PATH Train: Think These 5 Stations Are Getting More Crowded? You’re Right

PATH train riders who have been suspecting that they’ve been seeing a more crowded commute at five stations in New Jersey and New York now have official confirmation that they're correct.

Last week, the Port Authority of NY/NJ released PATH ridership statistics for June of 2016, which officials are calling the “highest on record.” Overall, nearly seven million people entered the turnstiles system-wide in June, a 3.6 percent increase over the same period in 2015, the Port Authority stated.

The stations that experienced the highest percentage increases in average weekday ridership in June compared to June 2015 were Christopher Street, Grove Street, Harrison and Exchange Place, officials said.

On weekends, the Harrison, World Trade Center, Grove Street and Exchange Place stations experienced the biggest increases in average ridership, officials stated.

So far in 2016, system-wide ridership is 5.5 percent higher than the same period in 2015, with average weekday ridership increasing by 5.4 percent and average Saturday ridership increasing by 2.2 percent, officials reported.

PATH officials attributed the record-setting increases primarily to continued economic growth, an improving regional employment picture and a larger-than-normal number of tourists and sightseers, due to the improved economy and relatively good weather so far this year.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Flickr Commons, Alan Taylor