Port authority begins to roll out first of 72 new rail cars for service across path
New cars part of broader plan to increase capacity, reduce delays, and enhance the overall rider experience
The Port Authority of New York and New Jerseyannounced that the first of 72 new PATH rail cars will be deployed for service starting next week, part of the agency’s $1 billion PATH Improvement Plan to reduce delays and enhance the overall customer experience. The new high-performance rail cars will supplement the current fleet of 350 and will be gradually integrated into the system throughout 2023 and into 2024, marking an increase of more than 20 percent in rolling stock, port authority said in its news release.
The addition of the 72 new cars will also supplement the implementation of PATH’s new 9-car trains in service on the Newark to World Trade Center line, and by the beginning of 2024, nearly all trains on this line will be 9-car trains at peak times. The addition of a ninth rail car to trains during peak hours is part of an ambitious program to increase capacity and provide a safer, more convenient commuting experience for customers on PATH’s busiest line.
Expanding capacity is one of three components of the PATH Improvement Plan, in addition to reducing delays and enhancing customer experience through new technology and additional personnel. Part of the plan, which was introduced in 2019, called for capacity increase through the acquisition of additional rail cars, expansion of station platforms to accommodate 9-car trains on the Newark-World Trade Center line versus today’s 8-car trains, and utilization of a new signal system to run trains more frequently, particularly during morning and evening rush hours.
The plan was cited by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in its selection of PATH for the 2022 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement award for North American railroads with more than 20 million riders annually.
Built by Kawasaki, the new rail cars were transported to a Kawasaki facility in Yonkers, N.Y. where they were outfitted and tested before being delivered to PATH. The 72 cars are part of PATH’s commitment to expand its fleet in order to increase its capacity in the years ahead.
PATH is rebuilding its ridership steadily and expects to achieve at least 60 percent of its overall average daily ridership by the end of 2023. Comprising 13 stations in New York City and New Jersey, PATH handled nearly 82 million commuter trips in 2019, a record number of passengers in one year, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that significantly lowered ridership.
The new cars will be put into service on the Newark to World Trade Center, 33 St to Journal Square, Hoboken to 33 St, and Hoboken to World Trade Center lines, as well as the Journal Square to 33 St via Hoboken line on weekends.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state agency that builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. For over a century, the agency’s network of major airports; critical bridges, tunnels and bus terminals; a commuter rail line; and the busiest seaport on the East Coast has been among the most vital in the country – transporting hundreds of millions of people and moving essential goods into and out of the region.