Harrison PATH Station -- On Ice?

The Port Authority rebuilt and expanded the east side of the Harrison station, building two new head houses on the east side of Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. The head house for the eastbound track opened in 2019. The new head houses and plazas are fantastic, representing an enormous improvement. Station access after events at Red Bull Arena is now facilitated and the new head houses provide shelter from the elements. 1,000% improvement. The renderings for the station project had indicated that the PA would ultimately rebuild the station on both sides of FER Blvd. However, as far as is visible, all work completely ended on the station when the second east side head house was completed, and no work, demolition or staging has occurred at any point since mid-2019. The west side head houses, and in particular the one for the east bound track, are utterly decrepit. The stairs on the staircase for the eastbound side aren't even level at this point. Moreover, using one side's head house in preference to the other is not all that easy because crossing FER Blvd. is difficult given sidewalk fencing and the location of the crosswalks relative to the station location.

Does anyone know if the PA plans to continue the renovation work?
Also, I had also read years ago that the station plans were required to mesh with the possibility of Amtrak adding an additional NEC track through Harrison. From a novice's view, it does not look like the Harrison station project included any geometric changes to allow for additional space to locate a new track and the associated overhead wires, but I was wondering whether anyone had insight on that.

The space for the 4th Amtrak track through Harrison already exists. From the Google aerials there is a signal hut and some other stuff that will need to be moved to reclaim the space for the track, but it is there including the bridge over Frank E Rodgers Blvd.

EuroStar wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:50 am The space for the 4th Amtrak track through Harrison already exists. From the Google aerials there is a signal hut and some other stuff that will need to be moved to reclaim the space for the track, but it is there including the bridge over Frank E Rodgers Blvd.

Correct. The Amtrak concern is for immediately to the east of the PATH station where the PATH westbound track curves to next to the Amtrak tracks. The westbound PATH at its eastern end had to be built sufficiently to the north and the PATH track moved accordingly to allow room for four Amtrak tracks there. That area only had two PRR and two PATH tracks. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7395657 ... a=!3m1!1e3

That area only had two PRR and two PATH tracks.

Just to nitpick, in PRR days there were four PRR tracks there, two of which were also used by PATH (H&M), which shared tracks with PRR trains all the way to Journal Square, when the PRR was still operating trains to Exchange Place.

Thanks for the insight, much appreciated.

In that era each H&M train had a PRR train number for movement west of Journal Square. The PRR public timetables published the H&M departures from Hudson Terminal as an advertised connection to certain PRR trains, and those H&M trains had a train number beginning with zero and containing the number of the train (or first train) it connected with; i.e., the Broadway connection was No. 029. I couldn't find anything specific in the ett, but presumably if the H&M train was running late one of the towers en route would notify the stationmaster at Newark, who probably had authority to detain the PRR train if necessary to protect the connection. The westward home signal at DOCK interlocking had a smash board mounted just above the height of an H&M train and a lighted H-M which were deployed when the switch was routed to the Harrison platform.

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:30 pm In that era each H&M train had a PRR train number for movement west of Journal Square. The PRR public timetables published the H&M departures from Hudson Terminal as an advertised connection to certain PRR trains, and those H&M trains had a train number beginning with zero and containing the number of the train (or first train) it connected with; i.e., the Broadway connection was No. 029. I couldn't find anything specific in the ett, but presumably if the H&M train was running late one of the towers en route would notify the stationmaster at Newark, who probably had authority to detain the PRR train if necessary to protect the connection. The westward home signal at DOCK interlocking had a smash board mounted just above the height of an H&M train and a lighted H-M which were deployed when the switch was routed to the Harrison platform.

Yes, and I seem to recall as a teen at some time in the mid or so 1960's when taking the H&M from Journal Square to Newark, I purchased a paper ticket from an agent at Journal Square (40 cents?) and it was punched by a PRR conductor on the H&M train and I turned in the used ticket to the agent at Newark to get a 10 cent (?) refund as the fare was less between Journal Square and Newark than Journal Square and New York.

Hmmm.........that system was gone by 1970 when I first rode PATH. By then it was all one system operated by the Port Authority with one fare at the turnstile to enter the system just like the NYC subways. Don't remember how much the fare was in those days. I do remember at least one Pennsy position-light signal still in service on the westbound PATH track in the Jersey Meadows. And you could see out the front RFW of those futuristic looking PA-1 cars!

The station has been upgraded?

nyrmetros wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 8:55 pm The station has been upgraded?

Well, it is only 3 years from last post.

The station has been upgraded with extended platforms, rebuilt/new street entrances. The work is still ongoing.