Railroad Forums 

  • Visiting New York City

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

Moderators: lensovet, Kaback9, nick11a

 #1361349  by gprimr1
 
End of December my friend and I are going to NYC and with the train fares being pretty high, and gas pretty low, we are looking to drive up to NJ and commute in.

What are some good options for stations to park at?
 #1361371  by Nicholas Chen
 
Coming from Maryland, I would say Princeton Junction or Hamilton. According to the site, parking is cheaper at Princeton Jct ($5 a day vs $7 a day). Both have half hourly weekend service and on the weekdays there are super-expresses for New York (I sometimes take them from New Brunswick, takes 50 mins from there). I think parking may be hard to come by though, but that's the situation for all NEC stations. Hamilton station is closer to I-295 than Princeton Jct, though. If you're traveling during the rush hour, there might be more space at the back of the train.
 #1361419  by MACTRAXX
 
GP:

From what you posted you are seeking to visit NYC in the week between Christmas and New Years Day...

The four day week Monday through Thursday December 28th to 31st should be a period in which a substantial
portion of regular riders take time off meaning that train ridership will be different from normal in that week.

You may try to go close in to New York - and perhaps even consider using PATH from Harrison or Journal
Square - which have facilities such as parking garages nearby. I fully understand that you do not want to bring
your vehicle into Manhattan - with the high cost of parking and bridge/tunnel tolls ($15 cash for PA facilities)
commuting from the NJ side is a good alternative...

NC:

From what GP posted he wants to get as close as possible to Manhattan - riding from Princeton Junction or
Hamilton is a fare of at least $15 one way not including the cost of parking. This may be good on a regular
weekday but since GP would like to save fare money and get further north this is not what he is asking for.

MACTRAXX
 #1361465  by Nicholas Chen
 
I see what you mean now. I thought he was refrencing Amtrak fares from Maryland. In that case, try Secaucus Junction or you could consider driving to Staten Island (although you'll have to pay tolls) and taking the SIR in as it includes a free transfer to the subway. I believe parking is quite costly or hard to come by on the NEC line up north, so you might consider an RVL station such as Union. Only issue is that there are less trains and you'll have to transfer at Newark if you're travelling on the weekends or peak hours on the weekdays. We've got lots of trains up here, I'm sure you'll find something.
 #1361543  by mrsam
 
Between Christmas and New Year's, Metropark's garage should have plenty of parking spaces. Metropark station is easy to access from I-95, via a short sprint on the Garden State Parkway.

If you time the schedule right, you could catch one of the trains that skips all the local stops, so the total travel to NYC should be comparable to the Secaucus transfer option that others have already mentioned; but you would save yourself at least half an hour of additional driving, instead winding down on the train. Also, Metropark gives you the fastest option to go downtown/WTC via PATH from Newark.
 #1361590  by gprimr1
 
I was thinking about Metropark or Harrison.

What's the neighborhood like in Harrison? Thinking that we would be driving through between 8-11pm? It looks like I would have to do some driving through residential areas.
 #1361592  by CentralValleyRail
 
gprimr1 wrote:I was thinking about Metropark or Harrison.

What's the neighborhood like in Harrison? Thinking that we would be driving through between 8-11pm? It looks like I would have to do some driving through residential areas.
Harrison is completely safe. It is a Latin Neighborhood at it's roots with an influx of business people's money coming in with some new housing they have put in.
 #1361632  by Nicholas Chen
 
Harrison's a pretty safe place (I think) and Metropark is a safe area too. I would say if you plan on going downtown, go for Harrison, if you plan on going towards midtown, go for Metropark.
 #1361662  by BigDell
 
Metropark is great! Lots of trains to/from NYC and many of them run express/semi-express. Large park=it-yourself garage and VERY economical parking. I think it's $9 for overnight, $5 for the day. Really a bargain and a nice train ride in.
 #1361885  by sean3f
 
The parking lot in Harrison is next to the PATH, although you will have to change trains in Jersey City to get to 33d st or WTC. Parking in Harrison is over $20 per day, similar to the cost in the city. It's not too bad to Harrison off the turnpike for example but, Metro-Park is closer to your route (and you avoid the turnpike toll).
 #1361897  by MACTRAXX
 
sean3f wrote:The parking lot in Harrison is next to the PATH, although you will have to change trains in Jersey City to get to 33d st or WTC. Parking in Harrison is over $20 per day, similar to the cost in the city. It's not too bad to Harrison off the turnpike for example but, Metro-Park is closer to your route (and you avoid the turnpike toll).
Sean:

PATH trains serving Harrison are NWK-WTC at all times - Change at Journal Square for 33rd Street - nights and
weekends these trains do sometimes operate via Hoboken.

Journal Square has a parking garage right in the Transportation Center that is above the JSQ PATH station.
With two PATH routes operating 24 hours serving JSQ this could be a good place to park and ride from...

Metropark is definitely a good central option - with direct GSP access and decent train service to NYP.
Metropark is close enough to have a more reasonable NJT fare to NWK and NYP then PJC or TRE has...

GP:

Do you (or anyone traveling with you) have a EZ Pass?

Having a EZ Pass will pay your road tolls - and save you money for example if you used the option of going to
Staten Island via the Outerbridge Crossing ($10.50 compared to $15 cash) that was suggested by NC and parking
at a SIRT station and taking the SI Ferry - just $2.75 on a Metrocard (pay on exit/entrance at St. George) and the
transfer - which is good for 2 hours 16 minutes elapsed time from first use - would be useable on the Subway or
a bus on arrival in Manhattan - the SI Ferry ride takes about 30 minutes. This could be the least expensive travel
option even with the PA bridge toll (one way eastbound) factored in if you decide to choose this route...

Secaucus Junction has access from the NJ Turnpike and may be a good park and ride point as Bleet mentions.

Keep us posted about your coming NYC trip and how things turn out...Enjoy the Holidays!!!

MACTRAXX
Last edited by MACTRAXX on Wed Dec 16, 2015 12:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 #1361900  by Steampowered
 
I think you will save yourself at least an additional hour of driving by going to Hamilton. It practically on 295. Its then about 70 mins to Penn station. If your driving, it might take you an hour just to get to secauces on the turnpike . Traffic can just come to a stop on turnpike, plus the tolls. Less tolls, less parking fees etc
 #1361903  by MACTRAXX
 
SP:

Read GP's original post - he would like to get as close in to Manhattan as possible and save money on NJT train
fares - we already went over Trenton and Hamilton's high NJT fares to NYP.

Again keep in mind that the week between Christmas and New Year's Day will have rail ridership that is different
then a regular 5 day work week has thanks to many folks taking time off and venues such as schools being closed.

MACTRAXX
 #1361921  by F40
 
MACTRAXX wrote:
sean3f wrote:The parking lot in Harrison is next to the PATH, although you will have to change trains in Jersey City to get to 33d st or WTC. Parking in Harrison is over $20 per day, similar to the cost in the city. It's not too bad to Harrison off the turnpike for example but, Metro-Park is closer to your route (and you avoid the turnpike toll).
GP:

Do you (or anyone traveling with you) have a EZ Pass?

Having a EZ Pass will pay your road tolls - and save you money for example if you used the option of going to
Staten Island via the Outerbridge Crossing ($10.50 compared to $15 cash) that was suggested by NC and parking
at a SIRT station and taking the SI Ferry

MACTRAXX
I think the discount is only valid on the Outerbridge if you have a NY or NJ E-ZPass. But in any case, it is still a lot cheaper than boarding at Hamilton or Trenton.

If I can also suggest, if you are willing to drive up to Lyndhurst, the OW fare is $5.25 with a transfer at SEC. Parking is always free at the big lot behind Shop Rite and it is less than a 5 minute walk to the station itself. This will save $9 compared to parking at SEC. Check the schedules for your return trip as it is hourly schedule on weekday evenings. The parking cost could be worth the convenience, but it is up to you.

I would definitely drive as close as possible to the city, traffic permitting. I take semi-regular trips to the Metropark area from where I live (north Jersey) and it is a whopping 50% cheaper to drive (including gas, tolls, repairs) round trip than the train, even for myself. For me, it goes without saying.