In our R&LHS New York Chapter group there was some discussion of the post-ferry operation at Weehawken. Several of our members had first hand experience with it. Someone may find this of interest, you seldom see it discussed.
At first there was a special Public Service bus that met the trains and operated via the Lincoln Tunnel to/from the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) in Manhattan. It was not a good connection as there was no really direct route from the Weehawken Terminal and River Road to the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. The bus had to backtrack up to the top of the Palisades, go south for several blocks and then back down again to get to the tunnel. In rush hours there was very heavy traffic and it was a slow ride.
As ridership continued to drop this bus was discontinued. Instead riders had a connection on Boulevard East, the street running along the top of the Palisades, with an existing bus route to PABT. To get to Blvd. East, West Shore riders were faced with a long walk up a steep set of stairs. Either an existing staircase or one newly constructed. (I seem to recall they're saying it was a new staircase.)
One of the members who walked it said it was about one hundred steps up. From the train to the top of the stairs took about ten minutes. At least the buses ran frequently. But obviously it was not a good way to commute in bad weather or as winter began to set in.
I read an email from someone once whose father worked in or near Weehawken and continued to ride the trains until the last day. Possibly he worked at one of the large industries located along River Road in Weehawken or Edgewater, I don't remember. I believe he said the schedule of five trains each way was reduced to three, possibly with the October schedule change mentioned here. He rode with his father a few times and said the coaches were all but empty.
At first there was a special Public Service bus that met the trains and operated via the Lincoln Tunnel to/from the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) in Manhattan. It was not a good connection as there was no really direct route from the Weehawken Terminal and River Road to the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. The bus had to backtrack up to the top of the Palisades, go south for several blocks and then back down again to get to the tunnel. In rush hours there was very heavy traffic and it was a slow ride.
As ridership continued to drop this bus was discontinued. Instead riders had a connection on Boulevard East, the street running along the top of the Palisades, with an existing bus route to PABT. To get to Blvd. East, West Shore riders were faced with a long walk up a steep set of stairs. Either an existing staircase or one newly constructed. (I seem to recall they're saying it was a new staircase.)
One of the members who walked it said it was about one hundred steps up. From the train to the top of the stairs took about ten minutes. At least the buses ran frequently. But obviously it was not a good way to commute in bad weather or as winter began to set in.
I read an email from someone once whose father worked in or near Weehawken and continued to ride the trains until the last day. Possibly he worked at one of the large industries located along River Road in Weehawken or Edgewater, I don't remember. I believe he said the schedule of five trains each way was reduced to three, possibly with the October schedule change mentioned here. He rode with his father a few times and said the coaches were all but empty.