After years of agitation by activists and local politicians, PATH riders may finally get relief from dangerously overcrowded trains and sadistically long headways starting in the middle of next year. At its board meeting earlier today, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which controls the PATH lines between Newark, Hudson County, and Manhattan, announced the details of its 2026-2035 ten-year Capital Plan. While the capital plan does not directly deal with operations (including train frequency), it does govern aspects of PATH such as the signal system and tracks that must be in good repair in order for service to increase. Indeed, the Port Authority indicated that it was because of the PATH Forward program during the current capital plan that these future service improvements are possible.

The exciting news from today’s meeting is that the PATH Forward program will drive the following substantial service increases:

*A “significant increase in Weekend Service to 33rd St starting in 2026, with additional increases in 2027”

*Provision of “direct peak service on weekends” (including Journal Square to 33rd St trains that do not stop at Hoboken and Hoboken-WTC trains which currently do not operate on weekends) in mid-2026

*A doubling of service on Friday late nights, matching Saturday late-night service levels in mid 2026, additional trains along the Newark-WTC line during weekday peak in the first half of 2027

*An increase in morning peak weekday service from Hoboken to WTC sometime in 2026.

While these proposals are a big victory for PATH riders, we would note that nothing is set in stone yet. We urge all our readers to continue pressure on the Port Authority to improve PATH service. The next Port Authority board meeting will be held on December 18 at 2 Montgomery St in Jersey City. You can register to speak at the next Port Authority board meeting here (link).

We also ask you to sign up for the Hudson County Complete Streets “A Better PATH” campaign; their website makes it easy to send a letter to the Port Authority in favor of increased service (link). The advocacy by this group has been the major driver for these increases.