PATH Exchange Place station reopens 6/29

Press release from Port Authority of NY & NJ:

EXCHANGE PLACE PATH STATION TO REOPEN ON SUNDAY, JUNE 29

Date: June 24, 2003

Press Release Number: 86-2003

Customers Who Use the Station on First Day to Get Free Entrance

The Exchange Place PATH Station in Jersey City – closed after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center – will reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, June 29.

Customers will be allowed to enter the Exchange Place PATH Station for free between 12:01 a.m. Sunday, June 29, and 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 30.

The $160 million Exchange Place restoration project involved the construction of new crossover tunnels, along with new track work, to create a terminal station. When the World Trade Center PATH station was destroyed, there was no operational way to get PATH trains in and out of the Exchange Place station without creating serious disruption to other PATH services. In addition, the station’s platforms were extended to accommodate up to 10-car trains.

With the reopening of the Exchange Place Station, PATH will restore a system of routes similar to the one that operated before September 11, 2001. They are: Newark to Exchange Place; Journal Square to 33rd Street; Hoboken to 33rd Street; and Exchange Place to Hoboken.

PATH estimates that approximately 8,000 daily passenger trips will be made from the station, including several thousand transferring to and from Lower Manhattan ferry services.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates some of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports; the George Washington Bridge; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH rapid-transit system; the Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.

It is nice to see this station reopen as if I remember correctly it is one of the oldest in the PATH system.

tp49 said:

It is nice to see this station reopen as if I remember correctly it is one of the oldest in the PATH system.

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From what I can see from local newspaper articles, it may be the oldest but it will now be by far the most modern, state-of-the-art. Just think, instead of throwing a switch in the control room to re-open the new line early Sunday morning, somebody will click a mouse just as you are doing right now!

I hope to get over there to check out the new station, possibly even go for a (free) spin if time allows, very early Sunday morning since I have to go to work on Sunday in Hudson County anyhow.

Superliner Diner said:

From what I can see from local newspaper articles, it may be the oldest but it will now be by far the most modern, state-of-the-art. Just think, instead of throwing a switch in the control room to re-open the new line early Sunday morning, somebody will click a mouse just as you are doing right now!

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I've seen a few TV video reports on the new station, and it does look very modern and new. In addition to redesigning the tracks, installing an interlock, they also remodled the whole station and lengthened the platforms.

Previously only seven cars could platform at Exchange Place, starting Sunday they will be able to put all eight cars (normal train length) on the platform.

AlanB said:

Previously only seven cars could platform at Exchange Place, starting Sunday they will be able to put all eight cars (normal train length) on the platform.

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Actually they say the new station will be able to handle ten-car trains, which makes little difference until all of the stations in the system can do the same.

6:08 AM this morning I parked my car on Montgomery Street outside of the Exchange Place PATH station, and I got my free access to the station . It's beautiful down there. Lots of security, but they did not bother me taking photos -- hope to post a few here in about a week. Bittersweet to see the trains serving that station once more, yet they won't be going to lower Manhattan for another 5 months.

Superliner Diner said:

It's beautiful down there.   Lots of security, but they did not bother me taking photos -- hope to post a few here in about a week.

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D'oh! It's been 2-1/2 months....but I only recently got my photos back. Here are three of them. First the station exterior, second is the lighting over the escaltors, and third is a train in the station on the opening morning.



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