Hoboken Ridership and the NYP Delays

[peconicstation]

With all the recent NJT delays in and out of Penn Station, coupled with warnings of further details due to work needed on the Hudson River tunnels, has Hoboken seen an increase in daily ridership ?

Given that a pair of new tunnels is at least a decade and 1/2 away, not to mention all the work needed on the existing tunnels, it is now time to reemphasize Hoboken as an option, and add
some services to and from Hoboken during the peak times when possible.

Back in the day, when I still lived in Jersey I used to ride the coast line trains out of Hoboken, besides bypassing the change in Long Branch, Hoboken is a far more civilized station to board at.


Ken

[bharatrao]

Hard for midtown workers to use Hoboken on a sustained basis ....there is the time element and the cost element. If delays into & out of the tunnel become intolerable on a sustained basis, maybe you will see an uptick. Right now, I'd say, leaving aside the really bad spell in July, my train probably arrives within 5 min of its scheduled time maybe 60-70% of the time. Not great, but not enough to make me switch to a commute that adds 10-15 min and $5 on a permanent basis. That said, I'm glad to be on the Gladstone line for actually having a realistic alternative via Hob should things get really bad.

Of course, Hob offers a more civilized way to arrive or depart...no two ways about that.

[time]

I actually disagree with Hoboken being a more "civilized" station to arrive/depart for New York City.

1. There is NOTHING in Hoboken. Even the coffee shop closed. The interior waiting area is beautiful, but it's small and not ideal for queuing since the tracks are spread out. Let's say 10,000 additional passengers use Hoboken because the tunnels are out of commission. It's -5 degrees outside. It's going to get mighty cozy in that small waiting room.

2. The platform area looks third world country like (stealing Biden's line). It may be ideal for a train buff from a nostalgia perspective, and I do enjoy Hoboken Terminal from a train admirer point of view, but as a regular commuter it isn't very hospitable. A major Northeast public transport terminal without convenient ADA access in 2015 is just wrong.

3. If you have the luxury of a very static schedule, then the spotty scheduling is probably ok. But if you need flexibility, good luck. Can Hoboken even handle a 10 car multilevel set?

4. THE BIG ONE. When you arrive at Hoboken Terminal, you're in Hoboken. To get to midtown NYC, you either cram yourself onto a PATH subway train, or you pay the extra dough to take the ferry. I prefer the quicker trip through a tunnel and into the MSG dungeon. However dismal it may be, it is still more hospitable to a daily commuter than Hoboken.

[nick11a]

I actually disagree with Hoboken being a more "civilized" station to arrive/depart for New York City.

1. There is NOTHING in Hoboken. Even the coffee shop closed. The interior waiting area is beautiful, but it's small and not ideal for queuing since the tracks are spread out. Let's say 10,000 additional passengers use Hoboken because the tunnels are out of commission. It's -5 degrees outside. It's going to get mighty cozy in that small waiting room.

2. The platform area looks third world country like (stealing Biden's line). It may be ideal for a train buff from a nostalgia perspective, and I do enjoy Hoboken Terminal from a train admirer point of view, but as a regular commuter it isn't very hospitable. A major Northeast public transport terminal without convenient ADA access in 2015 is just wrong.

3. If you have the luxury of a very static schedule, then the spotty scheduling is probably ok. But if you need flexibility, good luck. Can Hoboken even handle a 10 car multilevel set?

4. THE BIG ONE. When you arrive at Hoboken Terminal, you're in Hoboken. To get to midtown NYC, you either cram yourself onto a PATH subway train, or you pay the extra dough to take the ferry. I prefer the quicker trip through a tunnel and into the MSG dungeon. However dismal it may be, it is still more hospitable to a daily commuter than Hoboken.

Yes, if need be, many of the tracks in Hoboken can handle a 10 car train, but it would have to get out of the way to allow for other trains to platform.

As for the NYP/HOB debate, it is a matter of personal choice. Personally, there are days when I prefer Hoboken and/or it suits my needs, and other days NYP does.