The path to work for these commuters just got slightly longer.
The Hoboken PATH station is set to close for about a month starting Thursday night – leaving nearly 20,000 daily station riders scrambling for alternate routes to get to Manhattan.
“[The closure is] not horrible – it’s more the inconvenience of the bus,” said Rick, a Hoboken station commuter, who estimates his trip will take about 20 more minutes to get from New Jersey to his marketing job in Brooklyn.
“The PATH train runs so smoothly most of the time, it’s pretty consistent,” said Rick, noting that the bus pales in comparison as far as reliability goes.
“The line [for the bus] gets really long, the buses get backed up, the traffic builds up, they close lanes: [if] someone gets into an accident, it backs it all up – versus the PATH train,” Rick added. “If there’s an anomaly, they normally get it back [running] within 15 minutes.”
“I just hope they have enough buses, that’s my biggest concern,” one Manhattan-bound Hoboken commuter told The Post. “A lot of people take the PATH, so they need a lot of buses to accommodate all of that.”
The closure will be in effect from from 11:59 p.m. Jan. 30 to 5 a.m. Feb. 25.
NJ Transit customers using the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail or No. 126 bus “may encounter more crowded conditions than usual,” the Port Authority warned commuters in fliers passed out inside the affected station.
To mitigate crowding, ferry service will be added during peak hours every 10 minutes from both Hoboken terminals on weekdays, as well as extend Midtown service to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.
Discounted PATH ferry tickets will be priced at $3, the same as a one-way PATH swipe.
NJ Transit will ramp up the frequency of the 126 Bus, which connects the Hoboken station to the Port Authority Midtown Bus Terminal, and PATH will run more trains at other stations during peak times. PATH will also run a “temporary” train line between 33 St. and World Trade Center terminals.
Free bus shuttles will be available around-the-clock between Hoboken, Newport and Exchange Place stations. During commuting rush hours, shuttles are slated to run every 5 to 7 minutes.
“My plan is to figure it out tonight, to be honest,” said Newport resident and Hudson Yards commuter Jim.
The work is part of the $430 million PATH Forward flood prevention plan, and repairs at the Hoboken station are poised to fix 4,500 feet of track in the two tunnels leading into the station.
The weekslong station shutdown prevents a full year of weekend service reductions that would be otherwise needed to make the repairs, the Port Authority said.
But some Hoboken station commuters told The Post that, because of the closure timing, they’re now bracing for wintry conditions during the wait for the bus or aboard the ferry.
The closure is happening now because February is the time of the year with the second lowest ridership, the Port Authority said.
“While we know the upcoming station closure may be challenging, we’re working hard to ensure riders have the information they need about other travel options,” PATH Director/General Manager Clarelle DeGraffe said in a statement.
“We’re grateful for their patience as we complete these vital infrastructure upgrades to better serve them in the future.”
