Newark (Penn Station) is the western terminus of the PATH system with only trains to World Trade Center running to and from the station. The station has the entrance/exit platform configuration and trains relay beyond the station with no free change of direction transfer to go back to New York City (if your joyriding the PATH system you can't go beyond Journal Square unless your prepared to pay a second fare). This page concerns the exit platform, Platform H that is located in the roof of Penn Station. PATH trains heading to New York stop on the main track level, sharing island platforms with NJ Transit and Amtrak trains. It is the only place in the country where passengers can do an across platform transfer from Amtrak to a heavy rail system (there are some light rail and commuter rails). The exit platform didn't receive turnstiles until the current, modern generation ones were installed in about 2005 to allow fares to be paid at this platform in case of service disruptions or single-tracking maintenance. The only turnstiles that can actually accept fares are in front of the main escalator entrance when single-tracking occures. Today, the turnstile's LCD information screens are simply turned off. They don't say No Entry. The other turnstiles are simply exit only without readers or LCD screens although they contain stickers telling you where to insert a QuickCard or MetroCard in a non-existant reader. The platform and track for platform H are entirely surrounded by a canopy in the style of the rest of the station platforms. Signage is in the PATH's blue with white text format although it is in an old-style Serif font. There are recently installed murals of color beneath the platform walls that PATH has installed in every station, part of 'beautification' efforts.
To leave platform H: at each end of the platform are staircases that lead directly down to each end of the platform for Track 2 on the main level. Closer to the middle of the platform is where the main exits are. A large bank of turnstiles leads to the main exit to leave the station and a low fence leads to a bank of exit only turnstiles beneath old fashioned silver letters spelling out Western Connecting Trains is a passageway leads out to the roof above the platform for tracks 3 and 4. Then a ramp leads south gradually down to the middle of the platform for tracks 3 and 4. This allows passengers to connect to any train except from tracks 1 or A (normally used only for New York-bound trains) without ever heading down to the central station concourse beneath the tracks their trying to reach. Exiting passengers pass a couple of MVMs for buying MetroCards or refilling SmartLink cards for their next trips before passing through doors and reaching a landing that feels like its in the roof of the station from the views down to the iron grates and translucent roof of the platform for tracks 3,4, and 5. A ramp leads down to track 5 for Raritan Valley Line trains (and the entrances for the track are labeled as such) before continuing with a staircase down to the main central concourse. The main way people heading into Newark leave the station is via two escalators that lead down from the upper landing to the Gateway Concourse with escalators continuing down from there into the main station.
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Last Updated: 19 January, 2012 |
Trains