suzychapstick wrote:

Is there a reason you can't fill your MTA card at an actual MTA machine?

MDM wrote:
Any idea when credit / debit will be working again so PATH and MTA cards can be refilled? This is day 3 that the system has been down.

I have a full TransitChek card and an empty PATH & MTA cards.... The lines are long to pay cash :(

dwntowntrain wrote:
What's with the blue line on the floor at Grove street station?

Bike_Lane wrote:
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JCBORN wrote:
what is the status of opening another path stop in the marion section? Is this still being considered?

The Port Authority does not want to build a station in Marion. City forced the Port Authority to study it as part of the legal settlement over back taxes. Study is supposed to be done sometime this year. I'd be shocked if it said anything other than "Marion station is not feasible in the near term due to (x, y, z reasons), so no further action will be taken."

JCBORN wrote:
what is the status of opening another path stop in the marion section? Is this still being considered?

bjay wrote:
Good points here. But I'm tired of the old argument made by the Times reporter that it is somehow inappropriate for tunnel tolls to subsidize mass transit operations. It's entirely appropriate, and good public policy.Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
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mscottc wrote:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/nyr ... dule=News&pgtype=Homepage

I was just about to post the same article. The reporter does a good job of presenting some facts, but never seems to question the wasteful ways that led the Port Authority to spend 4 BILLION dollars in the reconstruction of the WTC station. That should have been addressed in the article. Perhaps the PATH wouldn?t be such a money pit if more fiscal restraint was being exercised. Also not addressed: why is the Harrison construction project going to cost so much. The article mentions projected spending of ~250 MM, but prior numbers I had seen indicated the cost was pegged around 500 MM. Either way, it seems like a lot of money for what amounts to a tiny station with very limited ridership.

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

mscottc wrote:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/nyr ... dule=News&pgtype=Homepage

I was just about to post the same article. The reporter does a good job of presenting some facts, but never seems to question the wasteful ways that led the Port Authority to spend 4 BILLION dollars in the reconstruction of the WTC station. That should have been addressed in the article. Perhaps the PATH wouldn?t be such a money pit if more fiscal restraint was being exercised. Also not addressed: why is the Harrison construction project going to cost so much. The article mentions projected spending of ~250 MM, but prior numbers I had seen indicated the cost was pegged around 500 MM. Either way, it seems like a lot of money for what amounts to a tiny station with very limited ridership.

Bike_Lane wrote:
PANYNJ sold the retail space to Westfield for $1.415 billion in 2013. PANYNJ does get extra payments if/when the mall revenue exceeds a certain threshold (I don?t know what that threshold is).

It may seem foolish for PANYNJ to sell it off, but given how many empty stores there still are, it may have been wise to let it go.

Bike_Lane wrote:
PANYNJ sold the retail space to Westfield for $1.415 billion in 2013. PANYNJ does get extra payments if/when the mall revenue exceeds a certain threshold (I don?t know what that threshold is).

It may seem foolish for PANYNJ to sell it off, but given how many empty stores there still are, it may have been wise to let it go.

Bike_Lane wrote:
PANYNJ sold the retail space to Westfield for $1.415 billion in 2013. PANYNJ does get extra payments if/when the mall revenue exceeds a certain threshold (I don?t know what that threshold is).

It may seem foolish for PANYNJ to sell it off, but given how many empty stores there still are, it may have been wise to let it go.

hero69 wrote:
good point. perhaps the port authority should look to hong kong for inspiration on running PATH. In hong kong, the transportation authority owns its real estate and uses the cash flow from these properties to subsidize the metro there.

Frinjc wrote:
So the oculus cost $4B including the mall and the transportation hall. Is the Port Authority getting any concession/rental income related to the commercial activity?

mscottc wrote:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/nyr ... dule=News&pgtype=Homepage

JCGuys wrote:
Exactly right newbie!!

I doubt narco is a daily commuter because it's a horrible station for commuters. It looks nice if just visiting, but I can honestly say the temporary PATH station was much more functional. Someone with a disability should sue the Port Authoirty for ADA compliance. How many elevators and distance does it take to get from the train to the street, especially if bound to a wheelchair.

JCGuys wrote:
Exactly right newbie!!

I doubt narco is a daily commuter because it's a horrible station for commuters. It looks nice if just visiting, but I can honestly say the temporary PATH station was much more functional. Someone with a disability should sue the Port Authoirty for ADA compliance. How many elevators and distance does it take to get from the train to the street, especially if bound to a wheelchair.

nafco wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
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mscottc wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:

Not only should fares rise, but they should add a peak-hour premium to whatever is needed to reduce overcrowding and to encourage folks to go a half hour earlier or later. Unpopular opinion, but PATH is a fraction of the costs associated with driving.

Hell NO.... PATH is only 1/3 of my three zone commute. I first have to get to PATH, then PATH into the City, and then the NYC Subway to uptown Manhattan. I'm not the only one with a 3 zone commute. We don't need more highways clogging the the two tunnels and the GW Bridge into NYC. We need more public subsidies for mass transit to help alleviate traffic conditions all over the tri-state commuting area.

New Jersey is broke and taxes are already sky high. Were are we going to find additional subsidies? I hate it that no one is realistic when it comes to public finance. And to be honest, fares could triple on all three of your segments and I bet it will still be cheaper than driving when considering cost of tolls and parking in NYC. Plus it's going to be physically impossible to add any more cars to the tunnels, so I don't see that as a viable alternative either.

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And last, but water under the proverbial bridge, we should not have wasted billions on WTC PATH station. We PATH riders pay a premium for that debacle every day.

Agreed 1000% with you here - The Oculus was a terrible business decision $4 billion wasted for a shiity mall with poor egress. The port authority should have just sold the air rights for the site to the highest bidder and use the funds for trans-Hudson rail improvements. I wish NYC would bring the 7 line into New Jersey with a stop in Hudson County.

I cant believe people are still so butt hurt about the Oculus. Let it go. We tried that once where we didnt give a shit about commuters and put a massive building over what couldve been a beautiful train station. Its called Penn Station. You already got one. So let the rest of us finally have a nice station again like how it was in the heyday of travel.

Also, the subsidies from that mall help cover the costs of the station, and not to mention, literally every infrastructure project costs $4 billion now. Thats a problem with how we build, not with the PATH specifically.