HOBOKEN, N.J. — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will begin operating the first of its 72 new PATH rail cars next week, the agency announced Thursday, and showed off some of the new cars.
The Kawasaki-built cars, completed at a facility in Yonkers, N.Y., are being added to an existing 350-car fleet. They aid in expansion of trains on the line from Newark to the World Trade Center from eight- to nine-car trains. By the beginning of 2024, nearly all peak-period trains on this route will have nine cars.
“We’re delighted to celebrate the introduction of these new rail cars marking an exciting step toward a state-of-the-art rail experience for our customers,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said in a press release.
“The addition of these new railcars aligns with our broader initiative to enhance service quality, improve customer experience, and boost overall capacity across the PATH system,” said Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority. “With ridership recovering from the pandemic, we anticipate more riders utilizing the PATH system and want to ensure we have the capacity and reliability people expect.”
The new cars are part of a $1 billion PATH Improvement Plan to increase capacity through measures including a new signal system that allows trains to run at more frequent intervals, as well as the additional equipment.
The new cars will be put into service on the Newark to World Trade Center; 33rd Street to Journal Square; Hoboken to 33rd Street; and Hoboken to World Trade Center lines, as well as the Journal Square to 33rd Street via Hoboken line on weekends.
Ah, the narrow, hard plastic bucket seats for passengers with no shoulders.
…just don’t take any photos of them. Still don’t understand how they can get away with that, despite being dragged into court numerous times.
So, what are they? PA6? PA7? PA5.5?
I was counting the H&M Black Cars and the H&M/PRR Red McAdoos too.
Extension option of existing PA-5 procurement.