PATH achieved weekday ridership record in July

Amtrak's repairs at Penn Station in New York City have helped drive a record average weekday ridership for Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH).

Ridership last month rose 9.2 percent year over year to nearly 298,000 passengers, which is the highest average weekday ridership for any month since the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey took over the rail line in 1962, PATH officials said in a press release.

Six percent of the increase consisted of New Jersey Transit riders whose tickets were cross-honored at the Hoboken, 33rd Street and World Trade Center stations as a result of Amtrak's Penn Station infrastructure work.

PATH's strategy to add trains, reduce headways between Hoboken and 33rd Street and deploy additional volunteer staff to the cross-honoring stations for customer assistance has helped ease commuting burdens for PATH customers and affected NJ Transit passengers, agency officials said.

Since Amtrak's work began July 10, PATH's on-time performance has remained at a 98 percent average.

"For our customers and our employees, this could have been the 'summer of hell,' as many had predicted. It hasn’t been," said Kevin O’Toole, who chairs the port authority's board.

Amtrak's infrastructure work is scheduled to be wrapped up by Sept. 1.