History

PATH's first century saw ridership soar in the early decades, decline significantly as the motor vehicle entered its golden age, before rising again in recent decades. Like other rail lines, PATH went from private ownership to public ownership during the 20th Century. PATH's second century has begun with a Port Authority commitment for a massive reinvestment.

PATH was originally known as the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, and later as the H&M Hudson Tubes. The railroad was first planned in 1873 to link the major railroad stations in New Jersey with New York City, but early construction was intermittent. The first trains ran in 1907 and revenue service started between Hoboken and 19th Street at midnight on February 26, 1908. On July 19, 1909, service began between Lower Manhattan and Jersey City, through a new set of tunnels located south of the first pair. After the completion of the uptown Manhattan extension to 33rd Street and the westward extension to Newark (and the now-defunct Manhattan Transfer in 1911), the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad was considered to be complete.

The construction of the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge between the 1920s and 1940s led people away from the railroad and ridership declined steadily. In the 1950s, H&M fell into bankruptcy, but continued to operate. The planning of the World Trade Center enabled the Port Authority to eventually purchase and maintain the Tubes in return for the rights to build the World Trade Center on the land occupied by H&M's Hudson Terminal, the Lower Manhattan terminus of the Tubes. The Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH), a subsidiary organization of the Port Authority, began operation in 1962.

Timeline

• 1873 - Hudson Tunnel Railroad incorporated by Dewitt C. Haskins - Construction of rail system started.
• 1902 - Hudson & Manhattan Railway chartered.
• 1906 - H&M and Pennsylvania Railroad agree on "joint service" operation to Newark.
• 1907 - First test train operates from Hoboken to Morton Street, NYC.
• 1908 - Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Experimental Service begins from Hoboken to Christopher Street - Service begins between Hoboken and 23rd Street.
• 1909 - H&M Experimental service begins from Hoboken to Cortland Street (Hudson Terminal).
• 1910 - Service begins from Exchange Place to Grove Street - Service begins from 23rd Street to 33rd Street.
• 1911 - Service begins between Manhattan Transfer and Newark - Regular train service begins between Hudson Terminal, Park Place and Newark.
• 1912 - Additional platform at Pavonia opened.
• 1913 - Harrison Station opens to the public.
• 1927 - H&M's busiest year: 113,141,729 passengers.
• 1938 - New 33rd Street (NYC) Station opens to the public.
• 1954 - 19th Street Station closed - H&M files bankruptcy petition.
• 1958 - Inauguration of world's first air-conditioned fleet.
• 1962 - The Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation is chartered as the Port Authority assumes control of the H&M Railroad in a deal that allows the agency to build the World Trade Center on the west side of Lower Manhattan.

Timeline

• 1962 - The Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation is chartered as the Port Authority assumes control of the H&M Railroad in a deal that allows the agency to build the World Trade Center on the west side of Lower Manhattan. View photo.
• 1965 - Arrival of the first PATH PA-1 rail cars. PA-2, PA-3 and PA-4 cars follow in subsequent years, eventually reaching 347 rail cars. View photo
• 1967 - PATH modernizes outdoor portion of railroad and replaces antiquated track and signal system after assuming control of the “Joint Service” trackage area from the Pennsylvania Railroad.
• 1968 - Construction of the Journal Square Transportation Center begins. View photo
• 1970 - Refurbished entrance and mezzanine at Grove Street Station opens.View photo
• 1971 - PATH's original World Trade Center Terminal opens and H&M's Hudson Terminal is closed permanently.
• 1975 - Journal Square Transportation Center Bus Terminal opens; parking garage follows.
• 1978 - Designation of PATH tunnels as a National Engineering Landmark.
• 1989 - Dedication of PATH's new Exchange Place Station. The first Metro Vision Patron Video Information monitors operate at the World Trade Center Terminal.
• 1990 - PATH's new Pavonia/Newport Station (renamed Newport Station in 2011) opens. PATH's Harrison Car Maintenance Facility opens.
• 1998 - PATHVISION in-station broadcast system launches, replacing Metro Vision.
• 2003 - Two years after 9/11, Exchange Place Station and temporary World Trade Center Terminal open and service to both destinations is restored.
• 2008 - First of 350 new PA-5 rail cars arrive. Delivery completed in 2011, retiring the existing fleet of PATH rail cars, and effectively making PATH's railcar fleet the newest in the country.
• 2012 - Work continues on the Port Authority's Capital Program to modernize PATH, which includes replacement of the existing signal system with an Automatic Train Control system, a new Harrison Station, expansion of the Newark-World Trade Center line to accommodate 10-car trains, and a permanent PATH World Trade Center Station at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub.