PATH increases service as ‘Summer of Delays’ gets closer

NEW YORK — With the official start of the "Summer of Delays" just over two weeks away for New Jersey Transit riders, PATH and New York bars are stepping up to help out commuters.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced PATH will increase the frequency of trains on the Hoboken-33rd Street line between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and again from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., starting Monday, July 10. Additional customer service and Port Authority Police will also be present.

PATH expects an additional 7,000 NJ Transit riders during the morning and afternoon commutes during the work, which is scheduled to end on Sept. 1.

PATH will also cross-honor NJ Transit passengers at three of the largest PATH stations: Hoboken, 33rd Street and World Trade Center. NJ Transit will reimburse PATH for the cross-honored tickets.

Amtrak, which operates and maintains Penn Station, begins an intensive project at the 112-year-old station in July and August, and will shut down three tracks at a time to repair and replace aging infrastructure, work that originally was to have been accomplished over two to three years.

The Morris & Essex Line will bear the biggest burden during the work, with nearly all Midtown Direct service ending at the Hoboken Terminal, with PATH trains among the alternatives to complete the trip into Manhattan. NJ Transit employee ambassadors are at Morris & Essex Line stations this week, starting Tuesday, to hand out materials to riders and answer questions.

Monthly NJ Transit passes that include discounted fares for M&E riders went on sale Monday.

New York bars and hotels are also offering discounts to help take the edge off the summer delays, according to NorthJersey.com. A new Chinatown hotel called Hotel 50 Bowery will offer 20 percent off room rates if customers show their NJ Transit pass, while the InterContinental in Times Square will offer a 15 percent discount.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

More from WOBM: