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  • NY Penn Station confusion

  • Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.
Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.

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 #1398098  by CPSK
 
Hi all;
Once again, I became confused while traveling through NYP from the #1 subway line to NJT.
First off, when I got off the #1 train, I couldn't find the corridor that I thought would lead me directly into Penn Station. I ended up on 33rd st, on the wrong side of 7th ave. For some reason, I always lose my bearings in this area. When I used to take PATH to NY Ranger games at MSG, I would inadvertently go the wrong way out of the PATH station, and end up at 6th ave.
I was in the lead car on the #1 train, and turned right when I got off. I think I was supposed to turn left, which should have taken me towards the corridor to Penn Station.

So I entered NYP on 33rd st and descended to the lower level, where I walked the corridor until I reached the stairs to the upper level. Once there, I had to walk around a bit until I found the NJT ticketing machines. Then, I looked for the NJT waiting area, where they always had the train information for NJT. But I couldn't find that area. Instead, what had been the Acela waiting area was now signed Amtrak and NJT waiting area. I didn't go in there, but instead looked at the main information display and found the NJT train I was looking for. When I descended to the platform, I was still in the main concourse area, but as I see in the maps, it doesn't matter, so long as the track you want isn't 1 or 2.
Looking at the map now, I see that the NJT waiting area is down the corridor from the main concourse. I was on the wrong side of the concourse, as I recall the train I wanted was listed as boarding on track W8. But does it really matter whether you go to the West or East end of the platform? If the train is long enough, it occupies both ends anyway. That said, I was in the last open car. The cars farther down the platform had red door lights, which I think indicate that the cars are closed.

One reason I get confused at NYP is that I don't use the station very often, and it has been a while since I was there last. The other problem is that I seem to have some sort of "disorientation syndrome", where I get confused in places where there isn't much structure to the layout. NYP has to be one of the worst large train stations in the country. First, its not all that well lit. Second, it has low ceilings, and lastly, it is far too small for the number of trains and people who use it daily. And that's what I think of the upper level. The lower level is even worse.

CP
 #1398103  by andegold
 
East and West gates only matter when Amtrak is boarding on the same platform. If Amtrak is boarding on 9W, for instance, and NJ Transit is on Track 10 the transit passengers will be turned away from 9W. You say "but the escalator on 9E is coming up?" Tough. Go downstairs. You say "but both sides downstairs are also going up." Too bad, so sad, wait for another Amtrak gate person to turn down the escalator. Thankfully, depending on your point of view, the new west end access is all stairs, not escalators.

I can get around the station with ease and know where the elevators are and have also been known to go down on track 15, race to the west end and go up and over in order to beat the crowds on 13 and 14. It works. For the uninitiated its a mess and treating all three railroads as actual separate entities (which they are) is part of the problem. Signage should be uniform and coordinated. Separate signs are only easily identifiable to those who already know where they are going. Those who don't know look up and curse the signs because they don't reference the railroad they need. Unified/coordinated signage would go a long way towards making the current station more easily navigable. If you know what you're doing already it's really not that difficult.
 #1398111  by Backshophoss
 
The lower level at Penn is the LIRR concourse normally,Amtrak and NJT use the upper level concourse normally.
You should have been able to use a passageway from the subway into Penn Station's west end of the concourses
from the A,C,E and 1,2,and 3 lines at 34th st.
From the B,D,F,M,N,Q,and R subway lines,you will wind up on the lower level LIRR concourse from a passageway
from their 34th st stations.
That's what I remember.

The Signage styles in Penn will vary from MTA(LIRR+Subways) to NJT to Amtrak versions.

Path was a block south at 33rd st,a passageway off the 6 Subway line,or a hike at street level.
 #1398115  by CPSK
 
Yes; It was my mistake to exit from the subway onto the street, but in the end, it really didn't matter. I was also wondering whether I could have transferred (free) from the #1 to the A or C at Penn, but I guess not. I don't think there is a tunnel that connects the two, so you have to go to 59th st.

I agree 100% on the lack of good signage. And the main display board. I only knew that the train was NJT because of its destination, and "Midtown Direct". I only needed to get to Secaucus, where I changed to the Pascack Valley line.
 #1398117  by alewifebp
 
You can transfer between the 1/2/3 and A/C/E at 42nd Street, although it is a good hike underground between the two. The signage for that transfer is surprisingly good.

I was at Penn last week transferring between Amtrak and NJT. The place is an epic dump. The main hall Solari board has seen much better days. The NJT concourse if actually pretty consolidated, but it is very tight and crowded. And when the track is called, it's like the running of the bulls. At least with the huge portable air conditioners it is finally a good temperature.
 #1398157  by CPSK
 
Luckily, I don't normally use the station, and especially not during rush-hour.
Yesterday, I opted for the train solely because it had been a while since I have ridden NJT rail, and that I just love trains. Matter of fact, I had to walk (actually, I run) 1.5 miles from the train station to home, while the bus would have taken me to my street. The bus is my normal method of getting home from the city.
 #1398313  by ExCon90
 
On rereading your original post, I'm guessing you were riding on an uptown #1 train. If you go up to the street you end up on the east side of 7th Ave.; to get to Penn Station without going outside you have to downstairs from the platform (which seems counterintuitive), then under all 4 tracks and into the station.