PATH (rail system)

PATH
A PATH train of PA5 cars on the Newark–World Trade Center line, crossing the Passaic River en route to the World Trade Center
Overview
Owner	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Locale	Newark/Hudson County, New Jersey and Manhattan, New York
Transit type	Commuter railroad (de jure) Rapid transit (de facto)
Number of lines	4
Number of stations	13
Daily ridership	205,600 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership	55,109,100 (2023)[2]
Headquarters	PATH Plaza Jersey City, New Jersey
Website	panynj.gov/path
Operation
Began operation	February 25, 1908 (as H&M Railroad) September 1, 1962 (as PATH)
Operator(s)	Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
Number of vehicles	350 PA5 cars[3]
Technical
System length	13.8 mi (22.2 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Third rail, 600 V DC
System map Legend 33rd Street 28th Street 23rd Street 19th Street 14th Street never-built Astor Place spur Ninth Street Christopher Street Hudson Terminal World Trade Center Uptown & Downtown Hudson Tubes NY NJ Hoboken Terminal Exchange Place Newport Grove Street Waldo Yard Journal Square PATH Lift Bridge over Hackensack River Manhattan Transfer Harrison Car Maintenance Facility Harrison Centre Street│Dock Bridges over Passaic River Park Place Newark Penn Station Newark Airport (planned) This diagram: view talk edit

The Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) is a 13.8-mile (22.2 km) rapid transit system in the northeastern New Jersey cities of Newark, Harrison, Jersey City, and Hoboken, as well as Lower and Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. PATH trains run around the clock year-round; four routes serving 13 stations operate during the daytime on weekdays, while two routes operate during weekends, late nights, and holidays. It crosses the Hudson River through cast iron tunnels that rest on a bed of silt on the river bottom. It operates as a deep-level subway in Manhattan and the Jersey City/Hoboken riverfront; from Grove Street in Jersey City to Newark, trains run in open cuts, at grade level, and on elevated track. In 2023, the system saw 55,109,100 rides, or about 205,600 per weekday in the third quarter of 2024, making it the fifth-busiest rapid transit system in the United States.

The routes of the PATH system were originally operated by the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H&M), built to link New Jersey's Hudson Waterfront with New York City. The system began operations in 1908 and was fully completed in 1911. Three stations have since closed; two others were relocated after a re-alignment of the western terminus. From the 1920s, the rise of automobile travel and the concurrent construction of bridges and tunnels across the river sent the H&M into a financial decline during the Great Depression, from which it never recovered, and it was forced into bankruptcy in 1954. As part of the deal that cleared the way for the construction of the original World Trade Center, the Port Authority bought the H&M out of receivership in 1962 and renamed it PATH. In the 2000s and 2010s, the system suffered longstanding interruptions from disasters that affected the New York metropolitan area, most notably the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Sandy. Both private and public stakeholders have proposed expanding PATH service in New Jersey, and an extension to Newark Liberty International Airport may be constructed in the 2020s.

Although PATH has long operated as a rapid transit system, it is legally a commuter railroad under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Its right-of-way between Jersey City and Newark is located in close proximity to Conrail, NJ Transit, and Amtrak trackage, and it shares the Dock Bridge with intercity and commuter trains. All PATH train operators must therefore be licensed railroad engineers, and extra inspections are required. As of 2023^[update], PATH uses one class of rolling stock, the PA5.