journal Square to the ferry terminal in 1890. Unlike the El train lines in New York City and Brooklyn which was its own city until 1898. The train lines in those cities had to have narrow staions and train to run above the streets.
The street now called Columbus Drive was called Railroad Avenue previously, and the PRR viaduct to Exhange Place ran above it. PATH still runs under it from the portal east of Waldo yard to Exchange Place.
FYI: New Harrison Station platforms opened this year, next year Hoboken station will close for the month of February for renovation and that sad sad looking Newport Station will be renovated after.
I have yet to visit Harrison but I really want to
PATH was always my backup ride to get into NYC when the Portal Bridge was inop or the centenary was down btw NWK and NYP
That blue front livery is simple but very attractive .You answered the question i'd often wondered about PATH if you could ride it internally in New York City.
I think its cute since the IRT lines have the R-142 that have red on the front
I like thd Old sign saying "To BMT lines and independent Subway" at 10:38
I love the old relics!
back in the 60s there was still signage downtown directing people to the "H&M Tubes"
@@joestrike8537 cool. Maybe I go relict hunting when I travel to New York eventually. Don't get to the US that often, never was in New York. Twice in the Bay Area and Northern California/Nevada and once in Philly just 2 weeks ago.
PATH to New York is analogous to PATCO to Philly. They both operate in and out of Jersey
Unfortunately path service has become terrible on the weekends. Infrequent service compared to the demand, leading to massive overcrowding. There was also a major electrical fire on the 33st line a few weeks ago. On weekdays, service tends to be better. There also is ferry service between NYC and NJ or NJ transit (trains and bus) as alternatives on the weekends.
Yeah the waits are insane
Happy New Year to all, who are reading this comment! I wish you be healthy, wealthy and have a great holidays. I hope you'll realize all your best wishes.
I am also PATH enthusiast, my first time when I found out about this unique commuter interstate subway was in childhood, I just played in computer game - World of Subways. Then I started to make a research about system history and modern times, it was breathtaking and glorious!
It’s a darn shame they’ve never been able to build PATH subway line from Christopher St. south along Greenwich St. all the way to the WTC terminal. That way PATH could also have far west side Lower Downtown service solely on the Manhattan Side, (when needed due to tunnel maintenance!) Thenafter, extend that Greenwich line north to head underneath the High Line ROW to eventually meet 34th St. Hudson yards! Or Penn Moynihan!
I feel like PATH could’ve been the core of a New York S-Bahn in an alternate timeline. There used to be connections to mainline track in New Jersey, and if it had been extended to Grand Central, it could’ve been joined up with the electrified services on the Harlem and Hudson lines. I don’t know if that would’ve been politically or even operationally feasible, but it’s interesting to think about.
Great video. I found PATH to be a pretty decent system when I rode it several years back down from 33rd Street just to see Hoboken Terminal. Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year! Hope they can work out the Newark international Airport extension!
Thom, it's a good thing you got in your $2.75 PATH fare because starting January 12, 2025, PATH fares are going up to $3.00, Happy New Year to you and Lindsey, sir!!!🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊
I use the PATH all the time to go to NYC. I wish it was better service wise. 20 minutes for the NWK-WTC line outside rush hour is criminal, especially on how packed trains are. Also not a fan of the weekend JSQ-HOB-33rd service since going through Hoboken eats up a lot of time.
Yeah the frequencies can be terrible
i ride last year's. it slowed service on weekends.
Thank you Thom. Happy new year🎉😊
Thank you for that. The problem with PATH is that it's surrounded by LIRR, MNCR and NJT grabbing all the commuter railroad glory. I don't if I'd go as far as saying FRA regs are more onerous that FTA.
They are stricter. There is a PTC requirement, staff rest requirements, they need to make sure there are certain pieces of hardware attached to all trains at all times. You can look it up.
@ No thank you. When I retired from railroad life I was the 243 designated instructor. Further, I wrote the program for submittal and acceptance of the FRA. So the only way I’m going look any further is if there’s a paycheck involved. I was never involved with FTA regs while I know they are “different” I’m sure they are just as much of a headache because, well, it’s the gub’mit.
It really was great when I headed over to the red bull stadium, we were at a hotel in Newark so I got to do touristy Manhattan stuff before heading back to see the game then back to Newark, all thanks to PATH
It’s very useful for stuff like that!
Now will someone explain to me the distinct PATH smell? It's been the same since at least the 90's. And I'm not talking BO or pee smell. The PATH train has a distinct odor of whatever lubricant or cleaning products they use or something.
I knew someone would say something about this!
I know exactly what you mean!
It's been smelling like that since the 1980s at the very least. It's almost like a warm industrial latrine has been sloshed down with salt water.
In 2025, The DC Metro will add a open payment system like New York's allowing riders to pay with credit or debit card instead of Smartrip card
i haven't been via the Path in yrs, it was crowded yet relaxin'
Awesome intro!
Happy New Year and see your next year with new video
As a New Yorker, I been ride the PATH train 20 times on weekends and holidays.
That's interesting that a subway is classified as a commuter rail. Those are underground subway cars not like VRE and MARC commuter trains
The SIRT is also classified as an FRA line. Because they connect to actual Commuter train lines and have grade crossings in spots, they aren't considered a subway.
Thanks for sharing, and have an awesome New Year with many blessings
You too Jose!
I wish Path would through run with the LIRR Atlantic Branch if it got extended to Fulton Street.
If done the conductor will have to say ... Watch Your Step. PATH trains are narrow to enter and exit.
PATH trains are tiny, like IRT trains. It would be very difficult to make them work in LIRR stations unless you did something like use opposite sides of the platforms for each type of train (like Queensboro Plaza or some of the spots on London where deep level tube trains have cross-platform transfers to sub-surface trains)
Thanks 😊
Happy new year, cool video
Happy new year!
1:48 ha ha ha - the hardest I've laughed in some time
I wish it wasn't so Manhattan-centric. Needs more coverage up and down the Hudson River's west bank to work as New Jersey's urban answer to the MTA. I know NIMBYs in Bergen County would hate the idea though
Yeah it would be nice if NJ had more of its own transit other than just the light rail
Excellent video to end the year. Well done! Can’t wait to see what you have to share with us in 2025
Thank you! Lots of good stuff
I am quite familiar with photo bans on certain trains and stations, especially military related ones. But I cannot find a reason that PATH should be considered in such way. Even filming on trains transporting South Korean army's and USFK's tanks are not banned as strictly as PATH photo
Apparently the management of PATH are admirers of Communism.
Maybe they transport nukes in the trains
@@Thom-TRA Why do they do it? "Because they can."
Some of the older, now retired PA-3 cars were the basis of the MBTA's now-retired Hawker-Siddley cars (known by some Bostonians as "rolling rec-rooms" on account of their seventies fake wood paneling) used on the Blue and Orange Lines, hence a very similar appearance both inside and out.
I tried taking it from WTC to EWR to see if I could save on cost n time, I regretted it BIG TIME...Never again...I'll stick to jersey transit bus for $21
The bus can get stuck in traffic though.
@Thom-TRA I'm not against trains or even trying to compare them with buses....i love trains....it's just my bad experience trying to connect with EWR via PATH.
I really hope that one day, the MTA eats PATH so that we can get free transfer between it and the subway!
It would be curious to see what laws would have to change to allow the MTA to operate in NJ
@Thom-TRA Theoretically, I believe all it would require is that NY and NJ sign a compact like the one NY already has with CT for the New Haven Line.
I feel like the free transfer could theoretically happen a lot easier than it being taken over by the MTA
Excellent video as always Thom! May this year be the PATH to more great Trains Are Awesome videos!
Those cars are small but the Chicago EL trains are still 3 feet shorter, guess the turns on the EL are even tighter.
They are!
Brilliant video sir
Many thanks!
What also doesnt make sense is how the service from 33rd terminates at journal square instead of going to newark.
Probably demand based or maybe Newark can’t handle the volume
It also uses some of the original PRR line that went to Exchange Place. (whence the cantenary poles).
Someone somehow managed to get a front view from 33rd-JSQ, although it has a questionable watermark. ua-cam.com/video/5i5ZggFdzxc/v-deo.html
I saw that!
PATH is a great option for going between the Oculus and Jersey City. Only takes a few minutes and it's very easy to navigate. I like doing PATH one way and taking the ferry the other way, just for the views of Manhattan.
That’s a great way to do it!
Great video!
Thanks!
I really enjoyed your video. I still remember as a young child riding what was then called the HUDSON TUBES. The cars were greyish brown and the seats were straw woven. Large fans were located on the top of the ceiling. Again, thank you for your vdeo.
Straw woven seats, interesting!
The H&M reference gave me a good laugh lmao. Nice video!
Haha that’s always what I think about when I hear H&M
I was happy to experience PATH a number of times during my brief residence in New Jersey. I"m back in the land of BART, CalTrain et al (i.e., the Bay Area)
Ugh! I ride the PATH daily, including today. Such an awfully slow service. Traveling from Exchange Place to Newark, never exceeding 35 mph the whole way.
Best part is when a westbound train stops on the Passaic River bridge just short of Newark, positioned perfectly to watch your NJT/Amtrak connection (I.e.: the train you’re now going to miss) glide by on the tracks below.
It is pretty slow from time to time. Still beats driving.
@@Thom-TRAI agree
Went to New York last year (2024) but stayed on the other side of the river. These sounds and announcements are pure throwback ngl
Gelukkig nieuwjaar!
Jij ook gelukkig nieuw jaar!
Here's an interesting fact about the PATH: since the PATH is FRA regulated, they are bounded by PTC requirements. They actually satisfy their PTC requirements using their CBTC signaling.
Great video on path
Thanks!
@@Thom-TRA your welcome
In July 2016, I took PATH from the WTC to Jersey City Erie RR, now Newport, and another to 9th St in Greenwich Village. I had to buy a separate ticket from my MTA card. Otherwise PATH seemed to function more or less like the MTA.
PATH really should be about 5* its current size
PATH was supposed to accept OMNY but because of Cubic’s and MTA bungling of OMNY expansion, they decided to go for their own contract with Cubic.
0:46 Oh that’s OK we understand that some of these clips are low quality in other words they’re a little old and shaky
Are you going to Cta holiday train in 2025 or not?
@thom-TRA Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you, Lindsey, Bear and all your friends!!!
As much as I might complain about PATH's issues, it's something I can't imagine life without. It's an essential part of so many people's lives especially because of the 24 hour service, I hope to see it get even better and that starts with a Newark airport extension, the best addition was adding tap to pay. I didn't know it costs 3x more to run than MTA because of that commuter rail clause, excellent video and informative even to someone living right next to a station.
Seeing the PATH run between Newark and Harrison at night is, to me, one of the best views in the Jersey area!
Thanks! Here’s to many great rides in 2025
Love the new opening!
Thanks!
I love this little clip, from 4:48 - 5:00. A guy stands up and drops a small wad of paper. He doesn’t pick it up. Somehow, in the next clip, that paper appears to have been magically transported onto the train car, in a very similar spot in the frame. 😂
Great video! As a photographer, I’d love to know the rationale for the photography ban PATH has. Those sorts of bans intrigue me - they’re almost never justified nor make much sense.
Happy New Years and I’m looking forward to more amazing content on this channel!
“Terrorism” or something. And the littering montage was accidental but all the more funny because of it.
What kind of photography do you do?
@ Ah, yes… “terrorism” is a classic so-called rationale for fearing anyone holding a camera. It hit its high point in the years following the 9/11 attacks. The comedian Nate Bargatze (sp?) has a new Netflix comedy special and he tells about working as a water meter reader during that time and how he and his fellow readers were deployed to guard their community’s water tanks. Funny and pathetic. Which is exactly what that cliche “terrorism” rationale is.
As for the kind of photography I do… I’ve been photographing for 50+ years, as both avocation and vocation. At this point, I don’t have a type or genre that I feel tied to. I pretty much just walk around this amazing world, camera (either film or digital) in hand and photograph whatever catches my eye. When I was in Tokyo, I only took my Polaroid camera (and a bunch of film packs 😉) - I just love the way that camera transforms the world! I do like to engage in guerrilla photography. Keeps me on my toes. 😁
Not Fun Fact: Every piece of PATH footage in this video is *illegal 😔*
Shhhh
Narccccccccc
Very unlikely: photography of publicly accessible areas is a protected activity under the First Amendment. Any enforcement beyond yelling at you would almost certainly not prevail in court if challenged. PATH's policy is almost certainly illegal.
There's no such law as taking photos in public places including train stations and on trains as our tax money pays for them so technically we all own them. PATH just doesn't understand photography and the law.
I’m pretty sure only the news is banned from taking pictures and vids on PATH property (from what other sources state)
OMNY isn't allowed just yet because of politics, so for now they will get TAPP which is a rebranded OMNY. Hopefully in the future it can finally be intergrated when both systems share the same fare rate and equipment.
Historically speaking though, the vast majority of people prefered to use the ferries And not only was there also service at Exchange Place and Pavonia by the B&O, Lehigh Valley, Reading, and Susquehannah but the nearby to the south and north were terminals at Communipaw (CNJ) and Weehawken (NYC and O&W).
Path would be the best way to travel between NYC and New Jersey. I don’t like how they have a strict policy of photos and that they don’t allow it. I would have to be very sneaky if I still wanted to record some footage on board and on platforms.
Greetings from UK; thanks for covering why PATH is considered a Railroad rather than Transit even though it looks so transit.
Bureaucracy!
Fun little fact: after the attacks, a few cars were dug up, and one of them, PA-3 745 is actually sitting at the Shoreline Trolley museum in CT, almost perfectly preserved! (cosmetically, that is. i cant speak on if it's operational or not)
"No Fare compatibility" - you can use a metrocard just as a tip for y'all
1. Not every metro card.
2. The MTA is phasing out the metro card.
Not every metro card, really
Another good option when visiting NYC and staying in NJ is to use the PATH then get on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) for hotels at Lincoln Harbor and Port Imperial in Weehawken.
The fact that PATH doesn't connect with EWR or GCT is absurd.
The H&MRR always intended to integrate with the IRT Subway, but never was able to do that for "reasons."
once i rode the PATH to NJ. then walked around bit. then i returned to NYC.
Cant be a photo ban if you dont get caught 😅😂
Shhh
Happy you enjoy the video👍👍
I live in the castle-shaped building on the right at 0:36!
It’s just that the MTA’s management is got awful.