http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/001305.html - Great fact checking and dirt digging.
the plusses are the new parking for PATH riders at Harrison,
increasing ridership on PATH and reducing car traffic during soccer and concert events, and the investment in redeveloping industrial Harrison.
The minuses are the tax breaks and the great rent ($1.00 !!), but at least the town will still own the land, as I understand it.
Then there are the hassles. PATH runs a great little commuter subway extension of the NJT Commuter trains, with a very tight budget and a very predictable demand for services. I've never been on the PATH or NJT after an event at the Garden, how well do they handle crowds there? I imagine it's a mess, but I could be wrong.
I think it's time for PATH to rethink its customer demographic and look to where ridership will come from in 5 years, and how the new stadium and Newark Arena will add event crowds to the current ridership. Perhaps they could even think outside the box and reinvent themselves. Now is a good time.
What is the maximum service frequency PATH can operate? every two minutes?
If they run full service from 5am to 1am, do you think ridership would eventually increase to meet the capacity of service?
How much will price limit that ridership increase? Will increased revenues be enough to cover increased costs? Could shorter trains at low demand times save money?
When trains are available like elevators, it completely changes how people use them. Having a system wide 1 or 2 hour ticket, good for free transfers could also greatly increase ridership.
I would bet that when people know they don't have to wait even 5 minutes for a train at night, 30 to 40 % would take PATH instead of driving.
Guarantee a seat and a quick connection to NJT and I'd say 60 to 70%.
But maybe the PA would rather get their money at the toll plazas.