Hoboken residents will have to find a different way to New York City beginning next week as the New Jersey city’s PATH station closes for nearly a month. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s $54 million makeover of Hoboken’s PATH station begins on January 30 at 11:59 p.m. and ends on February 25 at 5 a.m. The work includes comprehensive repairs to tracks, infrastructure, and stations. During this closure, the Port Authority will provide a variety of travel alternatives, including free shuttle buses, as well as supplemental PATH, light rail, and NJ Transit bus services connecting Hoboken and Manhattan.
As soon as the last train departs on January 30, work crews will spring into action to begin the project. PATH is making the most of the 25-day continuous closure by completing a project that would otherwise take at least a year if conducted in phases.
The transit agency selected the month of February due to its historically low ridership numbers compared to other times of the year.
The PATH project’s extended closure is a first in the agency’s modern history, marking a departure from PATH’s usual practice of continuing service through construction, as seen in redevelopments at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports.
PATH’s plans have been carefully devised, with work scheduled 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a total of 600 hours. In the first 36 hours after the closure, workers will dismantle signals and other wall-mounted equipment in the tunnels to create more space for the project.
“We had to demonstrate that we thought about every way to do this, and this was the least painful. There are a lot of moving parts and projects that we’re bringing together under the umbrella of this closure,” Sanchita Banerjee-Jimenez, PATH Deputy Director for Operations and Customer Experience, said in a press release.
A key component of the project is replacing the 35-year-old double crossover slip switch located just outside the station. This switch allows arriving trains to access all three tracks. Its replacement will result in fewer delays and more reliable service.
Workers will also remove existing tracks and the ballast—stabilizing rocks underneath tracks that drain moisture and prevent structural and equipment damage. These rocks have been crushed underneath 230 trains every single day for more than a century, reducing them to a fine powder that clogs the track bed instead of draining it.
Following the replacement of the ballast, over 4,500 linear feet of new tracks will be installed on top. The third rail, which powers the trains, will also be replaced in the same area with a new composite material that conducts electricity more efficiently.
The station will undergo a makeover that includes structural repairs, new tiling on the platforms, brighter lighting, updated signage, and four new staircases to replace the original steps. The concrete walking surfaces in public areas will also be replaced.
Additionally, the station’s color scheme will be restored to white and “Lackawanna Green,” in consultation with the NJ Historic Preservation Office and the Hoboken Historic Preservation Commission, honoring the original railroad that operated out of Hoboken Terminal.
You can learn more about the project, as well as alternative transportation options during the closure, here.
The Hoboken project is part of the Port Authority’s broader $430 million investment program called PATH Forward, aimed at modernizing the system, which launched last year. The program also includes rehabilitation of Grove Street, Newport, and Exchange Place stations.
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