Port Authority Set to Raise PATH Fares
The Journal reports Port Authority officials are considering a fare hike as high as 50 cents for the PATH-- to be announced after Tuesday's legislative election. Officials at the bi-state agency are considering hikes from 25 to 50 cents, with the latter increase bringing the current $1.50 fare up to the same price as riding New York's larger, more convenient subway system.
It should come as no surprise the bi-state agency is looking to hike fares-- after all, the Port Authority is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on construction at the World Trade Center site. That's in New York, of course, even though half of the Port Authority is New Jersey's. While PATH riders might be gaining a fancy new station at Ground Zero-- which by the way, has seen its original design scaled down to cut costs-- PATH riders also are enduring service delays and interruptions while the agency rebuilds at the site. The unbearable weekend and late night schedules are in part due to "on going construction at the World Trade Center site."
In fairness, the Port Authority did announce last week a plan to upgrade the PATH signal system, which would boost peak capacity by about 10,000 riders-- sometime in 2014. Yet this is unlikely to satiate demand for rush hour services. Not only in Jersey City is residential construction still booming, but Harrison Commons, adjacent to the Harrison PATH Station broke ground two weeks ago on the first of 3,000 housing units. Plans for an additional 3,000 units in downtown Newark, blocks from the PATH at Penn Station, will only compound the issue. Meanwhile, in Jersey City alone, over the next seven years as the Port Authority takes their time upgrading the signal system, new development would likely see the realization of up to 10,000 units of approved and proposed housing.
Fare hikes can still be vetoed by either the governor of New York or New Jersey-- but somehow we doubt Corzine, even though he ostensibly lives in Hoboken, won't think too much of a 50 cent hike in PATH fares.
It should come as no surprise the bi-state agency is looking to hike fares-- after all, the Port Authority is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on construction at the World Trade Center site. That's in New York, of course, even though half of the Port Authority is New Jersey's. While PATH riders might be gaining a fancy new station at Ground Zero-- which by the way, has seen its original design scaled down to cut costs-- PATH riders also are enduring service delays and interruptions while the agency rebuilds at the site. The unbearable weekend and late night schedules are in part due to "on going construction at the World Trade Center site."
In fairness, the Port Authority did announce last week a plan to upgrade the PATH signal system, which would boost peak capacity by about 10,000 riders-- sometime in 2014. Yet this is unlikely to satiate demand for rush hour services. Not only in Jersey City is residential construction still booming, but Harrison Commons, adjacent to the Harrison PATH Station broke ground two weeks ago on the first of 3,000 housing units. Plans for an additional 3,000 units in downtown Newark, blocks from the PATH at Penn Station, will only compound the issue. Meanwhile, in Jersey City alone, over the next seven years as the Port Authority takes their time upgrading the signal system, new development would likely see the realization of up to 10,000 units of approved and proposed housing.
Fare hikes can still be vetoed by either the governor of New York or New Jersey-- but somehow we doubt Corzine, even though he ostensibly lives in Hoboken, won't think too much of a 50 cent hike in PATH fares.
Labels: Transportation
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home