Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images News / Getty Images
PATH riders using the Hoboken Terminal are being offered alternative travel options due to ongoing repairs of switch problems that caused a derailment last week. Starting Tuesday (July 22), riders can access free or discounted rides on NJ Transit and New York Waterway ferries until Friday night (July 25) as repairs continue. Riders must show a valid PATH fare payment card or a virtual cross-honoring pass on the Ride PATH app to receive the discount.
The derailment on July 12, which affected the last car of a PATH train arriving in Hoboken, has led to emergency repairs on two of the three switches guiding trains through the interlocking in and out of Hoboken. This interlocking is a complex track junction that was replaced during the PATH Forward rehabilitation project, which previously closed the Hoboken Terminal for 26 days.
NJ Transit rail will cross-honor PATH customers at Hoboken, Secaucus, and New York Penn Station, while the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will do so at Exchange Place, Newport, and Hoboken stations. NY Waterway is offering $3 discounted ferry tickets for PATH customers on select routes and times.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey stated that these measures are necessary to expedite repair work, which would otherwise require years of intermittent closures. The agency is committed to providing a range of travel alternatives during the closure to minimize disruption for the estimated 20,000 daily riders.