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I talked to a train worker on a ride once. He himself admitted that there is no feasible solution for the PATH going forward. As Jersey City gets more and more people moving in as construction continues, the trains cannot keep pace. Running more trains is not an option according to him (allegedly because there is no extra space on the tracks to fit them), nor is making the trains larger, since that would also require altering every single space to make more room along the track for the train to fit so people can get on and off.
I wonder if when this unsustainable bubble pops, how will the housing market in Jersey City react? When the trains get even more overcrowded than they are now and people potentially cannot fit on when it comes to their stop, will people actually want to live there since the commute time will become worse?
Perhaps this is actually what will start to drive people further out to Journal Square and Newark, as they can more easily get on the train at the beginning of the ride. Maybe Newport will suffer and will have trouble getting renters.
I hope the next NJ governor is smart enough to take this situation and use it as an advantage. If transit into the city sucks then lower corporate taxes and promote more companies to move into Jersey City, Newark, or elsewhere in North Jersey.
If the North River tunnels fail before the new ones are built (which seems quite likely), I'll certainly not be working in Manhattan any more. If my company doesn't set up a NJ office, I'll be looking for work elsewhere.
For now there is still quite a bit of unused ferry capacity; the trick would be getting to it, which for many would require the Waterfront Connection (a.k.a Reverse Kearny; from the NEC to Hoboken) be expanded. That's a smaller project than many of the others so it might be doable; people won't the cost of an NJT->ferry commute, but if PATH gets to the point where every train fills up at Newark for much of rush hour, what choice will they have?
I talked to a train worker on a ride once. He himself admitted that there is no feasible solution for the PATH going forward. As Jersey City gets more and more people moving in as construction continues, the trains cannot keep pace. Running more trains is not an option according to him (allegedly because there is no extra space on the tracks to fit them), nor is making the trains larger, since that would also require altering every single space to make more room along the track for the train to fit so people can get on and off.
I wonder if when this unsustainable bubble pops, how will the housing market in Jersey City react? When the trains get even more overcrowded than they are now and people potentially cannot fit on when it comes to their stop, will people actually want to live there since the commute time will become worse?
Perhaps this is actually what will start to drive people further out to Journal Square and Newark, as they can more easily get on the train at the beginning of the ride. Maybe Newport will suffer and will have trouble getting renters.
Along the waterfront rents can be very high to I suspect if worst comes many residents will switch to ferries.
During the Sandy repairs to the WTC - Exchange Pl tunnel the Port Authority subsidized the ferry between Battery Park & Exchange down to $2.50 per ride. If there is ever a PATH crisis I expect the same will happen.
I talked to a train worker on a ride once. He himself admitted that there is no feasible solution for the PATH going forward. As Jersey City gets more and more people moving in as construction continues, the trains cannot keep pace. Running more trains is not an option according to him (allegedly because there is no extra space on the tracks to fit them),
From what I have read in the past, it's the outdated switching and signaling system that is prohibiting more trains to run. Because of the old system the trains have to be spaced farther apart and there is no capacity to add more trains.
From what I have read in the past, it's the outdated switching and signaling system that is prohibiting more trains to run. Because of the old system the trains have to be spaced farther apart and there is no capacity to add more trains.
You can squeeze a little bit more (the claim is 20%, but I'd be surprised if that's realized in practice) with a new signalling system, but even 20% won't be nearly enough if growth continues.
Whenever the PATH suffers a major delay of 30mins or longer. Usually 1-2 times a year usually in the summer. stations like New Port, Newark, and WTC would get so packed that there's no room to stand or walk as people mad dash towards the subway to get to alternatives. At Newport, there were so many people in the station everyone was standing on the stairs and you couldn't get out as the people during rush hour floods the area. One other big problem is the arrival of many newly arrived immigrants who don't understand manners in this country. They brought over 3rd world country manners and it can get pretty ugly here.
I can't imagine if the PATH ever get flooded again, during those 2-3 weeks a lot of people had 3rd world country manners.
We probably got lucky as the recent 2 tropical storms did not come up here and stayed south.
Wouldnt solve the signaling issue but if you got rid of path and expanded the subway to cover where the path goes it may be better off.
Big problem. That would require the cooperation of the two states and changes in what the affected authorities can do.
The PA was formed in 1921 to stop the squabbling between NY and NJ. 95 years later, the lack of accord between NY and NJ is what causes most of their problems. Each governor appoints six commissioners. They will answer to their respective bosses.
Once the Meadowlands Sports complex was built (opened in 1976), there were always suggestions to extend the NYC subway #7 line from Times Sq to the Meadowlands (6 miles). Bus access plus the parking lots could have easily supported a ton of commuters. The eventual NJT train connection could have been added sooner. It would have taken a huge amount of strain off all the other sections of the NJ to NYC commute.
The stupidity for not doing it rests with the MTA, PA and state officials of NY and NJ and the Federal govt.
but if PATH gets to the point where every train fills up at Newark for much of rush hour, what choice will they have?
If that happens, maybe they can have some trains which start at 33rd/WTC and terminate at Pavonia or Grove street and vice versa. This will for peak hours only.
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