Average weekday ridership in July through the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH), a subsidiary of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, increased 9.2-percent from 2016, reaching nearly 298,000 passengers and setting a record.
PATH is a heavy rail rapid transit system that connects Manhattan with neighboring New Jersey urban and suburban commuter railroads.
Amtrak began infrastructure work at Penn Station New York on July 10. Penn Station passengers’ tickets were cross honored at three PATH stations, contributing 6 percent of the weekday increase. In addition, more staff members were employed and trains were added to help ease the burden.
Since then, on-time performance has been 98 percent.
The weekday average of passengers diverted to the Hoboken PATH station because of the Penn Station project was 22,970.
“We anticipated that July would be an extremely busy month, so we’re not surprised by the numbers,” PATH General Manager and Director Mike Marino said. “With an emphasis on preparation and execution since the Penn Station work began, we believe we’ve provided good service to our customers. They are our top priority and we thank them for their patience and perseverance.”
When weekend riders are included, PATH’s ridership increased 8.5 percent from 2016. Ridership rose on both Saturdays and Sundays.