Hoboken PATH: Port Authority Reduces Rush Hour Train Service

If you’re a rush-hour PATH rider in Hoboken, your fare may now be getting you 14 percent less bang for your buck.

In late April, Port Authority officials made the decision to extend the time between trains on the Hoboken to 33rd Street line, effectively reducing the amount of trains available at the station during rush hour.

Since then, numerous commuters have been complaining to Hoboken city officials about the service changes, including Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

In a letter to Port Authority officials, Zimmer charged that the agency’s decision to reduce PATH train service in Hoboken was “short-sighted.”

Among Zimmer’s claims:

• The service change reduces peak service on the Hoboken to 33rd Street line by 14 percent
• Between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., service from Hoboken to 33rd Street has been cut from 19 trains to 16 trains
• Between 4:30 to 6:45 p.m., service from 33rd Street to Hoboken was reduced from 24 trains to 21 trains
• Late evening service from 9 p.m. to midnight was reduced from 11 trains to 9 trains
• Ridership at the Hoboken PATH station has increased by 11 percent since 2012

Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman told Patch that the agency is currently reviewing Zimmer’s data for accuracy. However, he confirmed that service in Hoboken had been reduced.

“PATH adjusted its published schedule starting at the end of April based on a recommendation from PATH staff to extend the time between trains on the Hoboken to 33rd Street line by one minute, from six minutes between trains to seven minutes between trains during the morning and afternoon windows from approximately 7:35 to 9:30 a.m., and 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” stated Coleman in an email.

There were no changes in evening service or any other time windows, he added.

Coleman continued:

“PATH made this adjustment in order to reduce the time between trains on the Jersey City to 33rd Street line… given the significant platform crowding issues we have been experiencing at those stations in light of the high growth and ridership we have been experiencing there. Given train equipment, tunnel and personnel constraints, this was PATH’s recommendation to best balance service on the system given ridership we are seeing and ensure public safety on the platforms.”

COMMUTERS COMMENT

Social media responses to Zimmer’s claims were overwhelmingly critical of the service cuts.

“Is that part of PA’s revised service plan - take from one line to give to the other?” one rider asked.

“Time to organize a boycott - this is disgusting!” another wrote.

Photo courtesy of the City of Hoboken via Facebook

Photo caption: Hoboken’s PATH riders are complaining about recent service cuts on the Hoboken to 33rd Street line, according to Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

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