PATH logs ridership surge during Penn Station repairs

During the first two weeks of Amtrak's emergency repairs at New York City's Penn Station, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail system carried an average of more than 22,000 additional weekday riders.

Most of those riders normally use New Jersey Transit's Midtown Direct service but are being diverted to the Hoboken Terminal for the duration of the repair work, according to a PATH press release.

Through June 30, PATH averaged 277,000 weekday riders.

To meet the increased demand, PATH added four trains per hour on its Hoboken-33rd Street Line during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

PATH's on-time performance rate remains at nearly 98 percent.

"PATH's role has never been more critical to the region," said Pat Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates PATH. "As the traveling public increases its reliance on PATH during this period, our commitment to providing service that maintains the highest levels of safety and efficiency is paramount."

The Penn Station project will continue through Sept. 1. Amtrak officials scheduled the repairs after determining track problems were behind two derailments at the station in spring.