PANYNJ reopens Hoboken PATH Station after 25-day closure for improvement works

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has reopened its Hoboken PATH Station following a 25-day closure to address critical infrastructure repairs and improvements across several elements of the 117-year-old system. The Hoboken Station was closed from 11:59 p.m. Jan. 30, through 5:00 a.m. Feb. 25. 

PANYNJ says the full station closure helped the agency to undertake track and station work on an expedited basis, negating the need for at least a year of severe service reductions and major schedule changes. Tracks and a massive track switch system were replaced, and many components of the station were refreshed and renewed. Additional platform and track work will continue in the weeks ahead, which can be completed within PATH’s existing weekend and overnight schedules.  

“The massive amount of work that took place over just 25 days is a testament to the Port Authority’s commitment to modernizing a 117-year-old rail system. We thank our regional transportation partners for helping us navigate this closure and our dedicated staff, who have volunteered their time and energy to make this challenging period as painless as possible for our customers,” said PATH Director/General Manager Clarelle DeGraffe. “We owe our PATH riders service that is safe and reliable, delivered to the best of our ability. Our message to them today: Thank you, and welcome back.” 

PANYNJ says Hoboken riders were welcomed back to the PATH system for free as a gesture of appreciation.  

“We welcome riders back to a revitalized Hoboken Station, where the closure has enabled a huge amount of refurbishment,” said PANYNJ Executive Director Rick Cotton. “We appreciate the patience and flexibility that our riders have shown during this closure, as well as the support of our transit partners in providing strong travel alternatives during the closure. This work is critical to the continued rehabilitation of PATH’s 116-year-old system.”  

PANYNJ notes its rotating crews worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, totaling 600 work hours over the course of the closure. The agency also shared detailed progress reports following the first week and second week of work.  

The project’s scope included a refurbishment of the station’s concrete platform surface and replacement of four steep, narrow staircases original to the station with modern, safer staircases from the mezzanine to platform level. Additionally, station walls and ceilings received fresh paint, with columns painted Lackawanna green as an homage to the train terminal’s railroad past. The station also received new tiles, lighting and signage.  

Track work included replacing the complex track switching system outside the station that allows trains to move between the station’s three tracks. The previous switch was 35 years old and prone to mechanical issues, according to PANYNJ. The agency notes the new track and switch infrastructure will lead to more reliable rides with fewer delays and disruptions.  

During the closure, PANYNJ and its regional transit partners offered a multitude of travel alternatives, including expanded, cross-honored ferry service, frequent free shuttle buses to other PATH stations and supplemental PATH, light rail and New Jersey Transit bus service between Hoboken and Manhattan. Planners chose February for the closure given its traditionally lower ridership numbers compared to other times of year.  

The closure was a part of the agency’s two-year $430 million PATH Forward program. In late 2024, PATH also replaced 6,000 feet of track and installed an additional interlocking system between the Harrison and Journal Sq stations, which the agency says improved operational flexibility and reduced the impact of delays on passengers. This new interlocking enabled PATH trains to bypass disabled trains west of the Journal Sq Station, allowing for a quicker resumption of service on the Newark-World Trade Center Line. Additionally, PATH is completing a sea wall along the Passaic River that will protect the system from future flooding.  

The ongoing program encompasses a series of projects including comprehensive track repair and replacement, modernization of bridges, railcars and other critical infrastructure and rehabilitation of four major stations: Hoboken, Grove St, Newport and Exchange Pl.  

Upcoming projects in March and April 2025 will include track work that will require weekend train service through the end of April to operate every 20 minutes in both directions on the Journal Sq-33 St via Hoboken line. During this time, PANYNJ says PATH will run temporary supplemental service every 10 minutes between Hoboken and 33 St in both directions.