If for any reason you use the PATH system via the Hoboken station, you’re going to want to pay close attention to this — because for almost the entire month of February, the station will be closed and you’ll need to find alternate ways to commute.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Oct. 31 the station will be closed from late evening Jan. 30, 2025, to early morning Feb. 25, 2025, as part of the agency’s two-year, $430 million PATH Forward program.
During the closure, the Port Authority will carry out what it calls critical safety repairs and improvements across several elements of the 116-year-old system. The full station closure enables the agency to complete track and station work on an expedited basis that would otherwise necessitate severe schedule reductions and service suspensions repetitively over a prolonged period.
Track work will include replacing in-station track, replacing the track switching network outside the station and repairing 4,500 linear feet of track leading to the station. Station work will include refurbishing the concrete platform surface and replacing four stairways between the station’s mezzanine and platform levels.
The Port Authority has worked with regional transit partners to provide riders with extensive travel alternatives while work is completed. Those alternatives will include expanded ferry service, frequent shuttle buses to other PATH stations and supplemental PATH, light rail and NJ TRANSIT bus service between Hoboken and Manhattan.
“This closure will undoubtedly pose challenges for Hoboken riders, and we recognize the impact it will have on their daily routines,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “The PATH system is a vital connection in our region, and this work is crucial to ensuring it remains safe, reliable, and efficient for the thousands who depend on it every day. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our riders as we work to strengthen this essential infrastructure.”
The Port Authority says it utilized outside expertise in evaluating the PATH system’s needs and potential work schedules. Consultants identified a full station closure as the best option to simultaneously complete the three projects. The Port Authority has also collaborated with outside experts to develop a work plan based on the industry’s best practices. The agency planned the closure for a time of year that traditionally sees lower daily ridership levels.
All alternative travel options are ADA-accessible.
Those alternatives will include:
Cross-honored ferry service:
- Additional peak period service departing every 10 minutes from both Hoboken ferry terminals, the PATH/NJ TRANSIT station terminal and the 14th Street terminal, with service to Manhattan’s Brookfield Place/Battery Park City terminal and Midtown/West 39tg Street terminal.
- Expanded NY Waterway crosstown bus service from Midtown/West 39th Street terminal.
- Extended operating hours until 10 p.m. weekdays and midnight, weekends at both Hoboken terminals.
- Additional weekend route, offering service to Midtown/West 39th Street from both Hoboken terminals.
Free PATH shuttle bus service:
- Frequent shuttle buses connecting Hoboken riders to continuing PATH service at Newport and Exchange Place stations.
Supplemental Bus Service to Enhance NJ TRANSIT’s No. 126 Line
- NJ TRANSIT to increase frequency of the No. 126 bus, connecting Hoboken station with the Midtown Bus Terminal.
Supplemental PATH service:
- Additional PATH trains to serve expected additional passengers at Newport and Exchange Pl stations to/from World Trade Center and 33 St. The additional service will result in trains arriving at Newport every two to four minutes and trains arriving at Exchange Place every five minutes or less during rush hours.
Supplemental NJ TRANSIT Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service:
- NJ TRANSIT will provide additional service on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail weekdays between 6-10 a.m. and 3-7 p.m., connecting riders to/from continuing PATH service at Newport and Exchange Place.
To stay up to date, riders are strongly encouraged to use the free-to-download RidePATH app, which is available from the Apple and Google Play app stores; visit the project site specific to the Hoboken closure or for information on the overall PATH Forward program, visit the PATH Forward website; sign up for alerts, or follow PATH on social media.
The Port Authority is also organizing several informational sessions, both in-person and virtual, ahead of the closure. Public information sessions:
- In person: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12: Hoboken Terminal, waiting room, 1 Hudson Place, Hoboken,
- In person: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13: 2 Montgomery St., Jersey City.
- Virtual: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. More information is available on the Hoboken project site.
The station closure is the next major phase of the Port Authority’s two-year PATH Forward program. The program encompasses a series of projects including comprehensive track repair and replacement, modernization of bridges, railcars and other critical infrastructure and rehabilitation of four major stations: Hoboken, Grove Street, Newport and Exchange Place.
Through the end of this year, work will continue between Journal Square and Harrison stations, necessitating adjusted service levels on most weekends between those stations. Trains will run every 40 minutes on weekends as outlined on the PATH Forward website.
PATH is also replacing 6,000 feet of track and installing an additional interlocking system, which will improve operational flexibility and reduce the impact of delays on passengers. This new interlocking will enable PATH trains to bypass disabled trains west of Journal Square, allowing for a quicker resumption of service on the Newark-World Trade Center line.
Additionally, PATH is completing a sea wall along the Passaic River that will protect the system from future flooding.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.