HUDSON COUNTY — The PATH rail system’s ongoing post-Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts will continue over the next three weekends as staff works to continue removing corrosive salt from rails, equipment and tunnels to ensure the long-term viability and reliability of the entire 43-mile system.
The work, the start of a $50 million authorization approved last month by the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners, will necessitate suspension of weekend PATH service at the World Trade Center and Exchange Place stations beginning late Friday nights through the weekends of Nov. 9-10, Nov. 16-17 and Nov. 23-24, as outlined below.
Superstorm Sandy’s unprecedented flooding of PATH tunnels and infrastructure left behind a salt residue that could not entirely be cleaned during the efforts to restore service in the months after the storm. To remedy this issue, the World Trade Center and Exchange Place stations will be closed for three weekends to enable workers to power wash the tunnels between the stations to remove corrosive salt deposits.
Restoration work to repair and replace compromised power and communication cables, rails, and trackside equipment also will occur on these weekends. To avoid interference with the upcoming holiday season, PATH will not have further weekend closures this year, but will need to conduct work on select weekends in 2014. The agency will notify passengers when the 2014 schedule is determined.
November closures will start on Friday nights, around the clock, until early Monday mornings
Nov. 8- 10, Nov 15 – 17 and Nov. 22 –24. Impacts to World Trade Center to Newark (WTC-NWK) and NWK-WTC service on 11/8, 11/15, and 11/22 [Friday nights]. The last departure from WTC is 11:55 p.m., arriving at NWK at 12:17 a.m. The last departure from NWK is 11:20 p.m., arriving at WTC at 11:42 p.m.
There are no impacts to WTC-Hoboken (HOB) and HOB-WTC service on 11/8, 11/15, and 11/22 [Friday nights].The last departure from WTC is 10:56 p.m., arriving at HOB at 11:06 p.m. The last departure from HOB is 11:11 p.m., arriving at WTC at 11:21 p.m.
The World Trade Center and Exchange Place stations will be reopened each Monday at approximately 4:45 a.m. The first departing train out of NWK to WTC will be at 4:35 a.m. and the WTC to NWK train will be at 5:10 a.m.
Passengers traveling to Lower Manhattan on these weekends should use the Journal Square (JSQ)-33rd (via HOB) line and connect to New York City (NYC) Transit subways or buses in Manhattan. (A separate fare payment is required.)
Passengers traveling to Grove Street from NWK or Harrison should transfer at JSQ for JSQ-33rd (via HOB) line.
The West Concourse at WTC, providing an underground connection to Brookfield Place, will remain open and accessible during these weekend outages.
“Your safety and the long-term viability of the PATH system remains our highest priority,” said Stephen Kingsberry, PATH’s director and general manager. “We appreciate your understanding while this work is under way.”
Up to 90 percent of the costs are expected to be reimbursed from $1.3 billion in recovery funding already awarded to PATH by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Customers are encouraged to subscribe to PATHAlerts to receive real-time system delay information via text or email.http://www.PATHAlerts.com
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